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SBC Foundation Gives Grant to National Education Council

SBC Foundation Gives Grant to National Education Council

Published 07-21-03

Submitted by SBC Communications Inc.

SAN ANTONIO, TX – The SBC Foundation – the philanthropic arm of SBC Communications Inc. – continues its long tradition of funding education programs with a $330,000 grant to the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP), a nonprofit organization committed to promoting academic achievement and student success. This grant is designed to enhance NCCEP’s online presence by creating an interactive Web site for sharing information on public policy issues, college access programs and education strategies proven effective with students from low-income families. The grant will provide for online training and best practices to increase the impact of NCCEP programs.

Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP), a nationally funded education initiative to help low-income students stay in school and pursue a college education, is a specific program that will benefit from the SBC Foundation grant. Using a K-16 community/education partnership model, the GEAR UP initiative enables states to efficiently implement the No Child Left Behind Act. More than 2,000 community, education and business organizations participate in GEAR UP to serve approximately 1.2 million low-income students.

“Corporate partnerships are a vital component of community collaboration to strengthen education,” said Dr. Hector Garza, president of the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships. “The SBC Foundation grant enables us to link our network of constituencies together to deliver information to improve education services for the nation’s youth.”

GEAR UP project directors and community partners will convene this week in Washington, D.C., for a national conference in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Education. William Daley, president, SBC Communications, will address attendees to discuss the importance of a K-16 program for underserved youth and the need to academically prepare the nation’s future workforce.

“This grant is a good example of how the business community is actively involving itself in national education improvement. SBC is partnering with NCCEP because our future employees are students today and in reaching out to them now, we continue to strengthen our ability to attract and recruit the very best,” said William Daley, president, SBC Communications Inc.

According to The College Board’s 2002 Trends in College Pricing, donations to improve educational programming and its access for teachers and students have helped increase college enrollment for all economic, racial and ethnic groups during the past 25 years. Education is a primary funding area for the SBC Foundation, which supports initiatives that improve student achievement and minority student success and increase the use of new technologies. Since its formation in 1984, the SBC Foundation has distributed more than $203 million to fund educational endeavors.

“NCCEP and the GEAR UP program are compelling because they help young people attain a college education,” said Laura Sanford, president of the SBC Foundation. “By improving NCCEP’s Web capabilities, the SBC Foundation hopes to streamline and increase the value of NCCEP’s programs for the betterment of education in diverse and underserved communities across the U.S.”

The SBC Foundation is the charitable giving arm of SBC Communications Inc. The SBC Foundation supports efforts that enrich and strengthen diverse communities nationwide, particularly those with an emphasis on education and technology and those that benefit underserved populations. SBC Foundation-backed programs are designed to increase access to information technologies, broaden technology training and professional skills development, and effectively integrate new technologies to enhance education and economic development. The Chronicle of Philanthropy and The Foundation Center have consistently ranked the SBC Foundation among the nation's top five corporate foundations. In 2002, the SBC Foundation launched SBC Excelerator, a multi-million dollar competitive grants program that funds nonprofit organizations in their efforts to digitally connect communities.

SBC Communications Inc.( www.sbc.com)is one of the world’s leading data, voice and Internet services providers. Through its world-class networks, SBC companies provide a full range of voice, data, networking and e-business services, as well as directory advertising and publishing. A Fortune 30 company, America’s leading provider of high-speed DSL Internet Access services, and one of the nation’s leading Internet Service Providers, SBC companies currently serve 57 million access lines nationwide. In addition, SBC companies own 60 percent of America’s second-largest wireless company, Cingular Wireless, which serves 22 million wireless customers. Internationally, SBC companies have telecommunications investments in 27 countries.

NCCEP (www.edpartnerships.org) The National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP) is committed to creating and sustaining education partnerships and access to higher education. One of the primary objectives of NCCEP is to promote student achievement and success, as well as increase access to postsecondary education for all students. A quality higher education is one of the single most important factors in determining an individual’s chance at success in life, yet today millions of young people from economically impoverished, minority and rural communities find this door all but shut for them. By building broad-based partnerships, NCCEP aims to invigorate the principle of equal educational opportunity for all, and in the process to enrich the entire life of our nation.

SBC Communications Inc.

SBC Communications Inc.

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