"FIRST" IS UNIQUE FUNDING - Through the Fund for Infrastructure, Roads, Schools and Transit (FIRST), the state of IL granted $12 billion through a five-year grant program to repair and upgrade critical infrastructure, including IT systems. Lincoln Trail College, a community college in the state, is one of the first recipients. With the $150,000 it received, the college will purchase office hardware for a building that will house up to 12 firms, a part of their eCommerce Incubator program. The grant will also help with college faculty support for the program. The eCommerce program should prove to be a valuable one for the area, which lacks jobs for local community college graduates. (Civic.com, 19 July 01)

NEC FOUNDATION OF AMERICA ANNOUNCES GRANTS - The NEC Foundation of America recently announced eight separate grants totaling $300,000 to not-for-profit organizations focusing their services on education technology applications and/or emerging technologies for people with disabilities. Organizations receiving support from this recent round of grants include Boston University and The Center for Excellence in Education. For more information see: http://www.nec.com/ (Syllabus e-News, Resources and Trends 17 July 01)

PALM EDUCATION PIONEER (PEP) AWARDS $2.3 MILLION - In a second round of grants from the Palm Education Pioneer (PEP) program, Palm, Inc., $2.3 million in Palm handheld units was awarded to elementary and secondary schools, colleges and universities. The funds will enable innovative teaching and learning, and gain insight into ways in which handheld devices can affect teaching and learning. Research from the awards is expected to help determine best practices for integrating handhelds into curriculum and teacher training. For more information go to: http://www.palm.com