By the challenge date, December 1, 1999, the VOF raised a total, including the Kresge Grant, of $2,061,050 and increased its number of donors to 670. The VOF is extemely grateful to all those friends, old and new, who helped us respond to the Kresge Foundation's challenge: all those private individuals, the businesses, and the foundations.

We are continuing to raise funds and increase our donor base, but at a less intense pace. Such projects as the Calendar will help us in this ongoing work to fund fully the telescope and the postdoctoral fellowships into the 2000's.

A technical report of the engineering achievements during this Kresge Grant is available. Meanwhile, the upgrading of the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope continues beyond this first phase.