$75.1 Million Raised Through 'Idol Gives Back'

$75.1 Million Raised Through 'Idol Gives Back'

Charity Projects Entertainment Fund Announces Latest Allocation of Funds

NEW YORK, July 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Since "American Idol" teamed up with FOX to present "Idol Gives Back" in April, the American public has donated more than $54 million, bringing the grand total raised, including corporate and matched funding, to $75.1 million.

The two-night star-studded event, masterminded by Simon Fuller, creator and executive producer of "American Idol," brought together musical performers, actors and comedians who donated their time to help raise money for children and vulnerable people living in extreme poverty in the United States and Africa.

The Charity Projects Entertainment Fund (CPEF), an organization established to raise money and awareness for people living in poverty and at risk in the United States and throughout the world -- and the charity behind "Idol Gives Back" -- has announced that after rigorous assessment, $62 million in grants have been awarded to the nominated beneficiaries. In addition, $7 million in matched funds was allocated at the end of April immediately after the "Idol Gives Back" broadcast. CPEF is in the process now of determining how the remaining $6 million will be allocated.

The grants will be used to fund projects identified by the beneficiary charities who were themselves pre-selected by the CPEF Board for their excellent track record on issues related to alleviating poverty. Half the funds have been allocated to Africa, where the money will be used to help support efforts to battle poverty through various health and education programs, and half have been allocated to the United States, where the chosen projects deliver support to children in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the country.

Richard Curtis, one of the executive producers of "Idol Gives Back," co-founder of the UK's Red Nose Day charity and renowned writer/director of such films as "Love Actually," "Notting Hill" and "Four Weddings and a Funeral," said "The generosity and support of viewers to this unique, ground-breaking event has been beyond our wildest dreams. I would like to thank everyone who worked on the TV show -- especially Simon Fuller and 19, FremantleMedia North America, and the fantastic team at "American Idol" -- for all their passion and support, and of course the American public for their amazing generosity. These grants will definitely change, and sometimes save, the lives of some of the poorest children and young people at home and abroad."

Kevin Cahill, President of CPEF, added "The vision and commitment of Peter Chernin and Rupert Murdoch at News Corp. were instrumental in ensuring that 'Idol Gives Back' became a reality, thus bringing the issue of extreme poverty to the attention of the 'American Idol' audience. We remain indebted to them for supporting us."

CPEF was established through Richard Curtis' and Simon Fuller's shared passion for tackling the problems of extreme poverty, and is supported by the team behind the Red Nose Day charity in the UK, who have over 20 years of experience in fundraising and grantmaking.

Following are short descriptions of the projects that the "Idol Gives Back" funds will be supporting.

UNITED STATES BENEFICIARIES & GRANTS

Save The Children Federation (SCF) www.savethechildren.org

In the United States, funding from CPEF will enable Save the Children to expand its programming in areas of persistent poverty in Appalachia, the Southwest and the Gulf Coast. CPEF funds will help SCF serve more than 11,000 children, building on existing programs in 25 educational sites in four states. The project will reach children and their families at their earliest and most critical years to build strong foundations for parenting and school readiness. CPEF funds will also be used to increase literacy and prevent childhood obesity, and to provide materials to address the unique needs of children during disasters.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) www.bgca.org

Boys & Girls Clubs of America comprises a national network of some 4,000 neighborhood-based facilities annually serving more than 4.6 million young people in all 50 states and on U.S military bases worldwide. Every day in America, 7,000 high school students become dropouts, with more than 1 million dropping out every year. By not graduating high school, these students -- many from disadvantaged, low-income backgrounds -- perpetuate a cycle of poverty that may last for generations. To combat this trend, provide opportunity and ensure that young people succeed despite challenging circumstances. Boys & Girls Clubs of America has developed Power Hour, an interactive after-school homework assistance program, to deepen the impact on youth served by Clubs in the nation's poorest counties. CPEF funding and the generosity of the "Idol Gives Back" audience will mean that the lives of thousands of low-income children will be impacted in a powerful and positive way

America's Second Harvest -- The Nation's Food Bank Network www.secondharvest.org

America's Second Harvest is the largest charitable domestic hunger-relief organization in the country and serves 9 million hungry children each year. This project will reach children at risk through hunger:

(1) The distribution of 250 million servings of fresh fruits and
vegetables, giving children access to the nutritious food they need;
(2) Grants to support more than 200 community food banks nationwide in
their work to increase or expand service to children;
(3) Grants to 5 food banks piloting innovative programs to provide food to
children, which can be replicated in other communities

Children's Health Fund (CHF) www.childrenshealthfund.org

CPEF funding will be allocated to the Children's Health Fund's 'Priority One' grant, which provides healthcare to America's most disadvantaged and medically underserved children. Priority One will help expand and sustain the capacity of CHF's current health projects in 13 states and the District of Columbia to deliver comprehensive primary care, mental health and dental services to medically underserved children. Specifically, this grant will fund three new mobile medical units (including a unit in New Orleans), development of a new CHF mobile medical program, additional health care staff such as social workers and nutritionists, and project support through capacity building and training enhancements. A special focus will be placed on supporting the operations of CHF's Gulf Coast Projects, helping the youngest victims of Hurricane Katrina.

AFRICA BENEFICIARIES & GRANTS

Malaria No More www.malarianomore.org

Malaria No More asks the public to join the fight against malaria. One of the world's great paradoxes, malaria was eradicated in many parts of the world during the last century, but its devastating toll has doubled in the world's poorest communities. In Africa, it takes the lives of nearly 1 million people annually and it is the number one killer of children. A Charity Projects Entertainment Fund grant, harnessing the tremendous generosity of American Idol fans, will support bed net distribution, education, and monitoring as part of comprehensive malaria campaigns in Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Uganda, and Zambia during 2007.

Nothing But Nets www.NothingButNets.net

Nothing But Nets is a global, grassroots campaign to save lives by preventing malaria, a leading killer of children in Africa. Inspired by Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly, thousands of people have joined the campaign that was created by the United Nations Foundation. Founding campaign partners include the National Basketball Association's NBA Cares, the people of The United Methodist Church, and Sports Illustrated. Nothing But Nets works with the Measles Initiative, a partnership of the American Red Cross, the United Nations Foundation, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, and UNICEF, to distribute bed nets to children and families in Africa. It only costs $10 to provide an insecticide-treated bed net that can prevent this deadly disease. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation matches donations dollar for dollar. Due to funding from CPEF, the project will be able to purchase and deliver long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets (LLIN's) to children and their mothers, provide education on malaria prevention, and train local community health workers to carry out the programs on their own.

SAVE THE CHILDREN www.savethechildren.org

Funding from the Charity Projects Entertainment Fund (CPEF) will enable Save the Children to create brighter futures for children living in poverty in Africa. In Africa, the largest portion of funding from CPEF will focus on helping children survive infancy and early childhood by addressing the major killers of children under five, including diarrhoea, pneumonia and newborn disorders. Serving approximately 400,000 children and more than 500,000 family and community members in Ethiopia, Guinea, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Sudan and Uganda, the CPEF-funded program will also help address the physical, emotional and cognitive needs of young children and improve their chances for future school success through early childhood development services. In addition, funds will be used to improve the health and nutritional status of children in primary school.

THE GLOBAL FUND to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria www.jointheglobalfund.org

The Global Fund is the world's leading funder of programs to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, which added together kill over 6 million people per year. The grant awarded to the Global Fund will provide ongoing support for its HIV program focused on strengthening and expanding HIV prevention, treatment and care in South Africa's Western Cape Province, a region that is among the worst affected by HIV in the world. The main program activities are:

-- delivery of antiretroviral treatment at 6 treatment sites;
-- conducting HIV prevention peer education at secondary schools across
the province;
-- providing palliative in-patient and home-based care for people living
with HIV; and
-- Strengthening the overall community-based response to HIV.

U.S FUND for UNICEF www.unicefusa.org

For more than 60 years, UNICEF has been the world's leading children's organization, saving more young lives than any other humanitarian organization. Each year, nearly 5 million children in sub-Saharan Africa fall victim to the cycle of poverty, which threatens their chances of survival. The key to breaking this cycle is to reach every child with high-impact, low- cost solutions that tackle the multiple causes of poverty in children's lives, such as inadequate healthcare and education. UNICEF's accelerated child survival approach addresses the ongoing issues that affect why kids are dying, and provides lifesaving interventions. The result is a single initiative that aims to save an estimated 3.2 million children's lives in sub-Saharan Africa over the next 4 years, and permanently improve the futures of countless others. The CPEF grant will allow UNICEF to provide over 800,000 children with health care services. Additionally, nearly 500,000 students will receive an education along with school supplies.

Visit www.cpefund.org for more information about CPEF and www.AmericanIdol.com for more information on IDOL GIVES BACK. For all photo requests, please go to www.foxflash.com

Source: The Charity Projects Entertainment Fund

CONTACT: Casey Morse, +1-212-582-9795, casey.morse@freud.com, or
Jonathan Bing, +1-323-866-6060, jonathan.bing@freud.com, both of Freud
Communications, for CPEF

Web site:

http://www.cpefund.org/
http://www.americanidol.com/
http://www.savethechildren.org/
http://www.bgca.org/
http://www.secondharvest.org/
http://www.childrenshealthfund.org/
http://www.malarianomore.org/
http://www.nothingbutnets.net/
http://www.jointheglobalfund.org/
http://www.unicefusa.org/

NOTE TO EDITORS: 1. As part of the "Idol Gives Back" project, a number of corporations made generous donations to CPEF. These were led by News Corporation, Ford, Coca-Cola and AT&T. Matching contributions were made by Allstate Insurance (to Save The Children) and ConAgra Foods (to America's Second Harvest). In addition, ExxonMobil and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation made significant donations directly to two of the beneficiary charities (Malaria No More and Nothing But Nets, respectively.) 2. Given the scale of donations involved, the money allocated to the beneficiary charities will cover project costs for varying lengths of time. Accordingly, the money will be released in installments as each of the organizations demonstrates its success in meeting targets and delivering agreed-upon outcomes.

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