Verizon Foundation Awarded More Than $67.5 million in Community Grants in 2009 to Support Nonprofit Organizations

The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, has awarded more than $67.5 million this year to more than 17,000 nonprofit organizations throughout the U.S.  The majority of giving went to organizations that support education, literacy, domestic violence prevention and Internet safety. 

This year's grants bring to more than $345 million the total funds the Verizon Foundation has awarded since 2005 to support nonprofit organizations. 

"Corporate foundations have an important role to play in supporting the valuable nonprofit organizations that make a tremendous difference in the communities where we work and live," said Verizon Foundation President Patrick Gaston. "Verizon and its employees are proud to partner with thousands of nonprofit organizations throughout the nation to bring about positive change in the areas of education, domestic violence prevention and Internet safety."

Among the programs and organizations supported by the Verizon Foundation in 2009 are:

• WGBH Educational Foundation - $1 million to fund the creation of a PBS FRONTLINE  documentary examining the impact of the Web and digital media on life in the 21st century. The year-long project, Digital Nation: Life on the Virtual Frontier includes a series of online video reports and user-submitted stories that will culminate in a national television broadcast.

• University of Massachusetts Amherst - $200,000 to digitize an estimated 100,000 writings of W.E.B. Du Bois. Previously available only to scholars, these works include more than 4,000 articles, essays and books, as well as correspondence with such historical figures as Booker T. Washington, Albert Einstein and Mohandas Gandhi. Once digitized, these treasures will be accessible on the Web sites of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Library and Verizon Thinkfinity.
• Jobs for America's Graduates (JAG) - $250,000 to fund the creation of JAG programs within three school districts (Forrest City, Earle and Lee County) in the Delta region of Arkansas.  JAG is a national program designed to keep at-risk students in school and provide work-based learning experiences that will lead to career-advancement opportunities or enrollment in post-secondary education. The grant will also fund a JAG state Executive Leadership Training Program for students.

The Verizon Foundation, supports the advancement of literacy and K-12 education through its free educational Web site, Thinkfinity.org, and fosters awareness and prevention of domestic violence.  In 2009, the Verizon Foundation awarded more than $67.5 million in grants to nonprofit agencies in the U.S. and abroad.  It also matched the charitable donations of Verizon employees and retirees, resulting in an additional $24.4 million in combined contributions to nonprofits.  Through Verizon Volunteers, one of the nation's largest employee volunteer programs, Verizon employees and retirees have volunteered more than 5 million hours of community service since 2000. For more information on the foundation, visit www.verizonfoundation.org.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving more than 89 million customers nationwide.  Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers innovative, seamless business solutions to customers around the world.  A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 230,000 and last year generated consolidated revenues of more than $97 billion.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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