Microsoft congratulates the following Unlimited Potential (UP) grant recipients. We are proud to support their work.
Canada
Pacific Community Networks Association (PCNA), British Columbia
PCNA is a nonprofit organization representing 22 CAP Networks in British Columbia. PCNA's goal is to build and strengthen the economic and social capacity of communities by providing free or low-cost access to computers and Internet technology, as well as education on using these technologies. CAP Access Program is an Industry Canada initiative that provides access to computer and Internet technology across Canada. The Microsoft donation will be used to help create an online learning community focused on teaching the art and science of game development. This project will offer training in game development disciplines, including programming, conceptual design, project management, three-dimensional modeling, two-dimensional texturing, animation, and sound design, to interested participants worldwide.
United States
University of Alaska Anchorage Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP), Anchorage, AK
ANSEP is a comprehensive suite of pre-college, summer bridging, and university retention programs aimed at increasing the number of indigenous students that pursue college degrees in science, technology, math, and engineering. The two-year, after-school Pre-College Program brings computer technology and IT skills training to remote indigenous communities; provides high school students with a vision of a career in science and engineering; connects students with professionals in industry and academia; provides industrial partners with a technologically trained work force; catalyzes an interest in high school trigonometry, chemistry, and physics; and develops the enabling infrastructure necessary to sustain the effort long term. This grant from Microsoft will support five-day, 30-hour on-site workshops in which high school juniors and seniors assemble computers and learn basic technology skills.
Goodwill Industries, AZ
The grant from Microsoft grant will allow Goodwill to expand its computer skills training program by extending its daytime hours and beginning evening hours. It also will help pay for one full-time and one part-time instructor to teach essential computer training classes.
Community Solutions, CA
Microsoft is supporting Community Solutions to provide low-income youth and parents with skills and information that will expand their employment and educational opportunities. Support from Microsoft will train parents and teens (ages 15 and older) through a series of one to four modules of 10 computer classes each. The classes will cover computer literacy; using Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint; basic hardware; troubleshooting; and program and driver installation. The classes will focus on acquiring job-readiness skills, including job applications, résumé writing, and interview skills.
TransAccess, CA
This project's goal is to provide opportunities for people with disabilities to access adaptive technology and to obtain basic computer literacy skills in an environment that is physically and programmatically accessible. Support from Microsoft will help expand basic computer literacy training and will help expand services in the Student Access Center. The donation will pay for staff time needed to provide training and support in the center, as well as in the community via the mobile unit, and will provide operational assistance to the program.
YMCA, Long Beach, CA
The YMCA of Greater Long Beach (Downtown Community Development Branch) reaches out to the lowest-income families in Long Beach with structured academic support programs and other outreach to help them achieve higher education, job training, advocacy training, parental training, cultural diversity acceptance, social justice, and upward mobility in the job market and the world of higher education. Funding from Microsoft will support year-round technology centers in both walk-in and mobile labs.
Boys & Girls Club Alliance, Los Angeles, CA
The alliance supports after-school programs for underserved and at-risk youth populations, ages 6 to18, in the following core areas: education and career development, character and leadership development, health and life skills, arts, sports, and fitness and recreation. Funding from Microsoft will support trainings focused on advancing the IT skills of the staff and on teaching participants how to become better IT teachers and trainers for participants. The trainings will also emphasize how to integrate IT into the core programs of the Boys & Girls Club.
BreakAway Technologies, Los Angeles, CA
BreakAway Technologies provides people, businesses, and communities with the latest technology solutions, software, training, and community development strategies in environments that are innovative, supportive, and safe. Funding from Microsoft will benefit the SMART Community Program, which is designed to increase the technical infrastructure among community-based and faith-based organizations that want to enhance their organization's effectiveness by using computer hardware and software, and by creating an online presence.
Grail Family Services, East San Jose, CA
This grant will help Grail Family Services bring equitable access to information and IT skills training to the underserved, low-income minority residents of East San Jose. Funding will benefit the Adult Computer Program and will provide for operations staff and for support staff to teach computer courses. This increase in service will add to the capacity of local small businesses and nonprofits by providing local residents with access to technology and by extending the hours the lab is available for community use.
East Oakland Community Development Corporation (EOCDC), Oakland, CA
EOCDC supports low-income youth, families, and the disabled in an area of Oakland that lacks technology resources. EOCDC assists in the development of affordable housing in the East Bay. Each housing development includes a CTC, which fosters self-help and personal development through IT skills training. Funding from Microsoft will support EOCDC's implementation of the Homeward Bound Individual Development Account Program. A partnership with Wells Fargo Bank and Washington Mutual, this program will help youth and adults gain the computer skills necessary to better manage their future and become more self-sufficient.
Jewish Vocational Services (JVS), San Francisco, CA
JVS supports the San Francisco Bay Area community by helping people, particularly those with barriers to employment, acquire the skills and resources to find and keep meaningful employment and progress toward the goal of self-sufficiency. JVS partners with local businesses to discover what type of skills are in demand in the marketplace. Working with this knowledge, JVS fine-tunes its programs to provide the community it serves with technology and soft skills training. Funding and support provided by Microsoft will enable JVC to continue to provide employment services and IT skills training to community members, including job placement services.
