Washington, D.C., Oct. 9, 1998—The Peace Corps announced today that it received an $80,000 grant from the Chase Manhattan Foundation in New York to support volunteer projects in six countries, and to support follow-up conferences to the 1998 conference on International Volunteerism hosted by the Peace Corps this past summer. "We are pleased that the Chase Manhattan Foundation has chosen to support the work of our more than 6,500 volunteers around the world with vital grass-roots initiatives," said Peace Corps Director Mark Gearan. "This grant will also enable the Peace Corps to organize regional conferences to expand our interaction and identify ways to collaborate with our colleagues from other volunteer-sending groups." About $45,000 of this 1998 grant will be used to support Peace Corps community development projects in China, Ecuador, Romania, Russia, Thailand, and Uzbekistan. The remaining $35,000 will be used for small, follow-up conferences on International Volunteerism in Panama, the Philippines, Poland, and South Africa. Since 1983, the Chase Manhattan Foundation has contributed a total of $292,500 to the Peace Corps Partnership Program, which provides a link between private contributors and requests for project assistance from overseas communities in which Peace Corps volunteers serve. The Peace Corps provides a small living allowance to its voliunteers, but cannot pay for materials and other expenses for the development projects that volunteers coordinate. Private sector contributions enhance the ability of Peace Corps volunteers to assist their communities in these development efforts. Currently, more than 6,500 Peace Corps volunteers are working in 80 countries around the world to bring clean water to communities, teach children, protect the environment, help start new small businesses, and prevent the spread of AIDS. Since 1961, more than 150,000 Americans have joined the Peace Corps.