Education, economic development, the quality of life and employee volunteerism – these are Ameritech's cornerstones for providing enhanced telecommunications technologies and networking capabilities to be the world's premier provider of full-service communications for people at work, at home or on the move.

Customers, first and foremost, are paramount to Ameritech. The company looks at its customers' desires as opportunities, and invests billions of dollars each year to provide them with high quality state-of-the-art communications products and services. As a responsible corporate citizen, Ameritech also invested more than

$26.5 million of its earnings last year in selected educational, civic, health and human services, and cultural nonprofit organizations.

1997 In Review

To understand Ameritech's interests and priorities, the following is an overview of the company's contributions program in 1997, including:

$5.7 million to over 165 United Way campaigns, principally in Ameritech's five-state region. Contributions were sized to the amount each campaign raised and the number of employees that contributed to the campaign. An additional $2.1 million as contributed to other health and human service organizations that are not United Way agencies.

$3.2 million to civic and community organizations – with priority given to urban renewal, diversity, crime prevention, public policy, and local community organizations where employees were asked to be active and involved. This year, Ameritech also announced a $1 million contribution to Habitat for Humanity – to build four or five homes each year, for the next five years, led by Ameritech Pioneers ... company employees and retirees who volunteer and perform community service.

$3.2 million to elementary and secondary education programs – giving priority to reading, economic literacy, professional development of teachers and telecommunications technology in the classroom.

$6.5 million to colleges and universities – giving priority to research, training and innovative applications of communications technologies, and programs for colleges to attract and retain qualified and diverse teachers and students.

$5.7 million to the arts, including an invitation for selected cultural organizations to submit proposals to fund innovative uses of distance learning for their educational programs. Five proposals were funded, totalling $530,000.

An additional $5 million was also contributed to the Ameritech Foundation for future grantmaking.

Response to the Ameritech Pioneer Employee Program for Volunteerism and Community Service doubled over last year, as $751,000 was contributed to 643 nonprofit organizations where over 790 employees volunteered a minimum of eight hours a month for at least six months. The program will continue in 1998.

Employees also continued to take advantage of the Ameritech Employee Matching Gift Program. Almost 11,000 employee contributions were matched to eligible educational and cultural organizations, totalling more than $3.5 million.

Criteria for Giving

Requests are considered for unique and innovative projects and programs where Ameritech maintains service, maintenance or corporate facilities.

Contributions are restricted to project support, except for United Way.

Priority is given to communications technology-based projects and programs. Ameritech, however, does not award grants to fund its own products and services.

Priority is also given when Ameritech employees are active in an organization.

Only one contribution is generally made to a non-profit organization per year, including support for fundraising events.

Projects and programs must be measurable, where stated goals and objectives can be measured against established criteria.

Interests and Priorities

Recognizing Ameritech cannot support every worthy proposal, and the best interests of nonprofits are served by identifying the company's interests and priorities, the following are general criteria by which grant requests are reviewed:

United Way is recognized as the most meaningful, cost effective, way to support most health and human service organizations.
Priority is also given to:

Human service organizations that work collaboratively with educational and/or health institutions on clearly defined community needs.

Non-profits that help seniors, the disabled and other health-related groups for programs that enhance the quality of life through the deployment of advanced telecommunications technologies.

Disaster relief efforts on a case-by-case basis.

Special Olympics as Ameritech's primary way to help people who are physically and mentally challenged

Hospitals – in limited, targeted and proactive ways – to advance innovative uses of telecommunications technologies in measurable ways other health care providers can benefit from or emulate.

Priority is given to:

Projects which stimulate urban renewal in partnership with key civic and community leaders and organizations.

Initiatives which address crime prevention and safety issues.

Programs that address environmental issues where Ameritech's outputs impact community needs and interest – e.g., recycling phone directories, cable, computer, telecommuting.

Projects which advance diversity, affirmative action and equal employment access.

A limited number of public policy organizations that address telecommunications, economic development and regulation.

Support for civic and community organizations is limited to Ameritech's five-state region and other locations where the company has a significant business presence.

Priority is given to:

Reading and economic literacy programs as basic educational needs.

Programs that help school administrators and teachers understand the use of telecommunications technologies.

Initiatives which encourage professional development for teachers to incorporate communications technologies into the classroom.