Ada S. McKinley, McKinley Neighborhood House Computer Lab, Chicago, IL
The South Chicago community has high numbers of low-income families who do not have access to computer technology. The McKinley Neighborhood House Computer Lab will help address this disparity by bringing computer access, e-mail, and Internet access to residents of South Chicago. The adults who participate in the CTC program will make use of vocational software designed to assist them in gaining and establishing computer competencies. These competencies will help them advance to additional training and may lead to the acquisition of new jobs or to job advancement in their present positions. The participants will also use computer technology to perform vocational tasks such as completing job searches and completing and posting résumés. Clients will also be able to use the computer lab to practice and become proficient in skills that are already required at their places of employment. An important element of the program will be the ability to refer students who complete training to a number of job training, readiness, and placement programs.
After School Matters, tech37 Program, Chicago, IL
In conjunction with Center of Higher Development, Community TV Network, Sinai Community, Neighborhood Technology Resource Center, Girls in the Game, Cooperative Image Group, the After School Matters tech37 programs provide project-based learning to youth and teens, ages 11 to 19, in a variety of areas related to technology. These areas include computer refurbishing, Web site design, graphic design, and digital video production. Teens also can be trained to provide instruction on basic software programs to others, including younger children and older adults. Many of the partner community-based organizations serve this purpose and provide teens with real-world opportunities to deepen their skills through teaching others, under the guidance of skilled professionals. The project activities students undertake at the tech37 program reinforce basic computer and technical literacy skills through the use of Microsoft Office programs.
The Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Chicago, IL
This project will improve employment opportunities for blind and visually impaired individuals in Illinois by providing training in Microsoft Office and basic computer skills using adaptive technology. The program's goal is to train 150 people annually. The Chicago Lighthouse has a five-year goal of becoming a national model in adaptive technology and computer skills training, setting the standard for similar agencies. The donation will assist with the purchase of needed software and curriculum, and it will pay for staff time needed to provide training and support in the center.
YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago, TechGYRLS program, Chicago, IL
TechGYRLS is comprehensive technology and leadership training for girls in at-risk communities to develop skills that will help them in whatever profession they pursue. TechGYRLS encourages girls to be not just users but also creators of new technology, giving them the cutting edge they need to succeed. Approximately 75 girls will receive TechGYRLS training each year. Additional individuals will benefit from evening and weekend trainings, career counseling, and other programs at the center.
People's Resource Center (PRC), DuPage County, IL
The PRC Computer Training Program provides free computer training to underserved adults in DuPage County, Illinois, through its CTCs. With funding from Microsoft Unlimited Potential, 1,060 underserved DuPage County adults will transform their lives and their communities by gaining technology skills. These skills will be tools for educational and economic advancement, and will increase self-sufficiency. All program participants are encouraged to complete the progressive technology trainings to the point of graduation from the program. Upon graduation, they are offered opportunities to advance their job skills through the pilot Jobs Program and through partnerships with the College of DuPage, Illinois Employment and Training Center, and other community organizations. This donation will assist with staff pay, curriculum, and operational support for the centers.
Ryves Youth Center at Etling Hall, Terre Haute, IN
Ryves Youth Center at Etling Hall serves one of the neediest areas of the city of Terre Haute. The Ryves Hall Neighborhood is an inner-city neighborhood that is home to about 8,000 residents. This includes low-income families and undereducated individuals for whom it is difficult to access many of the services available online, such as free tax service, legal and medical advice, and Web-based education and tutorial programs. Employment in computer and data processing services is expected to continue to increase, and without training, many of Terre Haute's poorest will be left behind. Study after study presents an indisputable link between technology and student achievement, especially for at-risk or low-achieving students. Children in low-income families are least likely to have access to technology. The CTC, in combination with other programs already in place at Ryves Youth Center, will provide a unique learning and training opportunity for both disadvantaged youth and their families.
The Neighborhood Centers Inc. (NCI), Detroit MI
Located in southwest Detroit, the NCI is a nonprofit organization that has an impressive computer center that is used to teach general computer skills, GED classes, and English as a second language classes. The grant dollars will assist NCI's efforts to educate through technology. NCI is a pilot project for action in other underserved low-income areas. NCI is also facilitating community improvements that will encourage residents to invest further in the neighborhood as they prosper enough to have choices about where to live.
LifeBuilder Ministries, Kannapolis, NC
The goal of LifeBuilder’s Cyber Campus is to improve computer literacy and provide IT skills training for displaced adult workers who are trying to re-enter or improve their position in the job market. The closing of the largest employer in the Kannapolis region 18 months ago resulted in the layoff of 4,300 people, the largest single layoff in the history of North Carolina. The significant unemployment in the area has made re-employment difficult for the experienced worker. The average age of the displaced worker is 46. The average age of people participating in job retraining is 56. Many of these individuals lack the basic computer skills that are expected in today's competitive job market. Microsoft's donation to LifeBuilder’s Cyber Campus will support essential retooling and retraining so that these individuals can begin new careers and regain stability in their lives.
