Sprint Nextel Corporation : Sprint to award $50,000 in grants in 2012 to outstanding Atlanta non-profits

Application period for 2012 Sprint Local Giving Program runs May 1 through June 15

Sprint (NYSE: S) announced today that it will award three grants to Atlanta-area non-profit organizations this year, totaling $50,000. Grants will be awarded in the amounts of $25,000, $15,000 and $10,000 through the Sprint Foundation, Sprint's philanthropic arm, as part of the Sprint Local Giving Program. This is the fourth year Sprint has offered this type of program to Atlanta non-profits.

"We have been incredibly pleased with the caliber of applications we've received from Atlanta since we first launched this program in 2009," said Debby Ballard, director of Community Affairs for Sprint. "I am excited to see the sorts of dynamic, creative ideas the local non-profit community is planning for 2012."

How the Sprint Local Giving Program works

The Sprint Local Giving Program provides one grant each to three Atlanta 501(c)(3) organizations in support of programs that provide a meaningful impact in Sprint's philanthropic focus areas of youth development (including mentoring, leadership and academic achievement), arts and culture, and environmental stewardship. Eligible organizations must be located in the Atlanta area (Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Paulding and Rockdale counties). Additional eligibility requirements can be found at www.sprint.com/localgiving.

Nominations for the Sprint Local Giving Program will be accepted between 9 a.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, May 1, and 6 p.m. Eastern time on Friday, June 15, at www.sprint.com/localgiving.

Sprint will then review all applications and notify the three finalist organizations, each of which will receive one of the three available Atlanta grants - $25,000, $15,000 or $10,000. Sprint will also provide the three finalists with video-capable Sprint mobile phones for a three-week period. The three finalists will use these devices to create short videos highlighting the programs for which they are requesting funding. These videos will be judged by Sprint to determine which level of funding will be awarded to each organization. (Additional details about the video will be provided to the finalist organizations at the appropriate time; organizations applying for a Sprint Local Giving Program grant should not submit video applications until they've received instructions from Sprint.)

By the end of September, Sprint will notify the finalist organizations which level of funding they have received. A local reception will be held near the end of the year, during which Sprint will present the award checks.

Local non-profit organizations can learn more about this program at www.sprint.com/localgiving.

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 55 million customers at the end of 2011 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 3 in its 2011 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation's greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

Sprint
John D. Adams, 913-315-3903
john.d.adams@sprint.com

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