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National Semiconductor
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National Semiconductor Foundation Provides $1.9 Million in Grants in First Year of Operation

July 9, 2001 - In its first year of operation, National Semiconductor Corporation's charitable foundation awarded $1.9 million in grants to schools and nonprofit organizations in National's communities worldwide.

The company established the National Semiconductor Foundation in August 2000 to support organizations and initiatives that improve education and address critical needs in communities where National has a major presence. Within the foundation's first year, funds were allocated in the following areas: primary/secondary education (42 percent), higher education (30 percent) and critical community needs (28 percent).

"Because we established the foundation, we were able to maintain and expand our charitable programs even in the midst of severe budget cutbacks," said John Clark, chairman of the foundation executive board.  "The foundation allows the company to remain consistent in our giving regardless of business conditions."

It also enabled National to make large, multi-year grants in its communities worldwide. "One of the primary goals of the foundation is to expand our reach to provide significant grants internationally," said Joan Scott, community relations director.  "We worked very closely with the site staff to identify excellent programs to support."  

 In its first year, the National Semiconductor Foundation provided grants to the following organizations (some of these grants are payable over several years):

• University of California at Berkeley's Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department to establish the National Semiconductor Mixed-Signal Systems Laboratory and the National Semiconductor Distinguished Professorship in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. ($1.35 million)
  
• Arlington (Texas) Independent School District to provide hands-on science curriculum kits to all third, fourth and fifth grade classes. ($250,000)
  
• St. John Bachang Dialysis Center in Melaka, Malaysia to purchase 10 new kidney dialysis machines. The donated machines allow the dialysis center to treat 40 additional patients who were awaiting treatment. ($119,000)   
                           
• Inverclyde Educational Services in Scotland to purchase and integrate information technology in eight high school science labs ($100,000)
  
• Maine Department of Education's "Leading through Change" program that offers school administrators tools and training needed to integrate technology in their districts. ($60,000 in cash and $224,000 in Internet training) 
  
•  PRASAD Dental Health Program to provide free dental health education and treatment to low-income children in San Jose, Calif. ($75,000)
  
• Singapore Environment Council to underwrite "Junk Science" workshops and activity books to educate children about recycling and environmental issues. ($10,800)

The foundation also provided $1.5 million to fund National's existing grants and charitable programs including the Charles Sporck Scholarships, Internet Innovator Awards for teachers as well as the company's Community Care Giving Program.

To learn more about the National Semiconductor Foundation and the company's community relations programs, visit www.national.com/community.

About National Semiconductor Corporation
National Semiconductor is the premier analog company driving the information age. Combining real-world analog and state-of-the-art digital technology, the company is focused on the fast growing markets for wireless handsets; information appliances; information infrastructure; and display, imaging and human interface technologies. With headquarters in Santa Clara, California, National reported sales of $2.1 billion for fiscal year 2001 and employs about 9,700 people worldwide.  Additional company and product information is available on the World Wide Web at www.national.com.

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