Newspapers / Philanthropy Journal of North … / Sept. 1, 1998, edition 1 / Page 6
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Foundations Philanthropy Journal of North Carolina September 1998 Losing ground Study finds affluence parallels Internet use Poor families and their communi ties are missing out on new tech nology and the trend may continue without substantial funding, report says. By Joan Alford A new report published by the Benton Foundation in association with the National Urban League, explains w^hy low-income communi ties are lagging in computer and Internet skills. The report reveals poorer communities lack the tools, training and interest in the Web. “Losing Ground Bit by Bit: Low- income Communities in the Information Age," defines the prob lem, discusses roadblocks the poor face in getting on the Information Superhighwa}", gives examples of those who are beating the odds and lists resources for assistance. The report backs its findings with statistics from studies by universi ties, foundations and the federal gov ernment, The study team also inter- view'ed experts who translate cold facts into plain talk. The study tempers wide-spread excitement about the Internet with the bare fact that 28 percent of house holds with annual earnings of 813,000 or less can’t afford basic telephone seiYice, much less modems and com puters to go online. internet access through public facilities such as schools and libraries also is limited in poor com munities. These areas often are the last to receive training and to get computer hardw'are and software for Internet access. Experts inteniewed for the report predict the poor may only get poorer without Internet skills. They say that by the year 2000, 60 percent of all jobs will require Internet technology- related skills. LINK The study can be ordered for $ 10 plus shipping and handling by calling (877) 223-6866. It also can be found online at http://www.benton.org/Library. ACCESSING THE INTERNET: RESOURCES The Benton Foundation's "Losing Ground Bit by Bit; Low- Income Communities in the Information Age," includes links you might be interested in exploring. Here's a sampling; Studies and Information Getting America's Students Ready for the Twenty-First Century: Meeting the Technology Literacy Challenge U.S. Dept, of Education http;//www.ed.gov/Technology/Plan High Technology and Low-Income Communities: Prospects for the Positive Us of Advanced Information Technology Donald A. Schon, Bish Sanyol, and Wiliam J. Mitchell, edi tors; MIT University Press, draft chapters from forthcoming book. http;//web.mif.edu/sap/www/high-low States.org Information, by state, on community connection to the Internet http://states,org and http: // states .org/contents/a bout/i nto Organizations: Alliance for Community Media Bunnie Riedel, Executive Director 666 11 th Street NW, Suite 806 Washington, D.C. 20001-4542 Phone: (202) 393-2650 http://www.alliancecm.org National Urban League B. Keith Fulton, Director Technology Programs and Policy Department 120 Wall Street NewYork, NY 10005 Phone: (212) 558-5300 http;//www.nul.org Center for Media Education Jeffrey Chester, Executive Director 1511 K Street NW, Suite 518 Washington, D.C. 20005 Phone; (202) 628-2620 http://www.cme.org National Community Building Network 672 13th Street Oakland, CA 94612 (510) 893-2404 http://www.ncbn.org Foundation Annual Reports Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation 102 Reynolda Village Winston-Salem, N.C. 27106-5123 (336) 748-9222 info@mrbf.org Period covered; Jan. 1-Dec. 31,1997 Finances (in miilions): Assets Grants paid 1996 $67.8 $3.6 1997 $76.6 $3.5 Three years after the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation recrafted its strategy, the foundation board spent last year and the first part of this year evaluating its course of action. It has recommitted to a mission of assisting people in the South to build communities that nurture, spur enterprise, bridge differences, foster fairness and promote civility The foundation plans to emphasize projects that promote the well-being of children, youth and families; bridge the differences created by race and class; and invest in the human and natural resources of communities. Sixteen groups joined the foundation's Organizational Development Program, which funds initiatives as varied as early childhood partnerships, affordable housing, challenging injustice and helping people reclaim their cultural heritage. Three coalitions received Community Problem Solving Program grants in Raleigh, New Orleans and Chattanooga, and a new grant making area — Grassroots Leadership Development — issued its first small grants. The