$500,000 SBC Foundation Grant Supports First Lady Exhibition and Launches Fund-Raising Effort at the National Women's Museum.

SAN ANTONIO -- To Celebrate a Successful Future, Texas State Sen. Florence Shapiro, Dallas Councilwoman Veletta Forsythe Lill, Girl Scouts and SBC Provide Items to Fill a Time Capsule

SBC Communications Inc. (NYSE:SBC) today contributed a $500,000 SBC Foundation grant to launch a national campaign to raise funds for the Dallas-based Women's Museum, the nation's only comprehensive women's museum dedicated to chronicling the lives of American women through interactive exhibitions. The Women's Museum's Meeting the Future fund-raising campaign is designed to build awareness of the museum's role as an important national treasure.

The Women's Museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, will use the grant to bring the Smithsonian's most visited permanent exhibition, "First Ladies: Political Role and Public Image," to Dallas beginning Nov. 20, 2004. Today's grant complements a $10 million SBC Foundation grant given to the museum six years ago.

Karen Jennings, senior executive vice president of human resources and communications for SBC Communications, and Cathy Bonner, president of The Women's Museum board of directors, jointly announced the Meeting the Future campaign during a news conference held at the museum today. Texas State Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, Dallas councilwoman Veletta Forsythe Lill, and members of the Girl Scouts Tejas Council joined them in a ceremony featuring a Meeting the Future time capsule filled with letters, photos and items representing women's lives in business and the community. Donated items include a cookbook from Texas First Ladies signed by Texas First Lady Anita Perry; a declaration from Dallas Mayor Laura Miller announcing Aug. 19 as the official Women's Museum day; an autographed copy of Calif. First Lady Maria Shriver's new book Ten Things; five Susan B. Anthony silver dollars to symbolize the $500,000 SBC grant; and 5 inches of fiber optic cable to symbolize the connections SBC Communications provides to women across the community - and the nation.

According to a report released in 2004 by Johns Hopkins University, 30 percent of museums decreased revenue by 10 percent or more in the past three years, and 83 percent of museums have had to tap into reserves or endowments. To host the "First Ladies" exhibit, enhance its operations and continue to assist with educational activities for girls and women, the Women's Museum Meeting the Future campaign intends to raise an anticipated $5 million in pledges during the next 18 months.

"This campaign is important - to solidify public support for our national treasures such as The Women's Museum, to celebrate the tremendous contribution they make to our society and to call on leaders in business and our communities to help these institutions face their financial challenges," said Texas State Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano. "I commend the SBC Foundation for its sustaining support of women everywhere through their involvement with this great museum."

"The Women's Museum believes in the power of achievement and, for the first time in American history, stories of women have a place of importance that is worthy of ongoing support," said Cathy Bonner, president of The Women's Museum board of directors. "The SBC Foundation deserves big thanks from women everywhere for its commitment to the museum and for its help with our fund-raising campaign. With the help of SBC Communications, we will continue honoring the past and shaping the future of American women."

The "First Ladies" exhibition - featuring first ladies' gowns and clothing, personal belongings, White House furnishings, political campaign materials, and other historical items - examines the demanding duties of the presidential partner and national hostess, explores how her role has evolved from ceremonial partner to one of international celebrity and recognized political power and illustrates the importance of the first lady's public image to the success of a presidential administration. Organized by the National Museum of American History and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), "First Ladies" is made possible by A&E Network. The exhibition will remain on display in Dallas through Feb. 13, 2005, and then continue on a national tour through 2006.

"The Women's Museum is one of our cities most valuable assets and plays an enormous role in maintaining the vitality of one of our city's jewels - Fair Park," said Dallas Mayor Laura Miller. "I appreciate the significant contribution of SBC Communications to this nationally acclaimed museum and encourage other members of the private sector to help us ensure the Women's Museum's future success."

SBC Communications has been a strong supporter of the museum from the very beginning. The SBC Foundation's original $10 million grant to The Women's Museum remains the largest, single corporate contribution in history to any women's organization, fund or program.

"The Women's Museum is a national treasure and it deserves full community and corporate support," said Karen Jennings, senior executive vice president of human resources and communications. "We commend local and state leaders such as Sen. Shapiro and Mayor Miller for working to make this a place where powerful stories of women can be told through technology. SBC Communications actively supports women's organizations in the communities we serve, and we believe in the museum's ability to help shape future generations of women."

The SBC Foundation celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2004. In the past two decades, SBC Communications and the SBC Foundation have contributed more than $1 billion to nonprofit organizations and affiliates across the country. SBC Communications has long supported women's initiatives through the SBC Foundation and employee initiatives. In the past 10 years, more than $20 million dollars have been given to programs that: enhance girls' education opportunities in math and science; provide training for girls to acquire technology skills; and support battered women's shelters.

A Smithsonian Affiliate, The Women's Museum: An Institute for the Future is the nation's only comprehensive women's museum. For additional information, including hours, admission and location, please visit www.thewomensmuseum.org.

The SBC Foundation is the charitable giving arm of SBC Communications Inc. The SBC Foundation supports efforts that enrich and strengthen diverse communities nationwide, particularly those with an emphasis on education and technology and those that benefit underserved populations. SBC Foundation-backed programs are designed to increase access to information technologies, broaden technology training and professional skills development, and effectively integrate new technologies to enhance education and economic development. The Foundation Center has consistently ranked the SBC Foundation among the nation's top six corporate foundations. In 2002, the SBC Foundation launched SBC Excelerator, a multimillion dollar competitive grants program that funds nonprofit organizations in their efforts to digitally connect communities.

SBC Communications Inc. (NYSE:SBC) is a Fortune 50 company whose subsidiaries, operating under the SBC brand, provide a full range of voice, data, networking, e-business, directory publishing and advertising, and related services to businesses, consumers and other telecommunications providers. SBC holds a 60 percent ownership interest in Cingular Wireless, which serves more than 24 million wireless customers. SBC companies provide high-speed DSL Internet access lines to more American consumers than any other provider and are among the nation's leading providers of Internet services. SBC companies also now offer satellite TV service. Additional information about SBC and SBC products and services is available at www.sbc.com.