Programs that recognize and reward teachers who apply telecommunications technologies in teaching and learning.

Alliances among schools to introduce new telecommunications technologies where it would otherwise be unaffordable.

Priority is given to:

Staffing and programs that advance state-of-the-art telecommunications technologies – and their applications – on college campuses.

Faculty training programs for utilizing technology in the classroom.

Research, training and innovative applications of communications technologies.

Public policy that contributes to the understanding of communications and technology.

Programs for colleges to attract and retain minority faculty and students.

Priority is given to:

Projects and programs that are rich in cultural diversity, provide broad educational experiences and enhance the economic vitality where Ameritech has a significant business presence.

Exhibits, events and performances on a selected and limited basis, and all with a strong educational component.

Title sponsorships.

Ineligible Organizations and Programs

Ameritech will NOT consider requests for:

Organizations which do not have a 501(c)(3) public charity status (or equivalent) from the IRS, or which are classified as private foundations.

Organizations that discriminate because of race, color, religion, national origin, citizenship status, sex, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, veteran status or any applicable federal, state or local laws.

Political organizations, candidates for political office, and organizations whose primary purpose is to influence legislation.

Religious organizations when denominational or sectarian in purpose.

Affiliates of labororganizations.

National health organizations, other than United Way.

Building – brick and mortar – capital campaigns.

Nursing and retirement homes.

Local athletic or sports programs (excluding Special Olympics and the U.S. Olympics).

Organizations benefiting only a few people.

Service organizations raising money for community purposes, and all second-party giving.

Special occasion, good-will, program advertising and special-interest magazines.

Annual support requested by United Way agencies (because of Ameritech's direct support to United Way).

Individuals.

Travel funds for tours, expeditions, or trips.

Thepurchase of computers, hardware or other related equipment or software.

Organizations which receive sizable portions of their support through municipal, county, state or federal dollars.

Telecommunication Services

Tariffs governing telecommunications (e.g., dial tone, custom calling) preclude donating or discounting these services.

Application Procedures

Prepare a brief letter of inquiry to the appropriate director of contributions listed below: It should include:

A description of the organization, its history and purpose.

A list of the organization's Board of Directors and their affiliations.

An overview of the proposed project for which funding is requested, including evidence of the need for the activity. DO NOT SUBMIT REQUESTS FOR OPERATING SUPPORT.

A summary of the project's budget showing anticipated sources of revenue and expenses.

The amount of the grant requested.

Measurements to evaluate the grant's effectiveness. For grants awarded, feedback and evaluation are required – within 60 days of completion for one-time project support; or, annually for multi-year pledges.

Plans for publicizing the grant and project that's submitted.

The geographic area served by the organization and project.

Beneficiaries of the program.

Other corporate or foundation support – including a list of the organization's top 12 contributors, and amounts they contribute on an annualized basis.

Documentation of the 501(c)(3) status from the Internal Revenue Service, or equivalent.

There is no deadline for submitting proposals. If the initial review is favorable, more detail may be required. If otherwise, a letter will convey the reason for declining the opportunity to provide funding.

Because of the volume of grant submissions received, all requests must be submitted in writing. Please allow six weeks for processing, and follow-up calls during this time are discouraged.

Submitting a Request

Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin each has a director of corporate contributions to represent business interests locally on behalf of all Ameritech entities and its employees.

GRANT REQUESTS SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO THE APPROPRIATE DIRECTOR:

Illinois	Donna Jernigan Director of Corporate Contributions for Illinois Ameritech 225 W. Randolph, 30-A Chicago, Illinois 60606
Indiana	Lee Ann Hoy Director of Corporate Contributions for Indiana Ameritech 240 N.Meridian, 1811 Indianapolis, Indiana 46204
Michigan	Lisa Hamway Director of Corporate Contributions for Michigan Ameritech 444 Michigan Avenue, 1550 Detroit, Michigan 48226
Ohio	Bill Boag Director of Corporate Contributions for Ohio Ameritech 45 Erieview Plaza, 1457 Cleveland, Ohio 44114
Wisconsin	Peggy Larson Director of Corporate Contributions for Wisconsin Ameritech 722 N. Broadway, 13th Floor Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
Regional/ National/ International	Mike Kuhlin Senior Director of Corporate Contributions 30 South Wacker Drive, 34th Floor Chicago, Illinois 60606