SAN JOSE, Calif., August 10, 2005 - Today, the Cisco Systems Foundation announced a new round of San Jose Impact Grants that will support 66 non-profits within a 50-mile radius of Cisco's headquarters. A total of $765,000 will be awarded to non-profit organizations who provide services such as teacher training, technology and art education for youth and adults, health services for low income families, and food and shelter for the area's homeless.
With this latest round of grants, Cisco has awarded just over $1.5 million to area non-profits during the past fiscal year.
"At Cisco, we are dedicated to building stronger, more productive and self-sustaining communities," said Michael Yutrzenka, Executive Director, Cisco Systems Foundation. "We continue to be impressed by the tireless work and dedication of these Bay Area non-profits, and we are proud to support them in their endeavors."
One of the grant recipients is the Bay Area office of Teach for America, a national non-profit organization that recruits perspective teachers from top colleges, trains them and places them in the nation's highest-need public schools in urban and rural areas. Since its inception in 1990, more than 12,000 college graduates have joined Teach for America and have directly impacted the lives of 1.75 million students nationwide. Currently, there are 145 Teach for America teachers working in 59 public schools in Bay Area communities including Oakland, San Jose, East Palo Alto, San Francisco, and Contra Costa County.
"We believe our nation must channel its most promising future leaders toward the fight to eliminate the gap in educational outcomes that persists in our country along socio-economic and racial lines," said Wendy Kopp, President and Founder, Teach For America. "The Cisco Systems Foundation's generous financial assistance will enable us to recruit and train outstanding recent college graduates of all academic majors to teach in the Bay Area's most under-resourced communities and to become lifelong leaders in pursuit of educational excellence and equity."
In addition to Teach for America, Cisco awarded grants to two other non-profits that provide training for area teachers. The Bay Area School Reform Collaborative hosts professional development workshops for principals and teachers to expand and enhance their skills for leading and sustaining improvement in student achievement. These workshops will potentially impact the education of over 340,000 students in largely under-served and poorly-performing school districts.
Community Resources for Science (CRS) recruits and trains professional scientists to serve as volunteer classroom assistants in Alameda County elementary schools. These volunteers help to improve science curriculum, demonstrate real-world science applications and serve as role models for students who otherwise may not be interested in science.
"Quality education is a key to social and economic success," said Cisco's Yutrzenka. "By training teachers, these non-profits contribute to the greater good of the community."
The San Jose Impact Grants reflect the Cisco Systems Foundation's dedication to providing basic human needs to overcome the cycle of poverty, granting access to education to foster opportunity, and promoting responsible citizenship. Since the inception of the grant awards in 1993, the program has awarded more than 1,040 community grants amounting to approximately $14.5 million to Bay Area non-profit organizations.
The following is a complete list of organizations awarded funding in this most recent round of grants:
| Organization Legal Name | City | State |
| AnewAmerica Community Corporation | Berkeley | Calif. |
| Aphasia Center of California | Oakland | Calif. |
| Bay Area School Reform Collaborative | San Francisco | Calif. |
| Big Brothers Big Sisters of Santa Clara County | San Jose | Calif. |
| Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula | Menlo Park | Calif. |
| Building with Books | Oakland | Calif. |
| Center for Excellence in Nonprofits | Milpitas | Calif. |
| Children's Empowerment, Inc. | San Francisco | Calif. |
| Cleo Eulau Center | Palo Alto | Calif. |
| Community Health Awareness Council | Mountain View | Calif. |
| Community Resources for Science | Berkeley | Calif. |
| Community School of Music and Arts | Mountain View | Calif. |
| Compass Community Services | San Francisco | Calif. |
| Continuum HIV Day Services | San Francisco | Calif. |
| East Palo Alto Mural Art Project | Stanford | Calif. |
| Eden I&R, Inc. | Hayward | Calif. |
| EHC LifeBuilders | San Jose | Calif. |
| El Camino Youth Symphony Association | Palo Alto | Calif. |
| El Centro de Libertad | Redwood City | Calif. |
| Emergency Shelter Program, Inc | Hayward | Calif. |
| Family Service Agency ofSan Mateo County | San Mateo | Calif. |
| Francisco Connection | San Francisco | Calif. |
| Franklin McKinley Education Foundation | San Jose | Calif. |
| Fresh Lifelines for Youth, Inc. ("FLY") | San Jose | Calif. |
| Friends for Youth, Inc. | Redwood City | Calif. |
| Future Families, Inc. | San Jose | Calif. |
| Girl Scouts of Santa Clara County | San Jose | Calif. |
| Girls Incorporated of Alameda County | San Leandro | Calif. |
| Golden Gate Community Inc. | San Francisco | Calif. |
| Happy Hollow Corporation | San Jose | Calif. |
| Homeless Garden Project | Santa Cruz | Calif. |
| Homeless Prenatal Program | San Francisco | Calif. |
| Huckleberry Youth Programs | San Francisco | Calif. |
| International Institute of San Francisco | Redwood City | Calif. |
| Japanese Community Youth Council | San Francisco | Calif. |
| Jeremiah's Promise, Inc. | Palo Alto | Calif. |
| Law Foundation of Silicon Valley | San Jose | Calif. |
| Los Cenzontles Mexican Arts Center | San Pablo | Calif. |
| Marine Science Institute | Redwood City | Calif. |
| Meals On Wheels of San Francisco | San Francisco | Calif. |
| Mission Dignity/San Francisco Foundation Community Initiative Funds | San Francisco | Calif. |
| Mission Neighborhood Centers, Inc. | San Francisco | Calif. |
| Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence | San Jose | Calif. |
| Nuestra Casa | E. Palo Alto | Calif. |
| Pacific Autism Center for Education | Sunnyvale | Calif. |
| Palo Alto Art Center Foundation | Palo Alto | Calif. |
| Partners in School Innovation | San Francisco | Calif. |
| Peninsula Family Connections | San Carlos | Calif. |
| Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra | San Francisco | Calif. |
| Public Allies, Inc. | Milpitas | Calif. |
| Resources for Community Development | Berkeley | Calif. |
| Rubicon Programs Inc. | Richmond | Calif. |
| Sacred Heart Community Service | San Jose | Calif. |
| Santa Cruz Women's Health Center | Santa Cruz | Calif. |
| Southwest YMCASaratoga | Calif. | |
| Springboard Forward | Mountain View | Calif. |
| St. Joseph's Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing | Hayward | Calif. |
| St. Vincent de Paul Society | San Francisco | Calif. |
| Sunset District Community Development | San Francisco | Calif. |
| Support Network For Battered Women | Mountain View | Calif. |
| Teach For America - Bay Area | Emeryville | Calif. |
| Telegraph Hill Neighborhood Association | San Francisco | Calif. |
| The Bread Project | Oakland | Calif. |
| The Peninsula Bridge Program | Menlo Park | Calif. |
| Upwardly Global | San Francisco | Calif. |
| Women's Audio Mission | San Francisco | Calif. |
