The scope of most social problems is enormous, and one foundation can't solve every challenge. To maximize the effect of our limited dollars we try to do a few things very well and pursue every avenue we can to leverage each grant.

Now in our 17th year, we continue to concentrate on specific areas of education, community economic development, health and human services and cultural and arts outreach.

An overriding interest is effective integration of new technologies to meet a variety of education, health and community needs, including efforts to bridge the digital divide. Since 1996, the Foundation has provided more than $36.7 million to support projects that help increase access to information technologies and broaden training and professional skills development, especially for underserved populations.

Since the Foundation began in 1984, we've concentrated on needs in the areas of education, technology, community economic development, health and human services (primarily through the United Way) and cultural and arts programs.

Our main priority is education, because today's students need the skills and knowledge to work in a world where advanced technologies are the norm and because education helps sustain economic growth.

We support K-12 and higher education initiatives that strengthen the education process, improve student learning, broaden educational opportunity and increase the potential for each student to succeed. In particular, we look for programs that increase teacher preparedness; promote excellence in math, science and engineering; effectively integrate technology into instruction and administration; support at-risk students and encourage parental involvement; and support minority student success.

We also broaden educational opportunity through our scholarship program for children of SBC employees and retirees and support for about 130 other scholarship funds. Every year, about 40 percent of our grants support education improvement in our 13 states.

We support initiatives that promote growth and build the capacity of community-based organizations to serve their clients. In particular, we look for programs that address adult literacy, job training and leadership development; coalitions that stimulate business retention and expansion especially in underserved areas; and technology efforts that improve community infrastructure or the efficiency of community-based organizations.

SBC supports health and human services in the communities we serve primarily through the United Way and disaster relief. Since 1990, our Foundation has contributed more than $85.1 million in grants to hundreds of United Ways and $2.9 million in disaster relief. Beyond the United Way, we have provided grants to other organizations such as the American Foundation for the Blind, the Salvation Army, the Special Olympics, The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, YMCAs, YWCAs and the Boys and Girls Clubs.

We support programs that expand access to arts and cultural activities and bring educational programs to students and underserved areas. Since 1996, our Foundation has awarded more than $41.6 million in arts and cultural outreach grants. This includes nearly $6.4 million in employee matching gifts to cultural institutions.