National Urban League Gets More Than $1 Million in SBC Foundation Grant; Los Angeles Chapter Receives $70,000 to Fund Technology Skills Training.

LOS ANGELES -- The National Urban League today received a grant for more than $1 million to fund technology training programs.

The funds were donated as an SBC Excelerator grant on behalf of the SBC Foundation - the philanthropic arm of SBC Communications - to teach young adults technology skills at Urban League affiliates throughout the nation, including Los Angeles.

The $1.07 million in grants will launch 12 Digital Empowerment Academies, which bring technology job skills training to low-income communities through computer centers that provide online courses and Internet access for adults and youth. An extension of the National Urban League's Digital Campuses program, the academies will offer job training in a range of technology industry focus areas, including computer programming, 3-D animation, video game programming, digital radio, and information technology (IT)administration.

National Urban League President and Chief Executive Officer Marc Morial received the grant check in Los Angeles today from SBC California President and Chief Executive Officer Chuck Smith.

"The 21st century workforce increasingly relies upon workers with strong technology skills," said Morial. "The Urban League is committed to ensuring the participation of African Americans in technology jobs. The SBC Excelerator grants will help us provide access to technology training and tools that can lead to lifelong career success."

SBC companies have an industry-leading record of supporting workforce and supplier diversity, and providing employment and leadership opportunities to employees and businesses owned by people of color. Based on that record, SBC Communications has been named one of Fortune magazine's 50 Best Companies for Minorities for six consecutive years and as one of the top 50 companies for diversity by DiversityInc.com.

"The National Urban League has a long history of working to secure education and economic empowerment for African Americans," said Chuck Smith, SBC California President and CEO. "As a leader in delivering new technology to consumers, we believe it's important to help provide underserved minorities with resources and curriculum that are critical to creating job opportunities in technology-focused careers."

In addition to the Los Angeles Urban League, SBC Excelerator grant recipients include the following National Urban League affiliates:

--Greater Sacramento Urban League, in California

--Urban League of Greater Hartford, Inc., in Connecticut

--Urban League of Champaign County, in Illinois

--Urban League of Madison County, Inc., in Indiana

--Urban League of The MidPlains, in Kansas

--Grand Rapids Urban League, in Michigan

--Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, Inc.

--Akron Community Service Center and Urban League, in Ohio

--Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City, Inc.

--Urban League of Greater Dallas and North Central Texas

--Urban League of Racine and Kenosha, Inc., in Wisconsin

Support from the SBC Excelerator grant will enable National Urban League affiliates to work with experts to design the technology curriculum, evaluate the academies' success and develop a long-term sustainability plan. Members of the National Urban League's Technology Advisory Council will help affiliates prepare individuals for careers in media production, computer programming and IT administration industries. According to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, technology-focused careers in the areas of computer programming and information technology administration will grow more than 30 percent through 2010.

The National Urban League is one of three recent $1 million SBC Excelerator national grant recipients. The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and the AMBER Alert program each received a $1 million SBC Excelerator grant earlier this year. In coming weeks, the SBC Foundation will announce additional regional nonprofit recipients benefiting from $5 million in competitive grants awarded throughout the SBC 13-state region. Since SBC Excelerator's inception in 2002, nearly $20 million in technology grants have been awarded to more than 1,000 nonprofit organizations.

The SBC Foundation celebrated 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.

National Urban League (www.nul.org) Established in 1910, The Urban League is the nation's oldest and largest community-based movement devoted to empowering African Americans to enter the economic and social mainstream. Today, the National Urban League, headquartered in New York City, spearheads the non-partisan efforts of its local affiliates. There are over 100 local affiliates of the National Urban League located in 35 states and the District of Columbia providing direct services to more than 2 million people nationwide through programs, advocacy and research.

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. 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 46 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.