News Release

Bay Area Nonprofits Receive $1.26 Million in Silicon Valley Impact Grants from Cisco Foundation

Impact Grants Support Educational Opportunities, Community Development, and Mental and Physical Health Programs for Those Most in Need
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Jun 13, 2008

SAN JOSE, Calif., June 13, 2008 - The Cisco Foundation today recognized 84 nonprofit organizations for their contributions to community development and improvement with its annual Silicon Valley Impact Grants, a program that provides funding to nonprofit organizations within 50 miles of Cisco headquarters in San Jose.

Each organization received a $15,000 grant to further educational opportunities, community development, and mental and physical health programs in underserved communities. In total, the Cisco Foundation awarded $1,260,000 in Silicon Valley Impact Grants this year to assist well-run, innovative Bay Area nonprofits.

Since 1993, the Cisco Foundation has provided nearly $18 million in grants to 1,400 local nonprofits, giving priority consideration to programs that offer online resources to support the community, that can be replicated through use of technology, and that serve significant numbers of individuals.

"Cisco and the Cisco Foundation recognize that local community progress comes from a sustained dedication to, and a hyper-focus on, improving educational opportunities and social programs for everyone in the community," said Michael Yutrzenka, executive director, Cisco Foundation. "The local nonprofits we support exemplify our commitment to sustainable business practices and positive social change."

Many of Cisco's grant winners this year operated mentorship programs, literacy initiatives, basic and advanced skills training, and other education programs in traditionally underserved communities; others focused on improving physical, mental and environmental health.

"We take our role delivering independent living skills and adult employment education in Palo Alto very seriously and support from organizations such as the Cisco Foundation make all the difference in allowing us to focus on our core mission," said Lynda Steele, executive director of Abilities United (formerly Community Association for Rehabilitation (CAR)), based in Palo Alto, Calif.

"With this generous Impact Grant, Cisco will be truly impacting the lives of hundreds of Bay Area children living in low-income communities," said Geoff Benjamin, chief executive officer of the Imagine Bus Project in San Francisco. "It is not surprising that an innovator in helping people collaborate like Cisco would recognize the vital importance of teaching the generation of tomorrow how to think visually and creatively. We could not be more grateful for these much-needed funds."

The following nonprofit organizations received a Cisco Foundation 2008 Silicon Valley Impact Grant:

K-12 Enrichment Programs

    A Schmahl Science Workshop, San Jose
    Aim High, San Francisco
    Alum Rock Counseling Center, Inc., San Jose
    Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area, San Francisco
    Boys and Girls Clubs of the Peninsula, Menlo Park
    Bring Me a Book Foundation, Mountain View
    California Dictionary Project, San Francisco
    Chabot Space & Science Center Foundation, Oakland
    City Year San Jose/Silicon Valley, San Jose
    College Track, Oakland
    Community Bridges, Aptos
    Community Resources for Science, Berkeley
    Family Service Agency of San Mateo County, San Mateo
    Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association, San Francisco
    Girls Incorporated of Alameda County, San Leandro
    Industry Initiatives for Science & Math Education, Santa Clara
    Juma Ventures, San Francisco
    Junior Achievement of Silicon Valley & Monterey Bay, Inc. Santa Clara
    Marine Science Institute, Redwood City
    Mission Science Workshop San Francisco
    MK Level Playing Field Institute, San Francisco
    Morgan Autism Center, San Jose
    National Engineers Week Foundation, Martinez
    New Leaders, Inc., Oakland
    Omega Boys Club, San Francisco
    O'Neill Sea Odyssey, Santa Cruz
    Refugee Transitions, Oakland
    Santa Cruz/Silicon Valley New Teacher Project (SC/SVNTP), Cupertino
    Save San Francisco Bay Association, Oakland
    Silicon Valley Children's Fund, San Jose
    Summer Search, San Jose
    Teach For America - Bay Area, San Francisco
    The Regents of the University of California, Santa Cruz
    The Role Model Program, San Jose
    Third Street Community Center, San Jose
    YES Reading, Milpitas
    Youth Community Service, Palo Alto

Arts in Education Programs

    American Musical Theatre of San Jose, Inc., San Jose
    AXIS Dance Company, Oakland
    Carnaval San Francisco - Mission Neighborhood Centers, San Francisco
    Community School of Music and Arts, Mountain View
    Film Arts Foundation, San Francisco
    Mariposa's Art, Santa Cruz
    Northern California Public Broadcasting, Inc., San Francisco
    Oakland Asian Students Educational Services (OASES), Oakland
    Performing Arts Workshop, Inc., San Francisco
    San Jose Multicultural Artists Guild, San Jose
    Tapestry Arts San Jose, Inc., San Jose
    The Imagine Bus Project, San Francisco
    Zeum, San Francisco

Adult Vocational Programs

    Achievekids, Palo Alto
    Board of Trustees of the Glide Foundation, San Francisco
    Abilities United
    Community Gatepath, Burlingame
    Community Housing Partnership, San Francisco
    Episcopal Community Services of San Francisco, San Francisco
    Imagine Supported Living Services, Capitola
    Jewish Vocational and Career Counseling Service, San Francisco
    Project HIRED, San Jose
    The Family School, San Francisco
    TransAccess, San Jose
    Upwardly Global, San Francisco
    Youth UpRising, Oakland

Health Programs

    Berkeley Food and Housing Project, Berkeley
    Center for Empowering Refugees and Immigrants, Inc., Oakland
    Community Solutions for Children, Families & Individuals, Inc., Morgan Hill
    Crisis Support Services of Alameda County, Oakland
    Diabetes Society, San Jose
    Family Resources International (FRI), Saratoga
    Huckleberry Youth Programs, San Francisco
    Kara, Inc., Palo Alto
    Northern California Presbyterian Homes & Services Foundation, San Francisco
    Nurse Managed Centers c/o The Tower Foundation, San Jose
    Parents Helping Parents Inc., Santa Clara
    RotaCare Bay Area, Inc., Gilroy
    Santa Cruz Women's Health Center, Santa Cruz
    School Health Clinics of Santa Clara County, San Jose
    Shanti Project, Inc. San Francisco
    SJB Child Development Centers, San Jose
    South Bay Children's Medical Center, Los Gatos
    Teen Pregnancy Coalition of San Mateo County, Redwood City
    The Art of Yoga Project, Palo Alto
    Women's HIV Program at UCSF, San Francisco
    Youth and Family Enrichment Services, San Carlos

Cisco Foundation, with a $158 million endowment, awards approximately $10 million each year in Impact Grants and employee matching gifts programs worldwide. Additional information about the 2008 Silicon Valley Impact Grant recipients can be found at: www.cisco.com/go/foundation.