SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) and Scholarship America announce the People with Disabilities Scholarship Program call for applications. In 2016, Wells Fargo committed $1 million over four years to Scholarship America to develop and implement the program. 2018 marks the third year of the program.
The program’s goal is to help people with disabilities obtain the education or training they need to succeed in the careers they choose.
“We are proud to collaborate with Wells Fargo on its People with Disabilities Scholarship Program,” said Robert C. Ballard, president and CEO, Scholarship America. “All students deserve an opportunity to obtain a higher education. Wells Fargo is helping make that possible for students with disabilities.”
To date, Wells Fargo has donated $500,000 to Scholarship America to help 74 scholarship recipients with disabilities achieve their higher educational goals.
“Working with Scholarship America is just one of many ways Wells Fargo is helping to financially empower people with disabilities so they may reach their educational dreams,” said Kathy Martinez, head of Disability and Accessibility Strategy at Wells Fargo.
Applications for the scholarship program are being accepted online through Dec. 6, 2018, or until 700 applications are submitted. The People with Disabilities Scholarship Program will provide awards of up to $2,500 to qualifying full-time students, renewable up to three years. Awards of up to $1,250 are available to qualifying half-time students and are renewable up to seven years, or until a bachelor’s degree is earned, whichever occurs first.
“I am extremely grateful for the scholarship,” said Kyle Hua, a Computer Science major at California State University–Berkeley, who received a $2,500 renewable scholarship for the 2018–19 school year. “Thanks to the extra funds, I will be able to upgrade my computer and repair my hearing aids. Both will help me succeed with my studies.”
Selection criteria
The selection criteria include academic performance, demonstrated leadership, work experience, a brief statement of career and educational goals and an outside appraisal. Financial need will be considered.
Application process
Applicants must meet all of the following criteria:
- Have an identified disability (defined as someone who has, or considers themselves to have, a long-term or recurring issue that affects one or more major life activities).
- Have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, or equivalent.
- Be a high school senior or graduate who plans to enroll (or already is enrolled) in full-time or half-time (at least six credits per term) undergraduate study at an accredited two-year or four-year college or university in the U.S. for the entire 2019-2020 academic year.
Applicants are required to complete the online application and provide a current academic transcript. The online application is accessible for users of all abilities. A dedicated toll-free phone number and email address are available to applicants who need additional assistance.
Each applicant also is required to submit an essay on the question, “What life experiences have shaped who you are today?”
For more information about the scholarships, please visit https://scholarsapply.org/pwdscholarship.
Wells Fargo’s commitment to people with disabilities
Wells Fargo has donated more than $49 million to nonprofits and launched a number of programs since 2005 to help financially empower and employ people with disabilities. Recent program highlights include:
Financial education
Communication Services for the Deaf Learns and Wells Fargo launched an online financial education series for the deaf community available free of charge at to all deaf, hard of hearing and deafblind individuals in the U.S. as well as their teachers and service providers. In addition, National Disability Institute and Wells Fargo released 15 quick financial education reference guides and five disability supplemental guides designed to provide financial educators access to resources and tools specifically for persons with disabilities. The disability-specific financial education materials complement existing Hands on Banking® instructor guides.
Enterprise Accessibility Program Office
Wells Fargo launched an Enterprise Accessibility Program Office. The ultimate goals are for all individuals — customers and team members — to be able to access and utilize Wells Fargo properties with ease and for the company to go beyond accessible requirements.
Diverse Leaders Program
Wells Fargo hosts an annual Diverse Leaders Program for People with Diverse Abilities, a unique three-day program for team members who identify as individuals with a disability to understand and embrace their strengths, overcome challenges and learn how their differences help them add value as leaders on the company team.
To learn more about Wells Fargo’s commitment to people with disabilities, please visit www.wellsfargo.com/about/diversity/accessibility/
About Scholarship America
Scholarship America focuses on ensuring ALL students have the opportunity to succeed in their pursuit of higher education. That mission has stayed the same since the organization’s start in 1958, when 24 students shared $4,000 in scholarships. Since then Scholarship America has built programs that have distributed over $4 billion and helped more than 2.4 million students as the go-to source for scholarships, emergency aid, mentoring, coaching, financial literacy and more. More information is available at scholarshipamerica.org or by following @scholamerica.
About Wells Fargo & Company
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.9 trillion in assets. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through 7,950 locations, 13,000 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 37 countries and territories to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 262,000 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. News, insights and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories.