Mission:
The AOL Time Warner Foundation, based in New York City and Dulles, Virginia, seeks to use the power of media, communications, and information technology to serve the public interest and strengthen society. The foundation engages the full range of AOL Time Warner's unique resources to build innovative and sustainable programs in four priority areas: equipping children for a better future; extending Internet benefits to all; engaging communities in the arts; and empowering citizens and civic participation.

Purpose of Site:
To provide information on the AOL Time Warner Foundation's various initiatives and programs; offer assistance and resources to nonprofits and grantseekers; and link to Web sites of the foundation's many programs.

Background:
The AOL Time Warner Foundation began as the AOL Foundation in 1997 with the mission of improving the lives of families and children and empowering disadvantaged communities through technology. The organization initially focused on funding innovative uses of technology in schools and other educational institutions. Building on this education initiative, the AOL Time Warner Foundation later added programs dedicated to bridging the digital divide and more general philanthropic projects, including an online giving effort during the holiday season in 1999. Also in 1999, the AOL Foundation launched helping.org, a comprehensive Web portal that links volunteers and donors with the nonprofits they would like to contribute to. When AOL merged with Time Warner earlier in 2001, the organization became the AOL Time Warner Foundation and absorbed the charitable activities of Time Warner, including its extensive literacy efforts.

Home Page:
The foundation's home page greets visitors with links to background information on the foundation, contact information, a press kit for the media, and a search page that allows users to search the entire site by keyword. It also provides links to more detailed information on each of the organization's four initiatives, the involvement of AOL Time Warner's employees, and resources that nonprofits can use to advance their use of technology.

Outstanding Feature:
Navigating the AOL Time Warner Foundation's site and accessing and exploring individual projects sponsored by the organization is extremely simple thanks to a feature that allows users to locate initiatives by topic. The tool, which is located on a side panel on every page of the site, features a pull-down menu with a list of eleven topics ranging from literacy to seniors. Users select a topic and are automatically sent to a list of links to the foundation's various projects in that area of interest. Each link leads to a description of a specific project and a link to the group that operates the project.

Honorable Mention:
While the organization does not generally fund unsolicited proposals, it will consider them if the grantseeker's mission falls within one of the foundation's priorities and the project is to be carried out on a national scale. In the area of the Web site dedicated to grantseekers, the AOL Time Warner Foundation outlines what kinds of projects it funds and provides a list of questions for nonprofits to consider before submitting a proposal to the foundation. For those who fulfill the requirements and wish to proceed with a grant proposal, the organization offers an online application for funding, which can be filled out on the Web and submitted electronically.