SiliconBeat

Although we spend most of our efforts needling Silicon Valley companies when we uncover bits of corporate shortcomings, we also have a soft spot in our hearts when it comes to the efforts by local companies to give back to the communities in which they live.

The Cisco Foundation, a philanthropic arm of the networking giant that provides funding to
non-profits within a 50-mile radius of its San Jose headquarter, released information Friday
about 84 Bay Area recipients of $1.26 million in grants.

The foundation gives priority consideration to programs that “”offer online resources to
support the community, that can be replicated through use of technology, and that serve
significant numbers of individuals.”

A full listing of recipients is available. Here are just a few:

K-12 Enrichment Programs:

Bring Me a Book Foundation (Mountain View)
Program: San Jose’s First Teachers 2008-2009
Impact: Training a team of 5 additional First Teachers facilitators from San Jose Unified
School District that will provide 1,000 parents with workshops that empower parents to become
their child’s First Teacher and inspire them to read aloud daily.

Chabot Space & Science Center Foundation (Oakland)
Program: Techbridge: Inspiring Girls in Technology, Science and Engineering
Impact: Inspiring girls in technology, science, and engineering, primarily from underserved
communities.

Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association (San Francisco)
Program: Long-term Monitoring Program and Experiential Training for Students (LiMPETS)
Impact: Inspiring youth to become ocean stewards and engaging them in marine sciences.

Girls Incorporated of Alameda County (San Leandro)
Program: Operation SMART (Science, Math, and Relevant Technology)
Impact: Providing hands-on math, science, and technology education for underserved girls in
grades 3-7 in Alameda County.

Industry Initiatives for Science & Math Education (Santa Clara)
Program: Revitalizing and Retaining Teachers in Silicon Valley’s High Need Schools
Impact: Providing K-12 teachers the skills and industry exposure they need to update their
curriculum and motivate their students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering
or math (STEM).

MK Level Playing Field Institute (San Francisco)
Program: Summer Math and Science Honors Academy (SMASH)
Impact: Increasing the number of talented underrepresented students of color seeking
college degrees and careers in science, technology, engineering, and math-related fields.

Morgan Autism Center (San Jose)
Program: Morgan Autism Center “Train The Trainers” Teachers Workshops
Impact: Offering school districts “train the trainer” workshop programs to train teachers
on best practices including Morgan Autism Model to help the large influx of autistic children,
teachers can train others and ultimately help thousands of children.

Third Street Community Center (San Jose)
Program: Inspiring Young Minds And Families
Impact: Providing a comprehensive after school academic and enrichment program for 45 to 55
at-risk children, and providing adult education classes for their parents and/or other
interested adults in San Jose.

YES Reading (Milpitas)
Program: Literacy Tutoring for Students Reading Below Grade Level in San Jose
Impact: Developing literacy skills of students from high-need San Jose elementary school.

Arts in Education:

American Musical Theatre of San Jose (San Jose)
Program: Writing a Musical
Impact: Enriching performing arts and language arts curriculum by empowering students to
create their own musical play.

Carnaval San Francisco -Mission Neighborhood Centers (San Francisco)
Program: Cultural Arts Education Program
Impact: Providing children and youth from San Francisco’s poorest neighborhoods with access
to well conceived and culturally relevant arts instruction.

Film Arts Foundation (San Francisco)
Program: Teaching Intermedia Literacy Tools
Impact: Providing low-income and disenfranchised youth with media education and media
literacy skills.

Northern California Public Broadcasting (San Francisco)
Program: SPARK in Education (SPARKed)
Impact: Enhancing arts education programs at K-12 schools with educational resources and
materials in conjunction with core curriculum, professional development trainings for
educators, and visiting artists.

Performing Arts Workshop (San Francisco)
Program: Artists-in-Schools
Impact: Improving the overall academic performance and critical thinking skills of
‘at-risk’ youth through the arts.

Community Gatepath (Burlingame)
Program: Community Employment Job Placement and Training
Impact: Employing individuals with disabilities at jobs of their choice in the community.

Community Housing Partnership (San Francisco)
Program: Employment and Training Programs
Impact: Providing vocational opportunities and on-the-job training to assist formerly
homeless persons to re-enter the workforce and increase their economic self-sufficiency.

Project HIRED (San Jose)
Program: HIRED Direct Job Search Training and Placement Program for Disabled Adults
Impact: Expanding online and classroom training opportunities for 250 or more disabled job
seekers in the Bay Area.

TransAccess (San Jose)
Program: Computer Access Technology Center
Impact: Providing computer assistive technology and training for persons with disabilities.

Upwardly Global (San Francisco)
Program: Upwardly Global Jobseeker Program
Impact: Enabling 180 professional immigrants to re-enter their careers in the US.

Health:

Center for Empowering Refugees and Immigrants (Oakland)
Program: CERI Cambodian Youth Services
Impact: Piloting a specialized counseling program with academic support services for
at-risk Cambodian American youth in Oakland, in conjunction with family counseling and parent
education for the parents/caregivers of participating youth and young adults.

Community Solutions for Children, Families & Individuals (Morgan Hill)
Program: Sexual Assault Program (Santa Clara County)
Impact: Providing 24/7 crisis intervention, advocacy, and support for child victims of
sexual assault and preventing future child abuse by educating children of methods that will
contribute to keeping them safe.

Diabetes Society (San Jose)
Program: Bilingual/Bicultural Diabetes Educator Training
Impact: Training ten bilingual/bicultural Hispanic/Latino health care professionals as
diabetes educators for the growing population of Hispanic/Latino individuals with, or at risk
for diabetes.

Parents Helping Parents (Santa Clara)
Program: iTECH Center for Assistive Technology
Impact: Providing children with special needs access to educational opportunities using
assistive technology designed to augment their functionality and remove the barriers to
success caused by their special needs.

Santa Cruz Women’s Health Center (Santa Cruz)
Program: Improving Preventive Healthcare for Low-Income Residents of Santa Cruz County
Impact: Improving the health status of low-income women and children by expanding our
capacity to efficiently schedule regular medical appointments.

Shanti Project (San Francisco)
Program: Volunteer Caregivers Program
Impact: Training “ordinary” citizens to provide extraordinary support to people with
life-threatening illnesses.

South Bay Children’s Medical Center (Los Gatos)
Program: Mobile Health Clinic
Impact: Providing access to free and low-cost health care for all children in Santa Clara
County.

The Art of Yoga Project (Palo Alto)
Program: Yoga and Creative Arts Curriculum
Impact: Providing yoga and art therapy training for 1000 girls at the MJK Camp for Girls at
the San Mateo Juvenile Hall.