Giving Back in New York

Verizon is one of the largest corporate contributors in New York, having provided in 2007 more than $10 million in Verizon Foundation grants and sponsorships.  Our philanthropy focuses on education, literacy, technology and domestic violence prevention.

We fund grants from a wide variety of non-profit organizations, including schools and universities, multi-ethnic groups, hospitals, and cultural institutions, and organizations assisting victims of domestic violence.

In addition to the Verizon Foundation grants, 1,708 nonprofits in New York received nearly $2 million through Verizon Volunteers, a program that encourages Verizon employees and retirees to volunteer in their communities and provides matching gifts to the nonprofit organizations that employees support.

Advancing Education in New York

Verizon supports programs affiliated with Thinkfinity, the Verizon Foundation¿s signature educational initiative.  The program provides free online educational resources to teachers, students and community organizations through Thinkfinity.org , Verizon's comprehensive online portal to 50,000 standards-based, K-12 lesson plans and other educational resources.

The New York State Teacher Centers and the New York Institute of Technology are responsible for the rollout of Thinkfinity in New York state. The goals of ThinkfinityNY include communicating information about Thinkfinity, arranging trainings, tracking quality and progress against goals, and aligning Thinkfinity content with New York State Learning Standards. To date, over 22,000 NYS teachers have been trained in the use of the Thinkfinity resources and 3,000+ lessons and resources have been aligned to New York State Learning Standards.

2007 Grants Highlights

Recipients of key grants in New York included: 

100 Hispanic Women - supports college scholarships for needy and academically promising Hispanic women in the Capital region.
(Learn more about the organization)

Adelante of Suffolk County - supports youth and adult comprehensive literacy and English-as-a-second-language tutoring program, including GED preparation, computer skills and career development.
(Learn more about the organization)

Apollo Theater - supports an innovative educational partnership that brings online classroom access to Apollo¿s rich African-American music and culture within the context of major social and political events in American history.  The grant also includes development of a comprehensive resource guide for teachers.
(Learn more about the organization)

Boys and Girls Clubs of Syracuse - supports after-school educational services for some 140 underprivileged students.
(Learn more about the organization)

Center for Elimination of Violence in the Family ¿ supports a relationship abuse prevention program for teens at St. Joseph¿s High School in Brooklyn, which includes virtual relationship tutorials through interactive online technology.
(Learn more about the organization)

Queensborough Community College Fund - supports a high-tech virtual nursing hospital to serve as an integral part of the college¿s health care curriculum.
(Learn more about the organization)

Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic - provides digitally recorded textbooks to blind and visually impaired New York City public school students.
(Learn more about the organization)

Sakhi for South Asian Women - supports domestic violence prevention programs and services for minority women in New York City.
(Learn more about the organization)

Southern Tier Community Health Network - supports electronic monitoring and record-keeping of patient data for rural health care providers serving underprivileged residents of western New York.

Urban Youth Alliance International - supports a literacy-based after-school tutoring program for underprivileged 6th and 7th graders in the South Bronx.
(Learn more about the organization)