The Walter Kaitz Foundation - FAQS - Cultural Diversity, Diversity, Diversity in the workplace, Workplace Diversity

FAQs

The Walter Kaitz Foundation was established in 1981 as a not-for profit organization with the purpose of diversifying the executive suites of the cable television industry with talented and qualified ethnic minorities. Over the years, program objectives and emphases have been modified to meet the changing opportunities of the cable television industry. The Foundation's basic goal of advocating diversity remains constant: To advance the contributions of multi-ethnic professionals and women in the cable telecommunications industry, by advocating for diversity and providing resources for the organization’s members and the industry at large.

What kinds of companies are involved with the Walter Kaitz Foundation?

There are over 40 companies within the cable industry that are involved with the Walter Kaitz Foundation. They include programming networks, such as ABC, MTV Networks, Scripps Networks, NBC Universal and Lifetime Entertainment Services as well as cable operating companies such as Comcast Corporation, Cox Communications, Inc., Cablevision Systems Corporation and Time Warner Cable.

Currently, the Walter Kaitz Foundation affiliate companies are all associated with the cable industry. In addition to cable programming networks and operating companies, other companies directly affiliated with the Walter Kaitz Foundation include entities such as Amdocs, ARRIS Inc., CommScope, Inc., Scientific-Atlanta, and Vozzcom.

How can companies or individuals work with the Walter Kaitz Foundation?
There are many potential ways to work with the Walter Kaitz Foundation and to find out how you can work with us on specific projects please contact us using the following information:

Walter Kaitz Foundation
25 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Suite 100
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-222-2490
Fax: 202-222-2491
Email: info@walterkaitz.org

Can I personally be involved with the Walter Kaitz Foundation, even if my company is not?

If interested in being active in the activities of the Walter Kaitz Foundation, please contact Michelle Ray, Senior Director of Programs & Strategic Initiatives at 202-222-2490 or via e-mail at mray@walterkaitz.org for more information.

Who can attend the Kaitz Foundation workshops, conferences, and events?

If interested in attending any Walter Kaitz Foundation events, conferences or events, please contact us at 202-222-2490 or e-mail info@walterkaitz.org.

If I partner with Kaitz, am I also a partner of other organizations such as WICT, NAMIC and the Emma Bowen Foundation?

If you partner with the Walter Kaitz Foundation you are not a direct partner of other organizations such as WICT, NAMIC and the Emma Bowen Foundation. However, you can have access to those organizations and potential opportunities to work with them through special programs.

How do I request funding from the Walter Kaitz Foundation?

The Walter Kaitz Foundation currently provides grants to specific programs at three, cable-industry non-profit organizations whose work focuses on internships, leadership development, and mentoring for women and ethnic minorities in the cable telecommunications industry. The Foundation does not currently fund individuals or organizations that have not been formally invited to submit a grant proposal.

What resources are available for those seeking employment opportunities in the cable industry?

The Walter Kaitz Foundation is launching its much anticipated Kaitz Career Center with the hopes of becoming the industry’s premier destination for career opportunities within the cable industry. Through the Career Center, you will find a list of potential jobs with many highly respected companies in the cable industry. Visit the Kaitz Career Center under “Diversity Resources” of the website to see specific job listings or contact Stephen Little, Program Coordinator at 202-222-2490 or via email at slittle@walterkaitz.org for more information.

How does Walter Kaitz Foundation provide mentorship?

The Walter Kaitz Foundation provides mentorship directly through two main programs:

Howard University School of Business Executive Leadership Honors Program: The Walter Kaitz Foundation sponsors the Howard University School of Business Executive Leadership Honors Program. This pilot initiative was undertaken with the Howard University School of Business Executive Leadership (SBEL) Honors Program.

The Foundation partnered with Howard University and five sponsoring companies within the cable industry to collectively serve as one of the corporate sponsors for the Howard University School of Business Executive Leadership Honors Program. Through this program, sponsoring companies have access, not shared by other non-sponsoring companies, to approximately 130 business students representing the best and the brightest students of color at this historically black university. Special activities are organized between the honor students and the sponsoring companies designed to build true relationships among students and the companies.

National Association of Television Program Executives Diversity Fellowship Program: As part of its on-going efforts to promote diversity within and outside of the cable industry, The Walter Kaitz Foundation collaborated with the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE), to produce its annual Diversity Fellowship Program.

The original goal of the Diversity Fellowship Program was to assist producers of color in gaining access to television production by facilitating a series of meetings with production and studio executives along with concentrated access to networking and educational content during NATPE's annual LATV Festival. With the Walter Kaitz Foundation's participation, the program was expanded to create and customize the needs of participating fellows by providing an enriched curriculum to include mentoring meetings, lunches and breakfasts with key producers from cable networks. Speakers featured at the opening mentoring breakfast, sponsored by the Foundation, included programming executives from ESPN, Comcast Networks, and Turner Broadcasting.

Are there any programs available for college students sponsored by Walter Kaitz?

The Walter Kaitz Foundation sponsors the Howard University School of Business Executive Leadership Honors Program. This pilot initiative was undertaken with the Howard University School of Business Executive Leadership (SBEL) Honors Program. The Foundation partnered with Howard University and five sponsoring companies within the cable industry to collectively serve as one of the corporate sponsors for the Howard University School of Business Executive Leadership Honors Program. Through this program, sponsoring companies have access, not shared by other non-sponsoring companies, to approximately 130 business students representing the best and the brightest students of color at this historically black university. Special activities are organized between the honor students and the sponsoring companies designed to build true relationships among students and the companies.

The Walter Kaitz Foundation, along with their partners at the National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC), seeks to serve as a catalyst for building partnerships with cable operators and programmers that targets educational institutions and organizations serving women and people of color. The Cable Cares For Diversity Program is an exclusive, day-long program is designed to bring high-potential college students together with influencers and executives in the cable industry under one umbrella. The purpose of the program is to educate these students about the cable industry, expose them to business trends and career opportunities in cable, help them to understand how to interpret trends that will shape business strategies in the decade ahead, and offer networking opportunity with recruitment specialists who are hiring. All of this will take place while examining the unique challenges that women and people of color face in the workplace.

What is ELDP and how do I become involved?

The Executive Leadership Development Program (ELDP) is offered by the National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) in partnership with UCLA's Anderson Graduate School of Management. The program was customized for NAMIC by the Anderson School's Office of Executive Education Programs, renowned for its Leadership Institutes focused specifically on African-American, Latino and Asian populations. The Anderson School administers the program's academic curriculum, while NAMIC maintains management responsibility for the overall program. NAMIC’s ELDP is targeted to upper-middle managers (executives of color who have a minimum of two years experience at the director level and above) from the telecommunications industry.

Why is the Walter Kaitz Foundation’s Annual Fundraising Dinner important?

The annual fundraising dinner has become the hallmark of the cable industry’s fundraising activities and serves as the centerpiece of the cable industry’s “Diversity Week” activities which culminate in a series of meetings and conferences each Fall in New York City.

The Walter Kaitz Foundation’s Annual Fundraising Dinner unites cable industry leaders, public policy advocates, the media and others in an event that raises significant funding for the Foundation’s diversity partners: The Emma L. Bowen Foundation, The National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications, and Women in Cable Telecommunications. Each of these organizations makes diversity its central mission.

How much money is raised at the Walter Kaitz Foundation’s Annual Fundraising Dinner?

In 2009, at its 26th annual fund-raising dinner, the Walter Kaitz Foundation raised $1 million for programs promoting diversity in the cable industry. At the 2010 fundraising dinner, it is expected that the Foundation will raise more than $1 million in funds.