National Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE: NSM) reaffirmed its longstanding support for education by presenting a $100,000 cash donation to Resource Area For Teachers (RAFT), a San Jose-based nonprofit organization that collects and distributes surplus items from hundreds of Silicon Valley companies and sells them at a minimal cost to teachers for use in innovative classroom programs.

The Company also said that it would make available $50,000 of in-kind training for teachers to participate in its unique Global Connections Internet training courses, for a total grant to RAFT of $150,000. Through Global Connections courses, National has provided hands-on training for more than 9,000 teachers worldwide in creative ways to use the Internet in the classroom.

"National's key community focus is to dramatically improve the quality of math, science, and technology education in our schools," said Don Macleod, National's Chief Financial Officer. "By working closely with innovative partners such as RAFT, we are helping our teachers more effectively deliver stimulating hands-on programs to their students."

"National's gift to RAFT offers huge support as we continue to grow and serve thousands of teachers in our community," said Mary Simon, Executive Director of RAFT. "RAFT acts as a vehicle for the community to come together to improve the quality of education, especially in the areas of math, science, and technology."

The $150,000 gift to RAFT marks the debut of the National Semiconductor Foundation, a new $20 million charitable fund created to provide grants for education and critical community needs.

Founded in 1995, RAFT is a unique nonprofit agency that serves more than 4,000 member teachers every year. Rather than send items to a landfill, RAFT accepts donations of surplus office supplies, computers, printers, new and used products of every description, and makes them available to teachers for a minimal cost throughout the year. Teachers shop for items at RAFT's huge warehouse facility in San Jose, and pay a fraction of the cost they would normally pay for the items. And because Silicon Valley is home to many state-of-the-art technologies, teachers and students use many of the items to kick-start creative science, math, and art projects in the classroom.

To date, more than 1,000 companies have provided 585,000 cubic feet of materials that have been used by 450,000 Bay Area children. In 1999, RAFT was selected by Philanthropy Magazine as one of 16 nonprofit organizations considered the "best, most effective," in the United States.

About National Semiconductor
National Semiconductor provides system-on-a-chip solutions for the information age. Combining real-world analog and state-of the-art digital technology, the company's chips lead many sectors of the personal computer, communications, and consumer markets. With headquarters in Santa Clara, California, National reported sales of $2.1 billion for its last fiscal year and has about 10,500 employees worldwide. Additional company and product information is available on the World Wide Web at www.national.com.

National Semiconductor Corporation

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