Wells Fargo grant request for Barbara Morgan - Major Giving Initiative

Astronaut in WaitingAstronaut in Waiting is a multi-part initiative by Idaho Public Television(IdahoPTV) to heighten the public’s interest and involvement in science andtechnology using Idaho’s connection to Astronaut Barbara Morgan. BarbaraMorgan was the teacher from McCall, Idaho who was the back up for ChristaMcAuliffe before the tragic explosion of the Challenger space shuttle. Now a fullfledgedastronaut, Barbara is finally going to get her chance to journey intospace.Idaho Public Television’s Astronaut in Waiting Initiative has five components:1. We will be live at the launch site when the Space Shuttle Endeavor takesflight on June 28, 2007 (or thereafter).2. We will host a prime-time call-in Dialogue program on the launch and thespace program.3. After Barbara’s return from space, elementary-age children will beengaged through the award-winning Dialogue for Kids (D4K) program,which will let children ask an aeronautic scientist questions through a livecall-in program. IdahoPTV has already put in a request to NASA to allowBarbara Morgan to participate in this program, which is scheduled for thefall of 2007. D4K will be accompanied by a website containing links andclassroom study materials on the space program, which are tied into andsupport the Idaho State Educational Content Standards.4. Idaho Public Television has begun work on a 60-minute documentary onBarbara Morgan by Peabody award-winning producer Marcia Franklin,which will be broadcast in late 2007 or early 2008.5. Footage from the documentary will be used to produce a shorter,approximately 15-minute version for classroom use, aimed at children inthe 6 th to 9 th grades, and a rich-content website providing furtherinformation on the program.Understanding [regional bank]’s * strong interest in supporting educationalprograms in science and technology, Idaho Public Television is asking [regionalbank] for $20,000 to help fund the D4K program and its supporting materials forelementary students (Component #3), especially those lower-income and ruralstudents who might otherwise be precluded from these types of programs.* The original proposal contained the name of a specific bank with which Idaho PTV has a longrelationship.

Description of ProjectDialogue For Kids reaches elementary children throughout Idaho through IdahoPublic Television’s statewide analog and digital television network of 10transmitters and 37 rural repeaters, and rich media website. Small rural schoolshave been especially enthusiastic about the D4K program which allows them toquestion scientists and professionals who would be nearly impossible for them toaccess otherwise. The materials and links provided on the program’s websiteprovide wonderful background information for students wanting to learn moreabout a given area in science and help the teachers provide a meaningful andengaging activity for their students with minimal investment of their own time andresources.It’s easy to see how much school children rely on the D4K web sitehttp://idahoptv.org/dialogue4kids/ . In 2006 our D4K web site received anaverage of 2000 visits a day and these visits lasted an average of 6 minutes.The number of visits each day mirrors the school year, even dropping off forholidays. D4K is not of short-term educational value either. Individual programsdraw in students well beyond their broadcast date. During 2006 the D4K pageon Electricity, a segment which was first featured in 2001, received over 33,000visits.Teachers love the opportunity for active involvement. During the most recentD4K program, Nutrition (January, 2007), 394 students tried calling in questionsand 66 students e-mailed in questions. These questions came from students allover Idaho, from St. Anthony to Hayden and Weiser, even from home-schooledstudents. With the variety of ways that children can participate, no student isexcluded.IdahoPTV has worked closely with Barbara Morgan for many years. In 1981,Idaho Public Television first profiled Barbara, then an elementary school teacherin McCall. In June 1998, Marcia Franklin’s eagerly-received Dialogue segmenthighlighted Barbara. In November 2003 Joan Cartan-Hansen produced aDialogue for Kids (D4K) program titled: “Space Careers”, which featured a liveon-site interview with Barbara Morgan, live call-in questions from students and awalk-through tour of the Houston Space Center and shuttle mock-up. The showwas also repeated during primetime. It generated intense interest amongstudents and their teachers and it received professional acclaim as well. Awardsfor “Space Careers” include a National 1 st Place Telly Award for Children’sProgramming, a Bronze World Medal from the New York Film Festival and a 1stPlace from the Idaho Press Club for Public Affairs – Studio programs.The new D4K segment for which we are requesting your funding will focus onBarbara after her return from space. Even without all of the publicity surroundinga shuttle mission, Barbara Morgan’s story would generate intense interest amongstudents. With the added benefit of her time in space we expect enormous

