Foundations, Organizations Launch Major EducationCampaign to Save Women, Children, Environment;...

News/Assignment Editor

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 10, 2000

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation--the second largest philanthropy in the United States--today unveiled an unprecedented campaign to raise awareness, understanding and support of international family planning.

The campaign, entitled PLANet, is the result of collaboration among some of the most prominent organizations advocating for women, children and the environment: CARE, National Audubon Society, Planned Parenthood(R) Federation of America, Population Action International, and Save the Children.

"Now is the time to begin a dialogue with the American public about the importance and the impact of international family planning in terms of the health and well being of the planet and everyone on it. This issue is a priority for these five diverse, leading organizations," said Dr. Sarah Clark, director of the Packard Foundation's Population Program.

J. Brady Anderson, Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, states, "In sponsoring the PLANet campaign, the Packard Foundation has created a powerful force for change. The fact that these five organizations have united around international family planning highlights its importance in improving the health of women and families around the world."

The campaign introduces a new symbol, "PLANet," to create broad recognition of the issue and its meaning. The coordinated communications outreach will consist of paid and public service media, publicity, national and local events, direct mail, and grassroots efforts, among other activities.

A principal outreach method for this campaign is its on-line magazine: www.familyplanet.org. The site contains a broad array of issues, contacts, and information, including a resource center and links to coalition member web sites.

According to Richard T. Schlosberg III, CEO of The Packard Foundation, "Access to family planning and reproductive health services is a critical need in many developing countries, and lack of access creates global challenges that impact us all. We know that Americans care about the environment, and they care about the well being of children and families. This effort makes the link between family planning and those things they care about."

Schlosberg continues, "Providing access to quality reproductive health care and contraceptive choices can save the lives of millions of women and children. Nearly 600,000 women die each year from pregnancy-related causes. People in developing nations are dying because they don't have basic health services that we take for granted."

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation is a private family foundation created in 1964 by David Packard (1912-1996), co-founder of the Hewlett-Packard Company, and Lucile Salter Packard (1914-1987). The Foundation provides grants to nonprofit organizations in the following broad program areas: conservation; population; science; children, families, and communities; arts; organizational effectiveness; and philanthropy. The Foundation makes grants at the national and international level. The Foundation's assets were approximately $17 billion as of June 30, 2000. Grant awards totaled approximately $411 million in 1999, and the Foundation expects to make grants of approximately $500 million in 2000.