Over the few years, the Markle Foundation has primarily focused its work in two areas where information technology (IT) holds great promise to benefit our society: health and national security. This focus grew out of a broader undertaking, initiated in 1999 as IT and Internet policy were emerging rapidly, to stimulate the participation of many needed actors in the public interest potential of IT.

The following represents an overview of some of Markle's major initiatives, projects and contributions to public benefit over recent years. Our activities during this time were pursued in three program areas:

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR BETTER HEALTH
Markle's health program aims to accelerate consumer use of information technologies in ways that improve the quality of health and health care based upon a consumer centric vision. The widespread diffusion of IT is essential to the realization of this vision because technology alone makes possible the high level of information distribution, access, control, and intelligence on which the vision depends. (more)

POLICY FOR A NETWORKED SOCIETY
The Policy for a Networked Society Program aims to enhance the public voice and understanding in technology-related policy making and to achieve policy decisions and outcomes that benefit the public interest. The Policy program addresses new policy issues resulting from technological and geo-political change as well as traditional policy issues and areas that are being affected by information technology. The program focuses in four areas: National Security, Policy Participation, Public Engagement and IT for Development. (more)

INTERACTIVE MEDIA FOR CHILDREN
The Interactive Media For Children Program was aimed principally to gain in-depth knowledge about the impact of interactive media on children's learning and development, and has worked to promote the use of that knowledge in the creation of beneficial children's interactive media products. (more)