News Release

Permian Basin Area Foundation awards $800,000 in TRIAD Fund grants

May 18, 2007 – MIDLAND, TX – Permian Basin Area Foundation has awarded approximately $800,000 in grants to West Texas nonprofits addressing needs of American military personnel who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan and their families. The grants are from the Foundation’s TRIAD Fund established with resources from the Iraq-Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund of the California Community Foundation.

The goal of the TRIAD Fund initiative is to expand assistance to American military personnel and their families who have unmet needs due to death, injury, or other physical or mental detriment, or financial hardship, as a result of service in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Permian Basin Area Foundation announced awards to nine organizations following its first review cycle:

Army Community Services, Fort Bliss to provide furnishings and computer equipment for the “Yellow Ribbon Room”, a room to be used by family of deployed soldiers to keep in contact with their loved ones.

Army Community Services, Fort Bliss to provide childcare during recreational outings for the spouses of military personnel who are deployed.

Army Community Services, Fort Bliss for emergency needs funding to soldiers, to cover such items as emergency travel, lodging, food, and child care for the families of wounded soldiers.

Christians In Action, San Angelo to assist military families with basic needs such as housing, food, clothing, utility bills, medical bills, etc.

El Paso Child Guidance Center to provide mental health services for military personnel and their families.

Paso Del Norte Food Bank, El Paso to provide additional services to assist in the needs of military personnel and their families.

Samaritan Counseling Center of West Texas to fund counseling services for military personnel and their families, with an emphasis on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

USA Cares, Inc. to assist in the Homeownership Preservation Foundation to intervene in foreclosures on military family homes.

Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Texas to help meet the unmet needs of military personnel and their families through emergency grants.

Under the banner of the “TRIAD Fund”, Permian Basin Area Foundation is responding to funding requests in the western part of Texas in collaboration with The Dallas Foundation and San Antonio Community Foundation, which make grants available for services in north-eastern and south-eastern Texas, respectively.

The Foundations seek applications from qualified tax-exempt, nonprofit organizations serving active duty, reserve, National Guard, and veterans of the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Research indicates such needs include assistance with basic necessities – housing, food, clothing, and utility bills; issues related to youth and children; counseling; medical, legal, and financial management assistance; and urgent/critical issues – death in the family, emergency travel, and crisis referrals. Grant criteria and application information is available at www.triadfund.org.