SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) today announced that 61 organizations in 22 states will receive nearly $2.6 million to support land and water conservation, energy efficiency and broad-based citizen participation in communities where Wells Fargo customers and team members live and work.

The Wells Fargo Environmental Solutions for Communities grant program represents a five-year, $15 million collaboration with NFWF, and is part of Wells Fargo’s commitment to provide $100 million in grant funding by 2020 to nonprofits and university programs focused on environmental sustainability. Launched in 2012, the program awards grants to local organizations to promote environmental stewardship and strengthen communities across the U.S. Over the life of the program, grantees will have restored more than 83,000 acres of habitat, planted almost a million trees and engaged hundreds of thousands of community members in environmental protection activities nationwide.

“We have long believed that there is a strong connection between economic development, community well-being, and the stewardship and health of the environment,” said Mary Wenzel, head of Wells Fargo Environmental Affairs. “We are proud to support local organizations that engage their neighbors and other members of the community in addressing local environmental challenges, and we are thrilled with the success of the Environmental Solutions for Communities program and its impacts to date.”

The Wells Fargo Environmental Solutions for Communities program is in its fifth and final year. To date, the program has made grants to 267 nonprofit organizations for 312 projects, from Alaska to Florida, and from California to Maine. In addition to Wells Fargo Foundation’s $15 million investment, NFWF leveraged an additional $9.7 million in matching dollars during its five-year program administration.

“This year’s grantees will work with community leaders, volunteers and scientists to restore and enhance wildlife and habitats across the country,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF. “The 61 projects across the nation include wetland restoration work in Alaska that will benefit migrating salmon, and oyster reef projects in Florida that will improve water quality in the famed Indian River Lagoon. In California, high school and college students will perform restoration work in forests damaged by the catastrophic Rim Fire of 2013. These and other projects receiving funding support through the Environmental Solutions for Communities program exemplify Wells Fargo’s dedication to conservation and the well-being of local communities.”

Details of the Wells Fargo Environmental Solutions for Communities grant program and a link to the 2016 list of grantee organizations can be found at the NFWF program website: www.nfwf.org/environmentalsolutions.

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.8 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through 8,800 locations, 13,000 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 36 countries to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 269,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 27 on Fortune’s 2016 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. Wells Fargo perspectives are also available at Wells Fargo Blogs and Wells Fargo Stories.

About the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

Chartered by Congress in 1984, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) protects and restores the nation's fish, wildlife, plants and habitats. Working with federal, corporate and individual partners, NFWF has funded more than 4,500 organizations and committed more than $3.5 billion to conservation projects. Learn more at www.nfwf.org.