Ashoka and Staples Foundation for Learning Announce International Collaboration to Advance Youth-Led Social Change

$500,000 Grant to Launch Ashoka’s Youth Venture in Five Countries in 2006

ARLINGTON, VA– Ashoka, a global organization with a 25-year history and network of more than 1,700 social entrepreneurs in over 60 countries, announced today a $500,000 grant from Staples Foundation for Learning to support Youth Venture, an Ashoka-originated initiative that is empowering a movement of young changemakers to improve the quality of life in their communities.

With the support of the Staples Foundation for Learning, Youth Venture will expand into five new countries this year to create more opportunities for young people to take initiative and make a difference. The grant enables Youth Venture to establish programs in France, Germany, Spain, Argentina and Brazil with the potential for investment in further expansion to additional countries in the coming years. It will also give Staples associates outside of the United States the opportunity to directly support Youth Venturers and help them establish Youth Venture social enterprises.

The international collaboration reflects the mission of Staples Foundation for Learning to invest in youth development and marks a new path for Ashoka’s Youth Venture to work with a leading corporate foundation.

“Ashoka’s leadership in helping emerging social entrepreneurs to realize their dreams at a young age is very much in line with Staples’ entrepreneurial roots and commitment to youth development in local communities,” said Ron Sargent, president of Staples Foundation for Learning and chairman and CEO of Staples, Inc. “We look forward to an exciting and productive international collaboration with Ashoka as we support Youth Venture’s global expansion.”

“This exciting partnership leverages the best assets of our organizations,” said Bill Drayton, Chairman of Youth Venture. “Together, Ashoka, Youth Venture and Staples Foundation for Learning will empower young people all over the world by giving them the opportunity to take initiative and make a lasting impact in their communities. This initiative brings us one step closer to creating an Everyone a Changemaker™ society where everyone has the freedom, confidence and societal support to address social problems.”

Both organizations are demonstrating a strengthened commitment to youth-led social change during landmark years: Staples is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2006 as Ashoka is celebrating its 25th.

About Ashoka
Ashoka is the world’s leading community of leading social entrepreneurs—individuals with innovative and practical ideas for addressing social needs. Working with these social entrepreneurs, Ashoka builds communities of innovators who work collectively to transform society and design new ways for the social sector to become more productive, entrepreneurial and globally integrated. For more information, please visit www.ashoka.org.

About Youth Venture
Youth Venture inspires and invests in teams of young people to start their own sustainable ventures that create lasting benefit to their communities, and Youth Venture connects these young changemakers into a powerful network. Since 1996, Youth Venture has launched over 650 teams across the US, involving an estimated 16,000 young people as founders, leaders, staff and participants. Youth Venture’s goal is to redefine the role of young people in society as able leaders of social change. For more information, please visit www.youthventure.org or www.avancemos.org.

About Staples Foundation for Learning
The mission of Staples Foundation for Learning, Inc. is to teach, train and inspire. Founded in 2002, the foundation has contributed $7.5 million dollars to national and local charities that provide educational opportunities and job skills for all people, with a special emphasis on disadvantaged youth. Staples Foundation for Learning has developed lasting relationships with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Earth Force, and the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City. In 2006, Staples Foundation for Learning expanded its reach globally by teaming with Ashoka, an organization that develops and supports social entrepreneurs around the world. For more information about the foundation or how to apply for a grant, please visit www.staplesfoundation.org.