Microsoft was deemed a Summit Award winner in three categories as part of the United Way of America’s annual Spirit of America Awards. Microsoft was the only company to win multiple awards. This honor was given in recognition of Microsoft’s successful annual Giving Campaign, one part of the company’s Community Affairs program.
In 1997, Microsoft’s spirited employee Giving Campaign raised $8.4 million dollars for non-profit organizations, but this is just one facet of Microsoft’s Community Affairs mission.
Microsoft also focuses corporate philanthropy on creating greater access to computers and the Internet in disadvantaged communities. Microsoft Community Affairs awards monetary grants, in-kind software donations and technical expertise to help fulfill the goal of equal access for all. In addition to the Giving Campaign, Microsoft also has an employee matching-gifts program that includes both cash and software.
Examples of Microsoft funded programs include Working Connections, which supports information technology training for underserved populations through community colleges and other community-based organizations, and the National Non-Profit Technology Leadership grant program, designed to help larger non-profit organizations become more effective by providing software solutions that serve multiple locations.
