In 2012, the USTTI corporate and government Board members, along with training sponsors from both academia and the ICT and broadcast industries, provided $4.5 million in cash and in-kind contributions to support the USTTI, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. These contributions reflect the costs of offering 82 tuition-free training courses in 2012, as well as travel and subsistence funding, educational materials, and a host of other services provided to the USTTI.

The USTTI’s overhead costs - program development expenses, salaries for our small staff, and institutional costs such as rent, utilities, and postage - are paid for by private sector contributions. The USTTI’s 2012 operating budget of $926,663 was tightly controlled so that all revenues raised by the USTTI in excess of overhead costs were used to provide additional travel and subsistence support for promising USTTI Scholars from many of the poorest developing countries.

In addition to funding from the private sector, the USTTI received essential support from the Federal Government in 2012. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provided significant funding to the USTTI in 2012 for the travel and subsistence needs of USTTI scholars from the developing world. In addition, 11 officials received travel and subsistence support through a contract awarded by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA). Experts from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), provided a total of six courses, as well as in-kind support for the USTTI. Voice of America underwrote a grant that provided funding for five developing country broadcasters to attend training. International organizations such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Organization of American States (OAS)/Inter American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL) also contributed additional in-kind support for 12 USTTI Scholars in 2012.

The USTTI is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, meeting all requirements for charitable contributions. In 2013, the USTTI will need approximately $2,100,000 in order to provide travel and subsistence of qualified applicants who are unable to support their own participation in USTTI training. Corporations and organizations wishing to support the USTTI should contact Jim O’Connor and Mike Beirne at 1150 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 702, Washington, DC 20036-4131, USA. Telephone: +1-202-785-7373, Fax: +1-202-785-1930, E-mail: joconnor@ustti.org or mbeirne@ustti.org.