Alcoa Foundation Grant of $250,000 Enables Half-Million-Dollar Donation to Smokies; Inaugurates Major Fundraising for Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont.

Business Editors & Environmental Writers

ALCOA & KNOXVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 22, 2002

The largest single monetary corporate foundation gift in the history of Great Smoky Mountains National Park was announced today, as the Alcoa Foundation awarded a $250,000 grant to Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

In turn, the Friends organization is matching the gift, bringing the total funds to $500,000. The donation inaugurates a major fundraising effort for Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, the first key step to strengthen the park's residential environmental education programs.

Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, founded in 1993, is an independent, nonprofit organization, and by contract, the single fundraising agency for the park.

Park Superintendent Mike Tollefson expressed appreciation for the Alcoa Foundation commitment. Friends President Gary Wade, a state judge and member of Alcoa's Community Advisory Board, said the $250,000 "will help Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont achieve its mission of delivering in-depth, educational programs that nurture appreciation for our environment."

The Friends organization is one of the most successful park citizen support groups in the country. "Since 1993, Friends of the Smokies has raised more than $8 million to support conservation, education, and other park priorities," said Ken Voorhis, Executive Director, Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont (GSMIT). "We sincerely appreciate their help in securing this gift from Alcoa."

"There are no more worthy causes than kids, environment, and education. The Alcoa Foundation contribution is the lead gift for an initiative to make Tremont the finest environmental center in the world. The money will build on Tremont's superior residential environmental education programs, and ensure that they are available to all children, including those who are economically disadvantaged," said Bill Cobble, chairman of GSMIT Board, which supervises operations at the Tremont Environmental Center.

Mike Coleman, President of Alcoa Rigid Packaging and Vice President of Alcoa Inc., said the two-year grant consists of $125,000 per year. "Alcoa Foundation is proud to provide this key leadership gift. Alcoa Foundation and Alcoa consider this to be a clear investment in the future, and a landmark event in the long-standing relationship between Alcoa and Great Smoky Mountains National Park."

The sizable gift is the culmination of work by the Alcoa Community Advisory Board (CAB), a 14-member community board that identified the grant as its top priority last year. The advisory board was formed last January as part of Alcoa's community partnership plan celebrating a combined 100-year anniversary in East Tennessee: its 90th year in Blount County and its 10th year in Knoxville.

"This $250,000 grant is an appropriate culmination to our 100th combined anniversary year, and a significant celebration of our one-year CAB anniversary. Since last January, the CAB has assisted Alcoa Inc. by recommending multiple granting opportunities in Blount and Knox Counties, resulting in more than $700,000 in diverse community gifts," Coleman added. Organizations receiving those gifts included Ijams Nature Center, the new Blount County Library, Project Change and Community Kids.

The money from Alcoa Foundation and the Friends will more than triple the amount of scholarship funds available to local students and schools. Coleman said Alcoa Foundation felt strongly about these educational aspects.

"We were particularly excited about assisting the Science Education Initiative, the environmental learning center at Tremont and providing student scholarships for its programs. The grant was an excellent fit for two of Alcoa Foundation's Areas of Excellence: conservation/sustainability and global education in science, engineering, technology and business," he said.

Last January, Coleman announced a community partnership plan that pledged significant financial resources over a five-year period, the formation of the CAB, and a national-level workshop to benefit local nonprofits. That free, half-day Alcoa Nonprofit Workshop, held last April at the Airport Hilton, attracted more than 132 participants from more than 75 local nonprofit agencies.

Alcoa Foundation is a global resource that actively invests in the quality of life in Alcoa communities worldwide. With more than $339 million invested since its inception in 1952, Alcoa Foundation has positioned itself as a source of positive community change and enhancement. Out of that legacy has emerged a set of strengths and competencies that reflect community aspirations and needs around the world.

In 2001, Alcoa Foundation made $21.3 million in grants around the world. Communities where Alcoa has a presence are the primary focus of its grantmaking programs. Alcoa is widely considered one of the key philanthropic companies in East Tennessee. Alcoa's Tennessee Operations is a major employer in Blount County. East Tennessee also is home to two of Alcoa Inc.'s key businesses - Alcoa Rigid Packaging, headquartered in Alcoa, and Alcoa's U.S. Primary Metals business, headquartered in downtown Knoxville.