TWENTY NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE AFFILIATES RECEIVE FUNDING FOR EDUCATION FROM $25 MILLION GRANT FROM LILLY ENDOWMENT INC.

Washington, DC, Sept. 20, 1999–The National Urban League announced today the 20 affiliates it has selected to receive funding from a $25 million grant the League received from Lilly Endowment Inc. in 1998. The money is earmarked to support the Campaign for African-American Achievement, an initiative the League created to boost academic achievement among minority and urban students.

Each affiliate will receive $100,000 a year over the course of five years, to use for scholarships, materials and similar expenses.

"For African-American children and students in urban area schools, the obstacles to academic achievement are mounting," said National Urban League President Hugh B. Price.

"They include dwindling funding for education, assaults on affirmative action in admissions policies, and inadequate curriculums which do not prepare students for high stakes testing. Add to that a system of peer pressure that says grades do not matter, or that making straight A’s is ‘uncool’ and we have a formula for disaster.

The Campaign for African-American Achievement is designed to address both sides of this issue, by working to improve the quality of education schools deliver on one hand, and instilling in children the importance of excelling academically on the other. We work double-duty to carry out this mission, and without the auspices of donors such as Lilly Endowment, our efforts could not progress."

According to Price, the Campaign’s effectiveness is evidenced by the numbers: to date, the League and the Congress of National Black Churches (CNBC) have inducted more than 5,000 children into the Campaign’s national honor society, the Thurgood Marshall Achievers Society.

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In addition, more than 90,000 people have participated in the Campaign’s "Doing the Right Thing" celebrations, which honor youth who are thriving academically.

The 20 sites selected to receive the Lilly Endowment funding are:

Fort Wayne Urban League

Fort Wayne, IN

Louisville Urban League

Louisville, KY

Springfield Urban League

Springfield, IL

Urban League of Greater Cleveland Cleveland, OH

Urban League of Flint

Flint, MI

Columbus Urban League

Columbus, OH

Detroit Urban League

Detroit, MI

Urban League of Northwest Indiana

Gary, IN

Indianapolis Urban League

Indianapolis, IN

Urban League of Springfield

Springfield, MA

Greater Washington Urban League

Washington, DC

San Diego Urban League

San Diego, CA

Urban League of Broward County

Fort Lauderdale, FL

Houston Area Urban League

Houston, TX

Urban League of Essex County

Newark, NJ

Urban League of Pikes Peak Region

Colorado Springs, CO

Milwaukee Urban League

Milwaukee, WI

Urban League of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, PA

Urban League of Kansas City

Kansas City, MO

Urban League of Greater Miami

Miami, FL

"These affiliates have demonstrated most effectively their commitment to the Campaign and have presented the most aggressive plans for advancing our achievement agenda," Price said. We’re proud of their work and look forward to more extraordinary accomplishments."

Lilly Endowment is an Indianapolis-based, private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by three members of the Lilly family to support the causes of education, community development and religion.

Founded in 1910, the National Urban League remains the premier social service and civil rights organization in America. The League is a non-profit, community-based organization headquartered in New York City, with 115 affiliates in 35 states and the District of Columbia.