The IBM Matching Grants Program has again expanded the offerings available to colleges and universities in the United States. Eligible institutions can use their 2007 credits to purchase a complete range of consulting services, in addition to technology solutions and individual hardware or software products.
IBM expanded the program last year to include a selected set of service offerings for the first time, aligning it more closely with the company’s strategic initiatives. Organizations that chose a new offering in 2006 received a 10 percent bonus added to their equipment credit balances – an incentive that continues this year.
The IBM Matching Grants Program enables employees and retirees to increase the value of their donations to eligible higher education institutions, hospitals, hospices, nursing homes, and cultural and environmental organizations with a matching gift from IBM in cash or equipment credits.
Organizations that use their grant to acquire IBM products or services receive a higher matching amount than they would by opting for a cash gift, even excluding the 10 percent bonus available to colleges and universities.
The largest of IBM’s employee partnership programs, the Matching Grants Program provided $7.8 million in cash and $5.4 million worth of services and equipment in 2006 to nearly 6,000 educational institutions and nonprofit organizations – hospitals, hospices, nursing homes, as well as cultural and environmental organizations – in the United States. That total includes $4.2 million in cash and $5.3 million in services and equipment to colleges and universities.