foundation plans to award more grants in this third area this year. IBM Corporation New Orchard Road Armonk, N.Y. 10504 Period covered; Jan. 1-31,1997 Grants paid in 1997 $96.8 million IBM International Foundation; Fund balance (in millions); 1996 1997 Income $28.3 $30.2 Program expenses $ 8.0 $ 6.5 Of the $96.8 million the IBM Corporation contributed worldwide in cash, technology and technical expertise, the majority went toward educational programs — 36 percent for K-12 education and 28 percent toward hl^er education programs. Seventeen percent went to programs in human ser vices, followed by 8 percent to cultural programs, 6 percent to health-related programs, 1 percent for environmental issues and 4 percent miscellaneous. Four years ago, IBM began its Reinventing Education initiative, designed to enhance K-12 education in the United States, with $25 million in grants awarded to eight school districts and two states. In 1997, the corporation added ei^t new districts and four states, bringing the grant total to $35 mil lion. Global education projects brou^t technology and training to schools in South Africa, Brazil, Australia, Vietnam, Canada, Denmark and Mexico. Besides education, other community-building projects funded by IBM include its Team Tech project, which helps not-for-profit agencies in 11 cities acquire information technology and training by providing staffing — largely recent college graduates, Peace Corps volunteers and retirees — as well as $500,000 in computer hardware, software and technical services. Each newly trained agency is required to donate 40 hours of volunteer training to anoth er not-for-profit. Patty Courtright Durham schools getting help from foundation The Durham Public Education Network raised more than $700,000 in the year ended June 30 to support the Durham public schools. That included more than $117,000 raised for the group’s annual fund drive, exceeding its goal of $80,000. The total raised in the past year also included $683,000 raised for the second phase of the group’s $6 mil lion capital campaign. The first phase of that campaign, which was completed in June 1997, raised $4 million. The second phase, which began last September and ends next June, has a goal of $2 million. The Public Education Network also plans two initiatives. This sum mer, it will form a citizens committee to create a 12-page guide to the bud get for the Durham public schools. The guide, which is expected to be completed in February, boil down for citizens the thrust of the schools’ 500-page budget. In January, the organization will begin an assessment of public educa tion in Durham and of the health needs of students. Foundation funds biology program An $800,000 grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation of Los Angeles will establish a new program in behavioral biology at N.C. State University. Behavioral biology is the integrated study of the principles of animal behavior. Grants awarded increase by 34 percent The value of grants awarded in 1997 by the Janirve Foundation of Asheville, N.C., increased by 34 per cent from the previous year — $3.6 million versus $2.7 million in 1996. The grants went to 73 nonprofits, mostly in Western North Carolina. NationsBank Foundation gives $1 million to college The NationsBank Foundation has given $1 million to Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn., to fund an endowed professorship in family medicine. The college, founded in 1876, emphasizes meeting the primary health care needs of minorities and the poor. Proposed arts center receives funding The Independence Foundation is giving $3 mil lion for the proposed Regional Performing Arts Center in Philadelphia. The gift is the single largest dona tion ever made by the foun dation. The center also was promised $13.1 million from the William Penn Foundation. Gates Library Foundation funds Louisiana project A $7.25 million gift from the Gates Library Foundation will help initiate the Louisiana Libraries Connect Project. The money will put public libraries in the state online with new computers, technical assis tance and training for 1,300 librarians. Fannie Mae Foundation to sponsor PBS Series The Fannie Mae Foundation will sponsor a new Public Broadcasting Service series, 'Africans iri America: America's Journey Through Slavery," Oct. 19-22. Four 90-minute episodes will focus on international events that shaped the growth of slavery in America, from Colonial days through the Civil V\/ar.
Philanthropy Journal of North Carolina (Raleigh, N.C.)
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Sept. 1, 1998, edition 1
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