The ADC Foundation-charitable arm of ADC Telecommunications, Inc.-was founded in 1999. The foundation's goal is to provide social and economic value by encouraging employee contributions and by making direct grants in two strategic focus areas: mathematics and science education, and nonprofit access to technology.

Our Structure

The ADC Foundation Board is led by ADC's President and CEO Robert E. Switz and includes key corporate leaders.

The board of directors, which meets four times per year, sets Foundation budgets, global policies and procedures, and approves all grants over $25,000. However, to gain input and ideas from ADC employees at every level and in all geographic locations, the Foundation has established numerous advisory committees--Community Connections Committees.

These Community Connections Committees are comprised of local ADC employees. They make recommendations to the Foundation regarding local grants that fit the Foundation's chosen strategies, meet local needs and advance the Foundation's global strategies. The process of review varies somewhat depending on the geographic location of the applicant organization.

What We Fund

The ADC Foundation makes direct grants to two strategic focus areas: mathematics and science education, and nonprofit access to technology. Although the Foundation will continue to match ADC employee gifts to a wide spectrum of types of nonprofits and causes, the foundation will consider grant requests only in the following two areas:

• Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education - Grants to organizations whose primary mission impacts K-12 or higher education, for projects where the aim is systemic improvements in the teaching or learning of mathematics and science or enhancements to the "pipeline" for the preparation of students for work in technology-oriented industry.
• Access to Technology - Grants to organizations where the proposed project serves to promote nonprofit access to technology by providing the nonprofit sector with competitive computing or telecommunications technologies, with the end goal of using technology tools to improve service delivery and enhance sector capacity.

Minnesota Funding Priorities for FY2010
In Minnesota, we will give priority to requests in the following categories:

• Nonprofit technology assistance providers (NTAPs). Intermediary organizations that provide technology services to other nonprofits.
• Community technology centers (CTCs). Community service or educational computer labs with public access, especially to low-income neighborhoods, and a focus on job readiness or student tutoring.
• Digital inclusion projects serving immigrant groups or low-income neighborhoods in the Twin Cities. Projects based on public-access, digital inclusion activities for the benefit of disenfranchised individuals.
• Tech tools for (extracurricular) K-12 STEM education programs. One-time technology grants for nonprofits working to engage K-12 students (especially those currently underserved) in math and science.

Note: The ADC Foundation will not consider requests for in-kind giving, general operating grants, capital grants or fundraisers including customer-sponsored charity benefit events. Nor do we make grants to individuals or religious purpose grants.

How to Apply

Where We Fund