Wells Fargo today announced the company donated more than $5.4 million to 415 local nonprofits, schools and community organizations in 2018 to help the communities and people of Arizona.
Wells Fargo’s philanthropic contributions build on a long history of collaboration with local nonprofits and community leaders to make a positive impact by addressing urgent community issues such as affordable housing, small business growth, access to education and supporting tribal communities.
When combined with the $2.8 million donated by the company’s 16,109 Arizona team members, nonprofits in the state received a total of $8.2 million from Wells Fargo and its team members in 2018. That amounts to an average daily donation of $22,707.
“Across our community, many residents are working hard to make ends meet,” said Don Pearson, Wells Fargo’s lead region president based in Phoenix. “Here in Arizona, we want to help people find a stable place to live, help small business owners expand, and help young people gain a quality education that prepares them for the workforce. We are determined to help people and communities, especially in underserved areas, succeed financially. We will continue to provide philanthropy, volunteers, expertise and other resources to revitalize and strengthen local neighborhoods.”
Beyond philanthropy, Wells Fargo team members in Arizona volunteered more than 115,000 hours in 2018 to support nonprofits and causes important to them. Local projects and efforts include more than 5,600 volunteer hours supporting St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance and 2,100 volunteer hours supporting Junior Achievement projects and causes across the state.
“Part of what makes Wells Fargo unique is the generosity of our team members who help multiply our community impact,” said Pearson. “Sometimes giving time is even more valuable than money, because it puts our desire to build a strong community into action and gives us a tangible way to personally make a difference.”
United Way Worldwide recently recognized Wells Fargo for having the No. 1 workplace giving campaign in the U.S. for the tenth consecutive year.
Making an impact in Arizona
Wells Fargo concentrated its local philanthropic contributions on addressing urgent community issues such as:
- Affordable housing. To help increase affordable, stable housing and homeownership in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, Wells Fargo collaborated with local grantees to provide homebuyer education, down payment assistance and other affordable housing solutions. Notable grants included $50,000 to Phoenix-based Trellis for homeownership counseling, financial access and neighborhood development; $15,000 to the Prescott Area Habitat For Humanity; $10,000 to United States Veterans Initiative for affordable housing/foreclosure prevention and counseling; and $10,000 to the White Mountain Apache Housing Authority for their veteran home rehabilitation program.
- Small business growth. Small businesses are critical to job creation and a vibrant community. Many diverse-owned small businesses, especially those in rural and low- to moderate-income communities, face unique challenges and often lack access to the full spectrum of resources necessary for growth and success. Nonprofits serving small businesses received grants to provide access to capital and training for entrepreneurs in rural and urban markets. Notable grants included $50,000 to Chicanos Por La Causa for the Prestamos program that provides small businesses access to capital through nontraditional small business financing resources; $25,000 to Coconino County Community College Foundation for the Small Business Development Center; $25,000 to Grand Canyon Trust for the Native American Business Incubator Network; and $9,500 to Nogales Community Development Corporation to support the city’s small business development and downtown revitalization efforts.
- Economic equity and inclusion. Support included grants to nonprofits that directly serve diverse and historically underserved groups, including initiatives focused on the development of women and diverse talent, education and vocational training, and other solutions for communities with limited access to traditional financial services. Notable Wells Fargo collaborations included $75,000 to fund Local Initiatives Support Corporation’s mission to forge resilient and inclusive communities of opportunity; $50,000 to theGreater Phoenix Urban League and $25,000 to the Tucson Urban League for career training and workforce development; and $35,000 to A New Leaf to support a job training program and financial capability, including volunteer income tax assistance.
- Access to education. Support included grants for local K-12 schools, scholarships for post-secondary or vocational training and financial education. Notable grants range from more than $100,000 to Junior Achievement to support its mission to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy and $45,000 to Be A Leader Foundation’s mission to increase the number of college-prepared students in Arizona to $7,500 to Lowell Observatory for the Navajo-Hopi Astronomy Outreach Program. Funding specific to in-school, curriculum-based program enrichment included $25,000 to Arizona Science Center for focused field trips; $20,000 to Scottsdale Arts for early childhood arts-education enrichment; $15,000 to United Way to sponsor a Vello online tutoring classroom; and $10,000.00 to the Arizona Council on Economic Education for their financial fitness and academic achievement programs, to name a few.
For 2019, the Wells Fargo Arizona Foundation has made minor changes to guidelines to help maximize the opportunities that impact Arizona communities. The application calendar for 2019 is the largest change, as there is now specific timing for grant submissions per program area. The calendar is as follows: Jan. 9 – Feb. 10 for arts & culture, civic, and environmental (now closed); March 1– April 10 for education, June 1 – July 10 for community development; and Aug. 1– Sept. 10 for social and human services. Event sponsorships will be accepted year-round, and must be received at least 120 days in advance of the event. For more information on Wells Fargo’s grant guidelines visit www.wellsfargo.com/donations.
About Wells Fargo
Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) provides banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through 7,800 locations, more than 13,000 ATMs, and the internet (wellsfargo.com). Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. With approximately 259,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 26 on Fortune’s 2018 rankings of America’s largest corporations. In 2018, Wells Fargo donated more than $444 million to nearly 11,000 nonprofits in support of affordable housing, small business growth, financial education, and sustainability, among other community needs. For 10 consecutive years, Wells Fargo has held the honor of No. 1 in workplace giving by United Way Worldwide. Wells Fargo team members also make a difference by donating more than 2 million hours of volunteer time in the last year. News, insights and more information on the company’s corporate responsibility are available at Wells Fargo Stories.
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