Verizon Foundation Offers Work Force Development Grants for Nonprofits in Great Lakes Area

INDIANAPOLIS -- Nonprofit organizations engaged in work force development initiatives in the Great Lakes region are invited to compete for $400,000 in grants to be distributed this year by Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications.

A request for proposal (RFP) issued by Verizon Foundation notes that applications are currently being sought from nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations and eligible educational institutions in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin in Verizon's local telephone service area. Grant proposals are due by May 24. The foundation will award one-year grants, ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 each.

"A pool of skilled employees is key to the future economic health of our region," said John Dudley, Great Lakes region president for Verizon. "There's a strong need for people who understand and can work with current and emerging technologies."

Verizon is committed to supporting initiatives that use 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 welfare-to-work, school-to-work, career advancement programs for women and minorities and use of technology in training people with disabilities," Dudley said.

To promote technology and more effectively serve the nonprofit community, Verizon Foundation has made all of its programs available online. All grant applications must be made online at its Web site, www.verizon.com/foundation. On the Web site, applicants should click on the Great Lakes Region Work Force Development RFP link and type in the invitation code for this RFP, 24AD66JX5F, when logging in.

Educational institutions and other nonprofit organizations with questions regarding the application process may contact Verizon by sending an e-mail to Dianne Johnson.

Grant recipients will be announced Aug. 1.

Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, is committed to helping Verizon employees, customers and the communities in which they work and live make progress every day. The 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. For more information on the foundation, visit www.verizon.com/foundation on the Internet.

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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