APIASF Receives $3 Million Wells Fargo Award to Boost College Success for Asian American and Pacific Islander Students

Washington, D.C., July 21, 2014 /3BL Media/ — The Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF)—the nation's largest nonprofit provider of college scholarships for Asian American and Pacific Islander students (AAPI)—announced today a new, three-year grant totaling $3 million from Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC). APIASF President & Executive Director Neil Horikoshi accepted the award during the 2014 APIASF Higher Education Summit held yesterday at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C.

Through an ongoing partnership, Wells Fargo broadened its support to APIASF by way of providing more than $1 million each year over the next three years for scholarships and programs to accelerate the success of AAPI students. This commitment doubles the amount of the APIASF/Wells Fargo scholarships. Recipients must be full-time, degree-seeking AAPI students many of whom will be attending Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs)—schools with the designation of minority-serving institutions that enroll large populations of AAPI students.

"APIASF is honored to have the partnership of Wells Fargo to help increase the opportunities for underserved students to access higher education and build the skills needed to succeed after graduation," said Horikoshi. "With Wells Fargo's support, APIASF is able to provide our students with a holistic range of programs and equip students with critical life-skills such as financial literacy. Expanding our partnership will allow APIASF to increase the scale of our programs and serve even more students."

In addition, the Wells Fargo grant supports the Jump Start College Tour series to provide money management and financial literacy sessions in 10 cities across the nation. The tour is free and open to the public, including high school students, college students, parents, and teachers. Attendees will learn how to identify the resources that can help support their pursuit of higher education, anticipate career trends, strengthen their money management skills, leverage their personal networks, improve their professional communications skills, and build their personal brand. The Jump Start College Tours will be held at AANAPISIs across the country and feature interactive modules from the Hands on Banking® financial literacy curriculum.

In September 2013, APIASF and Wells Fargo launched the first Jump Start College Tour at Georgia State University with nearly 150 attendees. The two organizations also teamed up with Wong Fu Productions to produce a financial literacy video, "Save the Date," aimed at AAPI students emphasizing the importance of saving money. To date, the video has already received nearly 1.5 million views.

"One of the most important factors in helping communities thrive is ensuring that all students have access to educational resources, regardless of their economic situation," said Arati Randolph, Wells Fargo senior vice president, corporate communications and an APIASF board member. "We are proud of our partnership with APIASF and committed to supporting it as it continues its mission of supporting AAPI students."

For details about APIASF's work to strengthen communities and its scholarship programs, visit APIASF's website at apiasf.org. The full list of the upcoming Jump Start College Tour locations will be available on APIASF's website later this summer. Free money management resources can be accessed at handsonbanking.org and wellsfargo.com/financial-education. Also, follow APIASF on Facebook (www.facebook.com/apiasf) and Twitter @APIASF.

About the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund

Based in Washington, D.C., the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF) is the nation's largest non-profit provider of college scholarships for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). APIASF works to create opportunities for students to access, complete, and succeed after post-secondary education; thereby developing future leaders who will excel in their career, serve as role models in their communities, and will ultimately contribute to a vibrant America. Since 2003, APIASF has distributed more than $80 million in scholarships to AAPI students across the country and in the Pacific Islands. APIASF manages three scholarship programs: APIASF's general scholarship, the APIASF Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions scholarship program, and the Gates Millennium Scholars/Asian Pacific Islander Americans funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

About Wells Fargo & Company

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.5 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 9,000 locations, 12,500 ATMs, and the internet (wellsfargo.com), and has offices in 36 countries to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With more than 265,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 29 on Fortune's 2014 rankings of America's largest corporations. In 2013, the Company invested $275.5 million in grants to 18,500 nonprofits, and team members contributed more than 1.69 million volunteer hours around the country. Wells Fargo's vision is to satisfy all our customers' financial needs and help them succeed financially. Wells Fargo perspectives and stories are also available at blogs.wellsfargo.com and at wellsfargo.com/stories.

Contact:
Tia T. Gordon
TTG+PARTNERS
202-906-0149 or 202-756-4851
tgordon@ttgpartners.com

Katie Tran-Lam
Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund
202-747-7236
ktranlam@apiasf.org