PUNTA DEL ESTE, Uruguay — Dec. 6, 2009 — As part of Microsoft Corp.’s efforts to promote jobs, opportunities, education and innovation through its Unlimited Potential initiative, the company announced today at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) VII Inter-American Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility its annual round of donations to Community Technology Centers (CTCs).

Twenty-five nonprofit organizations in the region will receive a combined $1.925 million (U.S.) in cash, and another 155 institutions will receive software donations equivalent to $5.413 million (U.S.) in an effort to support regional work-force development, promote micro-entrepreneurship through professional and technology skills training in CTCs, and strengthen the nonprofits’ own IT infrastructure.

The grants and donations, which were announced during the “Soccer for Social Development” panel, are expected to benefit more than 600 CTCs in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2010 — helping to bring 1.46 million people in 16 countries closer to the digital revolution. Since Microsoft’s Community Technology Skills Program started in the region in 2003, more than 20 million people have benefited through more than $16 million (U.S.) in grants and $139 million (U.S.) in software donations to nearly 1,500 nonprofits in 27 countries in the region.

“Driving entrepreneurship is a key component of the social impact Microsoft hopes to generate in Latin America and the Caribbean,” said Hernán Rincón, president of Microsoft Latin America. “We believe that we have a responsibility as leaders in the IT industry to direct our social investments and partnerships with local communities to empower people and provide them with the tools that allow them to leverage the power of technology. CTCs have a key role in providing technical skills training programs that help people increase their self-sufficiency and capacity
to learn. These programs not only help close the digital divide but, as a result, also enrich the local communities with a more educated and innovative work force.”

Innovation and technology are key factors for a country’s social development, but Microsoft and the IDB have also found that other activities, such as soccer, can have a similar impact. By way of programs that reach out to youth through sports, many young people have had the opportunity to partake in work-force development programs that have helped them find employment.

The grants, which are offered annually, help local nonprofit organizations hire and train instructors, develop IT skills curriculum, offer employee community engagement programs and strengthen IT infrastructure. The software donations include programs such as Microsoft Office 2007, Windows 7 and others, with the goal of helping the organization with its day-to-day activities, as well as providing software tools for the organization’s beneficiaries to use. Microsoft’s efforts to strengthen nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) through the use of technology also includes events such as NGO Connection Days and the NGO Connection portal, a network where NGOs can access resources and share their experiences in the innovative use of technology to help them better serve their communities.

About Unlimited Potential

Microsoft, through its Unlimited Potential vision, is committed to making technology more affordable, relevant and accessible for the 5 billion people around the world who do not yet enjoy its benefits. The company aims to do so by helping to transform education and foster a culture of innovation, and through these means enable better jobs and opportunities. By working with governments, intergovernmental organizations, nongovernmental organizations and industry partners, Microsoft hopes to reach its first major milestone — to reach the next 1 billion people who are not yet realizing the benefits of technology — by 2015.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.