News

Press Releases

Salesforce Foundation Announces Europe, Middle East, and Africa Mission Support Grants for 2006

$50,000 (US) allocated to support six excellent projects

June 1, 2006 — Salesforce Foundation, the global leader in integrating philanthropy and business, today announced the Europe, Middle East and Africa grant winners for 2006. Six outstanding organizations share $50,000 (US) in funding to support a variety of projects across the region. Recipients were chosen by an employee advisory group from across Europe. The purpose of Mission Support funding is to enable great non-profit organizations to use technology and media to work with underserved young people and bring about real change in their lives.

The 2006 Grant winners include:

PhotoVoice, Israel/Palestine - PhotoVoice, working with Jerusalem-based NGO, The Parents’ Circle, will develop a photographic dialogue between young Israelis and young Palestinians who have lost family members in the ongoing conflict. The Parents’ Circle seeks to solve conflict between Israelis and Palestinians through dialogue and mutual understanding. PhotoVoice will train local facilitators and hold workshops and throughout the following year young people will document their lives using digital cameras. In Summer 2007 they will meet again to share their work, and an exhibition will be held in Jerusalem and London in Autumn 2007.
Thembanathi, Swaziland - Thembanathi will establish after-school care for primary and high school students to address both the rapid spread of HIV and the increasing number of orphans and vulnerable children without care. The after-school program will integrate technology and care to give children both the necessities they need to survive in their present situation and the skills they need to succeed in the future. This grant will provide computers, internet access, and digital cameras to the students so they can learn to use technology. As an after-school activity, they will create a film about HIV prevention and illustrate the dangers of risky behaviour through digital photography.

Dublin YMCA, Ireland - This grant will set up a revenue-generating Internet Cafe in the lobby of the YMCA as a resource for residents, students of the STEP program outside of the opening-hours of the technology suite, and as a facility for the local community, particularly local youth. Any income generated will be injected back into the YMCA’s youth service program to fund upgrading of facilities and support programme.

Mashava Tova, Israel - Mashava Tova will train representatives of vulnerable sectors of young Israeli society in aspects of technology, to enable them to create projects in their own communities; thus empowering young people to transfer their knowledge to others who need it. Mashava Tova work with youth from orthodox families who are at high risk of drug abuse and involvement in crime, and are also creating a coexistence group of Jews and Muslims who will make common and shared video pieces. Areas of training will include computer teaching, cinema groups, a computer products group - building websites, graphics, data management, and undertaking work for the local community. The projects create a positive learning and productive social frame by teaching them how to work in groups and communicating with individuals and representative of community institutions.

St. Joseph’s School for the Visually Impaired, Ireland - This grant will supply specialist computer equipment for visually impaired children. Currently the pre-school in St Josephs School have no computer equipment whatsoever and the children have visual impairments of varying degrees and other disabilities. This means that specialist hardware and software are required for the children to be able to operate a standard computer. Computers can provide an important role in helping kids of all persuasions grow in our world which has an increasing reliance on technology.

FOCUS, Janus Foundation, UK - The FOCUS project will be a learning hub for disadvantaged children and young people between the ages of 12 and 19 within North London who want to explore film, music, interactive and new media, and the creative world of art and performance as a visual means of expression. The project will provide diverse and rich experiences through original, fresh and exciting out-of-school creative workshops, personal mentoring and individual needs tailored training. FOCUS will provide the only multimedia-based and multidisciplinary workshops available in North London with specialised provisions for disadvantaged young people coupled with dedicated and experienced tutors/mentors to provide focused support.

About Salesforce Foundation
Salesforce Foundation’s fundamental mission is to enable community success and build the capacity of nonprofit organizations. As the leader in integrating philanthropy and business, the Foundation has pioneered the 1/1/1 model for corporate philanthropic change. This model delivers 1 percent of salesforce.com’s product to the nonprofit community, 1 percent of founding equity to community programs and 1 percent of employee working hours to volunteerism. The Foundation has built a new model to support how corporations can more deeply serve the communities in which they operate. The Foundation also strives to better the lives of youth by supporting technology and educational programs in underserved communities wherever salesforce.com has a presence.

Since July 2000, the Foundation has worked with hundreds of community organizations across the world, assisting them with technology, serving nearly 100,000 youth and other community members; has provided more than 20,000 hours of service to the community through salesforce.com's employee volunteers; and supports salesforce.com in its efforts to offer its award-winning on-demand customer relationship management application to more than 900 qualified nonprofits globally, saving the sector millions of dollars every year. For more information or to sign up for donated salesforce.com licenses, see www.salesforcefoundation.org.

About Us