Verizon Foundation to provide $1.2 million in grants

The Verizon Foundation will provide $1.2 million in grants to educational organizations in 17 states to raise awareness of the free educational resources available on Thinkfinity.org and to train teachers to use the comprehensive, Web-based program. Thinkfinity.org is the Verizon Foundation’s free online portal to 55,000 educational resources, including standards-based, grade-specific, K-12 lesson plans, and other student interactive tools and materials for students provided in partnership with 11 of the nation’s leading educational and literacy organizations, including the International Reading Association.

“Through these innovative partnerships, teachers in 17 states will receive free access to specialized training on educational resources tailored to meet their specific state standards,” said Verizon Foundation President Patrick Gaston in announcing the $1.2 million commitment Wednesday, November 14, 2007) at a gathering at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

The foundation grants announced Wednesday will be used to:
• Provide comprehensive Thinkfinity.org training for teachers through statewide partners such as departments of education.
• Raise awareness among educators of Thinkfinity.org resources.
• Provide educators and students with Thinkfinity.org resources aligned to state standards. The resources will be available via a special educator-resource portal on the Thinkfinity Web site.

The grants will be awarded over the next few months to educational organizations in the following states: Alabama, California, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Thinkfinity.org offers elementary through high school teachers resources across eight academic disciplines, from science to English to mathematics, to improve student achievement. Thinkfinity.org is designed to help teachers gain access to online resources quickly and requires no passwords or software downloads. In addition to providing standards-based resources from the nation’s leading educational and literacy organizations, Thinkfinity.org also offers a free, robust professional development program for teachers and trainers. Go to www.Thinkfinity.org

The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, is committed to improving literacy and K-12 education through its signature program Thinkfinity.org; fostering awareness and prevention of domestic violence; and promoting the use of technology in health-care delivery.

For more information on the foundation, visit www.verizon.com/foundation.