Verizon Foundation Announces Work Force Development Grants for Nonprofits in New York

NEW YORK -- Nonprofit organizations engaged in efforts to improve work force development skills for New Yorkers are invited to compete for $500,000 in grants to be distributed this year by Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications.

A request for proposals (RFP) issued by Verizon Foundation notes that applications are currently being sought from nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations and eligible educational institutions serving people within Verizon New York's service area, as well as the company's service area in Greenwich, Conn. Grant proposals are due by April 17. The foundation will award one-year grants, ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 each.

"The future economic health of our region depends on a skilled and literate work force," said Paul Crotty, group president for Verizon in New York and Connecticut. "We are eager to support creative and innovative initiatives that use current and emerging technology to help create a skilled work force, provide opportunities for personal growth for the participants and result in long-term, sustainable benefits for the community.

"We're particularly interested in proposals relating to work force preparation and training for individuals who are seeking work but lack the skills for today's new economy," Crotty said.

Proposals must include a needs assessment and identify actual job openings within their communities. Greater consideration will be given to projects that can be replicated as a "best-practice" model.

To promote technology and more effectively serve the nonprofit community, Verizon Foundation has made all of its programs available online. The foundation requires that all grant applications be made online at its Web site (www.verizon.com/foundation). On the Web site, applicants should click on the New York/Connecticut Work Force Development RFP link and type in the invitation code for this RFP, 58LKIG3Z6M, when logging in.

Nonprofit organizations and potential applicants with questions regarding the application process may contact Verizon's community affairs managers by sending an e-mail to verizon.rfp@verizon.com.

Grant recipients will be announced on July 22.

Last year, more than $500,000 was awarded through the Work Force Development Request for Proposals program to aid fourteen projects around New York State that focus on basic literacy, technology training, job retention training, mentoring and coaching, and collaborations with other community resources.

Verizon Foundation supports a variety of programs that focus on improving basic and computer literacy, bridging the digital divide, enriching communities through technology and creating a skilled work force. The foundation promotes partnerships in technology with organizations serving the needs of diverse communities, people with disabilities, and the economically and socially disadvantaged across the United States and selected foreign countries. The foundation also supports Verizon Volunteers, an incentive program that encourages Verizon employees to volunteer in their communities and provides matching gifts for nonprofit organizations.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) is one of the world's leading providers of communications services. Verizon companies are the largest providers of wireline and wireless communications in the United States, with 132.1 million access line equivalents and 29.4 million wireless customers. Verizon is also the largest directory publisher in the world. A Fortune 10 company with more than $67 billion in annual revenues and approximately 247,000 employees, Verizon's global presence extends to more than 40 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For more information on Verizon, visit www.verizon.com.

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