AT&T;, Cordis Corp. and two foundations have made large donations to the $100 million Annenberg Challenge to boost public school performance in South Florida, the Miami Herald reports.

AT&T; contributed $500,000 to the initiative for technology-based education programs. Cordis - a division of Johnson & Johnson - gave $200,000 earmarked for biomedical and biotechnical efforts.

The John T. MacDonald Foundation and the Health Foundation of South Florida donated a combined $137,000 for health-related programs.

The donations are important because the Annenberg Challenge is a 2-1 matching program, the paper reports.

The Annenberg Foundation has put up $33.4 million for the initiative, but participating school systems in Broward, Dade and Palm Beach counties and the city of Miami must raise the remainder through public and private contributions by January 2000, or the Annenberg gift reverts back to the foundation.

Schools and other community groups seeking more information on the challenge program can find more information at the South Florida Annenberg Challenge website.

While funding is not yet complete, the Annenberg group already has awarded $3 million in grants to local education programs, the paper reports.