Inaugural Dell YouthConnect Grants Awarded to Organizations in India, Brazil and Mexico

Dell has awarded its first Dell YouthConnect grants, totaling more than $2.7 million, to 11 organizations in Brazil, India, and Mexico. The grants support technology education for youth 17 years old and younger, and promote math, science and technology-skills development in emerging countries.

Together with the grant recipients, Dell assessed their technology and infrastructure needs and awarded cash and in-kind grants in three categories:

• Strategic partnership grants of up to $500,000 to support one-year pilot programs. Dell will work with these grantees to tailor their programs and define performance metrics to determine eligibility for multi-year grants in the future.
• Seed funding grants of up to $100,000 to support organizations and programs that do not yet have the capacity for strategic partnership grants. Dell will track these grantees’ performance to determine potential for expanded relationships in the future.
• Employee-directed giving grants of $50,000 or less to support organizations with existing, meaningful involvement and support from Dell employees.

In-kind grants feature environmentally responsible technology enabling a low total cost of ownership.

Grant Recipients

Strategic Partnership Organizations in India

• Akshara Foundation, for preschool education program and teacher training in Bangalore
• American India Foundation, creating 24 computer labs in government schools in Hyderabad
• The Energy and Resources Institute ( TERI), teaching climate change to students using information communication technology tools in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mohali, Delhi, and Chennai Learning Links, promoting digital literacy and providing digital content to help youth aged 5 to 17 learn science and math

Strategic Partnership Organizations in Brazil and Mexico

• The Committee for Democracy in Information Technology, equipping and sponsoring nine schools in Brazil and 13 schools in Mexico

Seed Funding Grant Recipients

• Humana India, providing basic education and job skills to children five to 14 years old in Delhi
• PlanetRead, funding televised literacy through same-language subtitling
• Sikshana Foundation, providing computers and computer instruction to Bangalore youth

Employee-directed Grant Recipients

• Asset India Foundation, creating an English and IT training center for youth
• Christel House India, running free secondary school programs school for poor children
• Parikrma Foundation, funding a computer lab at a Parikrma school

Quote

“It’s critical we arm youth around the globe with skills to participate in the Connected Era by supporting access to technology resources, teaching youth how and when to use technology and unleashing each child’s unique potential through technology,” said Gil Casellas, vice president of corporate responsibility for Dell.

Background

- It’s estimated that every day, nearly 500,000 people get online for the first time in their lives. - The majority of those people live in emerging regions, which collectively will account for about 55 percent of global PC volume by 2012, according to industry analyst firm IDC. - Dell YouthConnect is designed to help ensure that youth in emerging countries have relevant education and universal access to information. Dell plans to expand giving in other emerging countries in coming years. - Dell has announced plans to increase overall corporate giving to a level of one percent of company pre-tax profits by February 2010.