Wells Fargo Commits $1 Million to Scholarship America for People with Disabilities

Company celebrates National Disability Employment Awareness Month

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–In honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Wells
Fargo & Company
(NYSE:WFC) has committed $1 million over the
next four years to Scholarship
America
to develop and implement a special scholarship program to
help people with disabilities obtain the education or training necessary
to succeed in the career path of their choice.

“Wells Fargo’s generous $1 million commitment for scholarships will help
people with disabilities obtain the education they need to compete for
jobs on a more even playing field,” said Robert Ballard, president and
CEO, Scholarship America.

Scholarship America, the nation’s largest provider of postsecondary
educational assistance programs, and Wells Fargo worked together on the
application and selection process for the scholarships using the best
practices from the highest quality postsecondary educational aid
programs.

“Wells Fargo is committed to financially empowering and employing people
with disabilities,” said Kathy Martinez, head of disability and
accessibility strategy at Wells Fargo. “Working with Scholarship America
is just one of the many ways we help make career aspirations a reality
for people with disabilities.”

Application Process

Applications for the scholarship program are being accepted online at https://scholarsapply.org/pwdscholarship
through January 17, 2017 or until 700 applications are submitted,
whichever comes first. 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
    impacts 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 who are
    already enrolled in full-time or half-time (at least 6 credits per
    term) undergraduate study at an accredited two-year or four-year
    college or university in the United States for the entire 2017-2018
    academic year

Applicants will be 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 will be provided to applicants who may need
additional assistance. Each applicant will also be required to submit an
essay on the question: What life experiences have shaped who you are
today?

Selection Criteria

The selection criteria will include the consideration of academic
performance, demonstrated leadership, work experience, a brief statement
of career and educational goals, and an outside appraisal. Financial
need will also be considered.

Awards

Awards for full-time students are up to $2,500 per year and are
renewable up to three years. Awards for part-time students are up to
$1,250 and are renewable up to seven years or until a bachelor’s degree
is earned, whichever occurs first.

For more information about the scholarships, please visit https://scholarsapply.org/pwdscholarship.

Wells Fargo’s Overall Commitment to People with Disabilities and
National Disability Employment Awareness Month

Wells Fargo is committed to financially empowering and employing people
with disabilities. Since 2013, Wells Fargo has donated more than $25
million to U.S. nonprofits supporting people with disabilities,
including $450,000 in 2016 to four key nonprofit programs that help
empower people with disabilities to succeed financially. They are, the
National Disability Institute, National Federation of the Blind,
Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, and Association of People
Supporting EmploymentFirst.

In honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Wells Fargo
developed a variety of activities online and throughout the country.
Activities included:

Introduction to Inclusive Talent Acquisition – Online Course
Wells
Fargo together with the Perkins School for the Blind and the Harvard
Extension School co-developed a free online course that gives hiring
managers and recruiters the tools they need to attract, interview and
onboard qualified candidates with disabilities. Participants learn
practical steps to create an inclusive workplace for all. The course is
now available and can be found at Perkins.org/edX.

Accessibility Hackathon
Wells Fargo planned its third
hackathon set for early November where internal teams will work for two
days to develop technology that will improve the accessibility of a
product, service, or platform used by team members at Wells Fargo.

The Signature Event
In Iowa, Wells Fargo’s
DiverseAbilities Team Member Network hosted its annual Signature Event
on Oct. 11-13. The event was designed to educate team members about
various disabilities through 10 interactive tables at three different
locations. Team members learned how to navigate a wheelchair,
communicate with a speech impairment, walked with a blindfold and a
sight cane, and communicated with a hearing impairment.

To learn more about Wells Fargo’s commitment to accessibility, please
visit www.wellsfargo.com/about/diversity/accessibility/.

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based
financial services company with $1.9 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 8,600 locations, 13,000 ATMs, the internet
(wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 42 countries and
territories 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 Stories.

About Scholarship America

For nearly 60 years, Scholarship America has worked directly with
students, parents, colleges, businesses and communities to empower
people to achieve their educational goals. As the nation’s largest
private education support organization, having distributed over $3.5
billion to more than 2.2 million students, Scholarship America is now
working to further engage the private sector to support programs and
policies that advance equity in postsecondary education and help
students overcome barriers to access, persistence and attainment. More
information is available at scholarshipamerica.org.

Contacts

Wells Fargo & Company
Lisa Westermann, 415-845-7759
Lisa.B.Westermann@wellsfargo.com
Twitter
@LWestermannWF

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