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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