interest from elementary students and their teachers. The segment will use anexpanded one-hour format and will involve filming on-site at our studios in Boiseor via satellite link at the Houston Space Center.This story is essential to pass on, not only for its general themes, but because itfeatures an amazingly resilient woman; a scientist and teacher who comes fromIdaho, a person who obviously loves working with children and whom childrenrelate to enthusiastically. To help you understand the value and vitality of thisstory, we are including a short video clip featuring Barbara on DVD. With[regional bank]’s help, Idaho Public Television can introduce a new group ofstudents to Barbara’s inspiring story and help them see how perseverance andteamwork can help scientists or anyone aspiring to a difficult goal.Measurables and RecognitionIf [regional bank] decides to fund this proposal, [regional bank] will be listed onthe internal credits of the D4K program. Every time the program is viewed,[regional bank] will be acknowledged for its support. In addition, [regional bank]will be acknowledged as a supporter of the program on the web pages developedfor the D4K program. With your support of our programs at this level we can alsoprovide a hotlink from the program’s web page to [regional bank]’s own website.This allows those interested to click on your logo for more information about yourbusiness.To provide measures of our success with this program, Idaho Public Televisionwill track the number of phone calls and e-mails received from students duringthe D4K program and which schools contact the program. In addition, IdahoPublic Television will record the number of visits to the web pages developed forthe program. If the program is aired during one of the Nielson ratings periods(i.e. July, November, February or May), television viewing analysis will also bemade available. Teachers will be offered the opportunity to request copies of theprogram for future classroom use and interested individuals will be able todownload pod casts of the program at any time. The web materials will remainavailable for at least 2 years past the broadcast date.Focus on Low- and Moderate-Income PopulationsThe U.S. Census Bureau ranked Idaho 44 th out of the 50 states in terms ofpersonal income per capita for 2004 † and the situation in Idaho’s rural counties iseven worse. In 2004 the average per capita income of employees in ruralcounties in Idaho was nearly $3000 lower than the state as a whole ‡ .† U.S. Census Bureau – State Rankings – Statistical Abstract of the United Stateshttp://www.census.gov/statab/ranks/rank29.html, accessed on Jan. 30, 2007‡ Idaho Commerce and Labor Report: Rural Counties Profile, June 2006

These lower incomes are reflected in Idaho’s support of its public schools. For2003/2004 the U.S. Census Bureau ranked Idaho 49 th out of the 50 states for perpupil expenditures by state governments § . At Idaho Public Television we helpbridge the gaps caused by this lack of funding. Idaho Public Television reaches97% of the population of Idaho, including the most rural and isolated areas. It isthe only television network to do so. Because of the wide array of differentformats we use, the D4K program is especially effective at reaching out to ourrural schools.Our MissionIdaho Public Television’s mission is to meet the needs and reflect the interests ofits varied audiences by:- Providing quality educational and cultural television and related resources;- Creating Idaho-based programs and resources;- Establishing and maintaining statewide industry-standard delivery systems toprovide television and other media to Idaho homes and schools;- Providing learning opportunities and fostering participation and collaborationin educational and civic activities; and- Attracting, developing, and retaining talented and motivated employees whoare committed to accomplishing the shared vision of Idaho Public Television.Major AccomplishmentsIdaho Public Television receives the least amount of federal and stategovernment support of any of the rural statewide PBS networks. Yet despite, orperhaps partly as a result of this, Idaho Public Television is supported to thegreatest degree by its private citizens, receiving support from 15.3% of theviewing television households. This is compared to a national average of only10%. More than 62% of Idaho Public Television’s yearly operating budgetcomes from voluntary private contributions.We make good use of the monies we raise. Idaho Public Television’s productionteam has won hundreds of national and regional awards, including elevenregional Emmys, fourteen CINE Golden Eagles, two dozen Telly Awards, aPeabody, and a handful of New York Film Festival awards. In 2006 alone ourstaff received 60 awards for locally-produced programs spanning the range from“Moments in Time, From the Journals of Lewis and Clark”, to “West of theBasque” and the “Dialogue For Kids” website.Idaho Public Television is especially effective at reaching out to preschool andelementary age children with our broadcasting and special programs. Eachweek we broadcast over 65 hours of high-quality educational children’sprogramming. In 2005 Idaho Public Television hosted 63 “Ready To Learn”§ Public Education Finances – 2004, U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of Local Government Finances

workshops with 921 parents and caregivers, who care for 3,788 children.Eleven of the workshops were offered to non-English speaking Idahoans. Inpartnership with the Idaho State Library we distributed 11,529 First Books tochildren in at-risk situations. We also made instructional materials and 1,300hours of overnight educational programs available for teachers to tape andreplay in their classrooms. In addition, 1,232 DVDs of “West of the Basque”were mailed to Idaho 4 th grade classrooms and another 146 copies weresupplied to libraries throughout the state.With the support of [regional bank] we can be even more effective at bringingeducational opportunities to all Idaho children, no matter where they live or howmuch funding their school has. Thank you for your consideration of our request.