SEATTLE, Jan. 23, 2002 — Microsoft Corp. and NPower today announced the expansion of the NPower network with six new affiliates across the country. The Microsoft & NPower National Partnership, supported in part through Microsofts commitment of $25 million in cash and software donations over five years, made this initial expansion possible. The goal of the partnership is the creation of 13 NPower affiliates by the end of 2003.
New NPower programs in Atlanta, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Portland and San Francisco will join NPower Seattle in the national program, which offers no-cost and low-cost technology assistance to build and strengthen nonprofit communities across the country.
“The expansion of the NPower network realizes a vision we also share at Microsoft: to assist community-based nonprofits in drawing on the immense potential of technology,”
said Bruce Brooks, director of Community Affairs at Microsoft.
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With its deep understanding of both technology and the needs of nonprofits, NPower develops sustainable solutions that help nonprofits to better serve their communities.”
Nonprofits play an increasingly important role as the safety net for people and communities needing a wide range of services. NPower can help nonprofit groups meet the demand for the critical resources — and better support their communities — by making more effective use of technology.
“Nonprofits across the country carry a huge responsibility in times of economic uncertainty, and they can certainly benefit from the improved productivity offered by the latest information technologies. But these organizations are frequently priced out of the for-profit technology assistance market and lack the people power to take on technology initiatives,”
said Joan Fanning, executive director of the original NPower in Seattle.
“Thats where NPowers free online tools, volunteer matching service, low-cost consulting and training services can make a real difference.”
No community in the country has benefited more from the power of technology than New York. In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, NPower New York has distributed more than $500,000 in technology assistance and equipment to more than 60 nonprofits. With support from Microsoft and IBM Corp., the organization coordinated the implementation of a 130-workstation network for use at the citys Worth Street Family Assistance Center.
“Workers are still using the installed technology to help coordinate benefits requests for individuals and businesses,”
said Barbara Chang, executive director of NPower New York. In addition, NPower New York and Microsoft worked together to assist Safe Horizon, a nonprofit agency tasked with delivering funds from the United Way September 11th Fund and others, to respond quickly and comprehensively to requests via the coordination and use of donated laptops.
Here is information on the activities of other affiliates:
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Atlanta. TechBridge, an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization, will host a nonprofit Technology Planning Summit Saturday, Jan. 26. The training offers nonprofits an opportunity to work with experienced technology consultants from TechBridge, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young and Microsoft to evaluate technology needs and create solutions. More information is available at http://www.techbridge.org/.
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Indiana. NPower Indiana recently named David A. Lewis as CEO. Lewis will lead NPower Indiana as an affordable, trusted information technology resource for area nonprofits. The Central Indiana Community Foundation partnered with local information technology firms and nonprofit resource providers to create NPower Indianapolis. More information is available at http://www.npowerin.org/.
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Michigan. Headquartered in Detroit, NPower Michigan is the first affiliate to focus on service to nonprofit organizations statewide, with satellite operations scheduled to open in Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids by years end. NPower Michigan recently named Kathleen Teodoro as its first executive director. Teodoro brings to Michigan her experience as director of education with NPower Seattle. Additional funding is provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. More information is available at http://www.npowermichigan.org/.
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Portland. Technical Assistance for Community Services (TACS) provides assistance to nonprofit organizations to help them develop the people and skills they need to achieve their missions. TACS has provided training and/or consultation for more than 3,000 nonprofits throughout Oregon and Washington. TACS will begin providing technology services this spring. More information is available at http://www.tacs.org/.
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San Francisco. With NPower affiliation, CompuMentor will build on its 15-year history to offer nonprofit organizations throughout the Bay Area, including San Francisco and Silicon Valley, with even more technology services such as consulting, events and training. The full suite of CompuMentors current services can be found at http://www.compumentor.org/.
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Seattle. Since opening its doors in March 1999, NPower Seattle has trained more than 4,000 nonprofit staff, consulted for more than 11,000 hours on Web site development, database design and networking solutions, and provided volunteer matches for more than 500 technology projects. NPower Seattles first customer was Evergreen Childrens Association, which provides kid-friendly computer stations at five day-care sites in underserved communities.
About the NPower Network
Seattle is home to the first NPower affiliate ( http://www.npower.org/ ), which was formed in March 1999 with startup funding from Microsoft, The Medina Foundation, The Seattle Foundation and the Boeing Company. The Microsoft & NPower National Partnership was established in 2000 with a goal of having 13 NPower affiliates across the United States by the end of 2003. Microsoft will support the affiliates early years, and has dedicated $25 million in cash and software to the successful expansion of the NPower Network.
About Microsoft Community Affairs
Created in 1983, Microsoft Community Affairs is one of the first philanthropic efforts in the high-tech industry. Today, Microsoft Community Affairs Giving is aimed at providing underserved communities with the resources they need to help realize their full potential by supporting innovative programs and projects that enhance technology access, strengthen nonprofits through technology, diversify the technology work force and build the community. In fiscal 2000-2001, Microsoft gave more than $36.6 million in cash and $179 million in software donations to more than 5,000 nonprofit organizations. Community Affairs Employee Giving supports individual acts of giving and the organizations that inspire them by matching, dollar for dollar, employee charitable contributions up to $12,000 per employee annually. More than 20,000 Microsoft employees participate in the program. More information on Microsoft Community Affairs is located at http://www.microsoft.com/giving/ .
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.
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