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Wells Fargo Donated $13.4 Million to Support Texas Nonprofits in 2018

03/08/2019
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Giving addresses community issues around affordable housing, education, small businesses, sustainability

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Wells Fargo today announced the company donated more than $13 million through 875 grants to local nonprofits, schools and community organizations in 2018 to help the communities and people of Texas.

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, education, small business growth and sustainability.

When combined with the almost $4.2 million donated by Texas team members during the company’s internal Community Support Campaign, nonprofits in the state received more than $17.5 million from Wells Fargo and its team members in 2018. That amounts to an average daily donation of more than $47,000 in Texas.

“Across our community, many residents are working hard to make ends meet,” said David Miree, Wells Fargo lead region bank president for Texas. “Here in Texas, 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 Texas volunteered more than 154,000 hours in 2018 to support 9,564 nonprofits and causes important to them, including Habitat for Humanity and Junior Achievement across the state. According to the Independent Sector, these volunteer hours are the equivalent of $3,802,951.

“Part of what makes Wells Fargo unique is the generosity of our team members who help multiply our community impact,” continued Miree. “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 Texas

Wells Fargo’s philanthropic contributions addressed various community needs, including:

  • Affordable housing. To help increase affordable, stable housing and homeownership in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, Wells Fargo collaborated with grantees such as City Wide Community Development Corporation, Avenue, Community Development Corporation of Brownsville, Rebuilding Together, San Antonio Homeownership Opportunities Corporation and multiple Habitat for Humanity affiliates.
  • 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. The company supported nonprofits serving small businesses, including BCL of Texas, PeopleFund, Liftfund Inc, Houston Area Urban League and Project Vida, to provide access to capital and training for entrepreneurs in rural and urban markets.
  • Financial education. Wells Fargo supported grants for local financial education programs, including contributions to Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Junior Achievement, South Texas Literacy Coalition, Interfaith Family Services, AVANCE, Family Pathfinders of Tarrant County, Wilkinson Center and Women’s Resource of Greater Houston.
  • Workforce development. The company supported the work of nonprofits to help communities expand youth career/job readiness programs, post-secondary education opportunities and adult employment initiatives with grants to Year Up-Dallas, Project ARRIBA, Houston Community College Foundation, Career and Recovery Resources, Ladder Alliance, Café Momentum, Houston Center for Literacy and project HandUp.

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 $440 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.

Media
Michael King, 713-319-1505
michael.king@wellsfargo.com
@MichaelKingWF

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