Final Days to Apply for Vodafone Americas Foundation Wireless Innovation Project and mHealth Alliance Award

The Vodafone Americas Foundation and mHealth Alliance announce the approach of the final days for entries for their annual competition. Applications for the 2011 Vodafone Americas Foundation Wireless Innovation Project™ and mHealth Alliance Award will be accepted through December 15, 2010, with the winners announced at the annual Global Philanthropy Forum in Redwood City, CA in April 2011.

The Vodafone Americas Foundation Wireless Innovation Project™ will award $300,000, $200,000 and $100,000, to the first, second and third-place winners, respectively, for the most promising wireless-related technologies to address critical social issues around the globe. The mHealth Alliance Award will be granted to an innovative wireless technology with the most potential to address critical health challenges, especially in developing regions of the world. The mHealth Alliance Award winner will receive a cash prize of $50,000, as well as strategic and networking assistance from the mHealth Alliance.

Applicants for the Wireless Innovation Project™ must be nonprofits, educational institutions or social entrepreneurs with a nonprofit partner, based in the United States. Awards will be given to the wireless projects demonstrating exceptional promise to solve a critical global issue in the following fields: education; health; access to communication; the environment; or economic development. Moreover, the innovation may also represent a significant advancement in wireless related technology to help solve issues such as connectivity, language barriers and energy use. Projects must be at a stage of development where an advanced prototype or field test can occur during the award period.

Through its foundations, Vodafone has long recognized that wireless technology has the potential to make significant impacts in the world — particularly in developing countries. Vodafone Americas Foundation™ launched the Wireless Innovation Project™ in 2008 to foster creativity and innovation and to fund the most promising innovations with the potential to solve pressing issues around the globe. In addition to the Wireless Innovation Project™, Vodafone and its global network of 27 foundations are helping hundreds of thousands of people around the world lead better, fuller lives through more than $60,000,000 in grants and contributions.

The partnership between Vodafone Americas Foundation and mHealth Alliance is one of many collaborations of the mHealth Alliance to mobilize and advance mobile technology to improve health in some of the poorest countries. The mHealth Alliance takes a leadership role in tackling issues such as maternal mortality, access to medicines and data collection, as well as policy and research on mHealth issues. Complete detailed information about eligibility and an application can be found at www.project.vodafone-us.com. More information about the mHealth Alliance and its programs can be found at www.mhealthalliance.org and www.HealthUnBound.org.

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About the Vodafone Americas Foundation™
Vodafone Americas Foundation™ is part of Vodafone’s global network of foundations. We are affiliated with Vodafone Group Plc, the world’s leading mobile telecommunications company, with ownership interests in 31 countries and Partner Markets in more than 40 countries. As of June 30, 2009, Vodafone had approximately 315 million proportionate customers worldwide. In  the U.S., our foundation directs its philanthropic activities towards the San Francisco Bay and the Metro Denver Areas where most of our employees live and work, and where we strive to make a positive and enduring impact on our communities. The Foundation is driven by a passion for the world around us. We make grants that help people in our communities and around the world lead fuller lives.

About the mHealth Alliance
The mHealth Alliance (mHA) mobilizes innovation to deliver quality health at the furthest reaches of wireless networks and mobile devices. Working with diverse partners, the mHA advances mHealth through research, advocacy, and support for the development of interoperable solutions and sustainable deployment models. The mHA sponsors innovation challenges and conferences, leads cross-sector mHealth initiatives, and hosts HUB (www.HealthUnBound.org), a global online community for resource sharing and collaborative solution generation. Founding Partners include the Rockefeller Foundation, United Nations Foundation and Vodafone Foundation, PEPFAR, the GSM Association and HP. More information is available at www.mHealthAlliance.org.

About the United Nations Foundation
The United Nations Foundation, a public charity, was created in 1998 with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner’s historic $1 billion gift to support UN causes and activities. The UN Foundation builds and implements public/private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems, and works to broaden support for the UN through advocacy and public outreach. Through campaigns and partnerships, the organization connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. The campaigns reduce child mortality, empower women and girls, create a new energy future, secure peace and human rights, and promote technology innovation to improve health outcomes. These solutions are helping the UN advance the eight global targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). For more information, visit www.unfoundation.org.

Press Contact: Denise Lamott, (415) 381-8793, Denise@DeniseLamottPR.com