The Harlem Junior Tennis & Education Program (HJTP), Harlem, NY
HJTP's program offers technology support and career guidance for the Harlem youth community. The computer center gives the youth, many of whom do not have computers at home, access to trainings to build computer skills that are essential for school, Internet, and research, as well as multimedia experiences with various Microsoft software programs. In addition, HJTP offers the Homework Club, in which volunteers provide free one-on-one tutoring to help students maintain and improve their grades for future successes.
NPower New York, New York City, NY
The NPower network offers a full range of technology services, solutions, and products to assist nonprofits. NPower New York runs an innovative work-force development program, Technology Service Corps (TSC). This program trains out-of-school youth, ages 18 to 25, in technology and professional skills. TSC works with nonprofit organizations to place graduates in jobs as junior information technologists. TSC strives to deliver a high-impact, high-quality, city-wide technology training program for out-of-school youth while also delivering desperately needed technology support services to the nonprofit community. Microsoft's donation provides support to the TSC program.
Henry Street Settlement, New York, NY
The Henry Street Settlement was founded in 1893 to assist those with the fewest options in finding a better way of life. This principle is behind all of the Settlement's programs, which serve Manhattan's impoverished Lower East Side neighborhood. The Attain Lab serves the community by providing a necessary resource for all program areas, as well as for community residents seeking access to new technology. For many adults, the Attain Lab provides a primary access point for computer and Internet use; trainings are available on a daily basis. The donation from Microsoft is a foundation for a lasting relationship with Henry Street.
Police Athletic League (PAL), New York, NY
PAL's mission is to improve the quality of life for New York City children through educational, recreational, and cultural programs they otherwise would not have. PAL gives boys and girls the hope and direction they need to lead meaningful and productive lives through the use of technology centers. This particular donation will be used for programs facilitated at PAL's Brownsville Beacon Community Center in Brooklyn, New York (PAL-BBC). Approximately 2,500 community members participate in PAL-BBC programs, including adults who take part in activities ranging from continuing education, cultural and athletic events, and service learning projects.
Central Dallas Ministries, Dallas, TX
Central Dallas Ministries is a multiservice organization that has been serving the needs of low-income individuals in the Dallas area since 1988. The Cyberspot, a neighborhood CTC launched by Dallas Ministries in 2000, provides computer access, technology training, and IT classes to the community. Supporting the work of both the Youth Education program and CDM Works (job-placement and employment-training program), this center serves more than 350 people each year. The project will expand the center's comprehensive training program for the local work force while also enhancing youth IT education programs. Microsoft funding will support the addition of an IT director to the staff. The IT director will facilitate the expansion of programs, the development of an enhanced IT curriculum, and the effective integration of new hardware and software throughout the organization.
Technology For All, Houston, TX
Technology For All works to empower under-resourced communities in the Houston area through technology. By partnering with area community-based organizations, corporations, and foundations, Technology For All provides services such as CTCs, work-force training, online content, and consulting and leadership training. Technology For All also focuses on specific needs, such as the ongoing recovery efforts of Community Technology 2.0, which will support the work of 20 CTCs serving neighborhoods with large numbers of Hurricane Katrina evacuees. Microsoft's donation will support necessary curriculum, infrastructure to expand services, and training.
Northern Virginia Family Service (NVFS), VA
The Training Futures (TF) Program of NVFS began operation in 1996 with the purpose of connecting low-income workers with Northern Virginia employers who need technology-savvy administrative staff. Since it began, the program has bridged the digital divide by graduating more than 800 adults and connecting them with career-track positions in office administration. Microsoft's donation will support the expansion of the TF program in Northern Virginia, an effective model that could be replicated in other parts of the region.
Mason County Literacy, Mason County, WA
Founded in 1991, Mason County Literacy's purpose is to advocate for and provide learner-centered literacy programs for the culturally diverse population of Mason County. Computer literacy, including basic PC skills, is considered an essential element of contemporary adult literacy. This donation supports Mason County Literacy's efforts to expand community technology offerings by upgrading the CTC with appropriate equipment, instructors, and materials that will support improved training in basic IT skills for community learners.
Academy of Hope (AOH), Washington, D.C.
AOH was established in 1985 with the mission to provide a community of hope and opportunity, through high-quality education and job-skills training, to low-income adults in Washington, D.C. AOH offers a Computer Literacy Program (CLP) that is designed to enhance employability and chances for advancement through development of computer skills. The donation will support the CLP by funding software, salaries, training, and needed equipment and supplies.
Carlos Rosario International Career Center, Washington, D.C.
The Carlos Rosario International Career Center works to build community wealth in the immigrant communities of our nation's capital. This is achieved through top-tier work-force development, English language training, access to technology, and job counseling. This UP grant will support Computer Support Specialist Training (CSST), which is designed to equip participants with the skills necessary to pass the hardware and software portions of CompTia's A+ certification exam. This is a five-month program to address one of the major barriers to literacy and employment for immigrant populations: technology training.
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