SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announced today that 61 nonprofits have been awarded environmental grants totaling $3 million to support projects focused on land and water conservation, energy efficiency, environmental outreach and support for building healthy urban ecosystems.
Established in 2012, the Wells Fargo Environmental Solutions for Communities five-year grant program has awarded $12 million to 207 grantees and funded 247 projects to date that promote conservation and environmental sustainability.
“We believe in being environmentally proactive and helping our customers, communities and team members become better stewards of the environment,” said Mary Wenzel, head of Wells Fargo Environmental Affairs. “This program helps advance our company’s goal to give $100 million to support environmental nonprofits by 2020 and provides our team members an opportunity to volunteer locally and improve communities where they live and work.”
The 2015 Wells Fargo Environmental Solutions for Communities grant program received more than 450 applications. The 61 projects that were selected are aligned with the program’s goal to help address the most pressing environmental issues in 31 target cities and regions. Visit 2015 Wells Fargo Environmental Solutions for Communities Award Winners for the full list of winners.
“This year’s Wells Fargo Environmental Solutions for Communities grantees will work on projects from Maine to Alaska, from Los Angeles to Birmingham,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF. “The dedication and commitment to conservation and helping local communities shown by Wells Fargo is inspirational and deeply appreciated by all who participate in these exciting projects. Without Wells Fargo’s support, none of this good work would be possible.”
Administered by NFWF, the Wells Fargo Environmental Solutions for Communities grants collectively helped reduce more than 8 million pounds of CO21, which is the equivalent to averting consumption of 21,000 barrels of oil2. More than 17,000 community members have been involved in projects funded by the grants. The 2015 grantees will plant more than 350,000 trees and restore more than 10,000 acres of habitat.
Details of the Wells Fargo Environmental Solutions for Communities grant program and a link to the 2016 application (available in September 2015) can be found at the NFWF application website: www.nfwf.org/environmentalsolutions. Projects benefiting underserved communities and encouraging volunteerism are given priority consideration. The Wells Fargo Environmental Solutions for Communities grant program is funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation to promote environmental stewardship across the country.
About Wells Fargo & Company
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.7 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 8,700 locations, 12,500 ATMs, and 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 266,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 30 on Fortune’s 2015 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy all 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 4,000 organizations and committed more than $2.9 billion to conservation projects. Learn more at www.nfwf.org.
1Environmental impact estimates from trees were calculated by National Fish and Wildlife Foundation with the National Arbor Day National Tree Benefit Calculator
2Environmental impact estimates from CO2 were calculated by National Fish and Wildlife Foundation using statistics from the US Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration