Foundation Grants
Community Vital Signs
About Us
"We are so used to being almost permanently online that we don't really appreciate what we have and do not really know what to do when we're not," Joni Mitchell wrote in her 1970s song "Big Yellow Taxi."
Well, telecom companies "provided the services and products that we have gotten to regard as a basic need: connection," writesjoerd Rozing in an article for the Guardian.
And it's telecom companies that provide that basic service.
In fact, Rozing writes, telecom companies "primarily contribute to the societal transition by facilitating access to key products, services, and markets that broaden opportunities for marginalised groups and individuals to participate in cultural, political, and social spaces."
Examples include providing access to broadband Internet, mobile phones, TV, and so on, as well as "material improvement in their personal financial situation, which enhances their possibilities to participate, when people upgrade from a 3G phone to a very affordable 4G smartphone, as research from Safaricom shows."
In fact, telecom companies "represent one of the least diverse sectors to work in" in emerging markets, but in developed markets, "they are therefore more stable and predictable, as they generate most of their revenues from subscriptions."
They also tend to offer an attractive dividend
Read the Entire Article
Selected Foundation News
A customized collection of news from foundations from around the Web.
It's that time of year again: time for investors to look back at the last presidential election and see if there's any correlation between it and the performance of the stock market. A Bloomberg...more
Foundation: Kellogg Foundation
For more than 30 years,Henrie Treadwell has been fighting for racial equity at the University of South Carolina, where she became the school's first black graduate since Reconstruction, the...more
An international nonprofit is looking for a regional director to lead its efforts in Africa, and it's looking for someone with "strong interpersonal leadership skills" and a "growth...more
Bryant University in Rhode Island will bestow an honorary degree on one of Africa's most prominent philanthropists during its May Commencement ceremony, the Providence Journal reports. Tsitsi...more
"As students become more independent, being able to get where they are going safely is an essential life skill. Our goal is to educate these students so they can get where they are going, safely,...more
Florida's St. Petersburg has long been known for its Busch Stadium, but the Tampa Bay Times reports it's about to get even more famous. The St. Petersburg Times reports the Tampa Bay Rays...more
Florida's Mia Farley just missed out on a spot on the US Equestrian Team for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, but that doesn't mean she's giving up on her goal of competing in Rio. The...more
Foundation: Community Foundation of Greater Lafayette
Florida's Mia Farley just missed out on a spot on the US Equestrian Team for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, but that doesn't mean she's giving up on her goal of competing in Rio. The...more
Foundation: Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan
Detroit's Rose's Fine Food closed its doors last year, but that didn't stop former owner Molly Mitchell from pursuing a career in culinary education. Now she's at the helm of the city's Downtown...more
The Arc of Jefferson/Clearfield Counties and the Punxsutawney Area Historical & Geneological Society have each received a $500 bonus grant from the Punxsutawney Area Community Foundation in order to...more
Social Entrepreneurship
Spotlight
Influencing Social Good Through Retail
When Hannah Davis traveled to China to teach English, she noticed how Chinese workers and farmers were often sporting olive green army-style shoes. Those shoes served as her inspiration to create her own social enterprise, Bangs Shoes.