Wells Fargo Celebrates Year of the Ram with $50K in College Scholarships

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is ringing in the Lunar New Year with a $50,000 grant to the Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF) to support scholarships for Asian-American students who aspire to achieve their higher education goals. The company will participate in celebrations at New Year festivals throughout the country, including downtown San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Seattle and New York’s Chinatown.

To celebrate the Lunar New Year, customers can now order customized debit cards featuring Year of the Ram designs on Wells Fargo's Card Design Studio(R) service available online. (Photo: Business Wire)

To commemorate the New Year, Wells Fargo is offering a limited edition Ram Coin Bank when customers open a new eligible consumer checking account at participating store locations from February 2 to March 6, 2015.* New and current customers can personalize their debit cards with specially designed Lunar New Year art for the Year of the Ram. For more details, visit [wellsfargo.com/yearofram].

The Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholarship fund is the nation’s largest nonprofit provider of college scholarships for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students. “Wells Fargo has been a huge supporter of APIASF and has invested more than $5 million over the last eight years to support AAPI students. We are honored to have Wells Fargo’s support to help increase opportunities for underserved students and build the skills needed to succeed after graduation,” said Neil Horikoshi, president and executive director of APIASF.

The donation is in addition to a multi-year $3.15 million commitment from Wells Fargo to APIASF in 2014. As a founding sponsor of APIASF, the company has invested in APIASF’s development programs, college tours and scholarship programs for college-bound students from underrepresented Asian and Pacific Islander communities. Since 2006, Wells Fargo has contributed more than $5.4 million to APIASF, and the collaboration has helped more than 800 scholars throughout the country and in U.S. territories in the Pacific.

“Wells Fargo is excited to celebrate the Lunar New Year with the Asian-American community,” said Arati Randolph, Wells Fargo senior vice president, corporate communications and APIASF board member. “We believe education and our collaboration with APIASF are among the many ways in which Wells Fargo invests in the growth of our communities. Wells Fargo is committed to working together alongside our communities because we value and understand that higher education is a pathway to a brighter future for many Asian-American families.”

Wells Fargo is committed to the Asian-American community and works closely with nonprofit organizations to provide quality assistance to those working to achieve their educational goals. In 2013, Wells Fargo invested a record $275.5 million in 18,500 nonprofits, educational programs and schools, including $10.5 million to organizations specifically serving the Asian community, including APIASF.

“The APIASF/Wells Fargo Scholarship has eased the financial burden of funding my education. This scholarship brings me one step closer to realizing my dreams, and for this opportunity, I am eternally grateful,” said Jason Truong, 2014 APIASF/Wells Fargo Scholar. “It is truly life-changing to have received such an honor, and I hope to pay it forward in some way in the future.”

*To qualify for the Ram Coin Bank, a new Wells Fargo consumer checking account customer must open and fund a new eligible Wells Fargo consumer checking account with a $50 minimum opening deposit. All Wells Fargo consumer checking accounts are eligible for the Ram Coin Bank except Teen Checking℠ account. See banker for details. Offer valid from 2/2/2015 through 3/6/2015 only or while supplies last. Offer only available at participating Wells Fargo store locations. Offer may not be combined with any other offer. Wells Fargo team members are not eligible. Limit one Ram Coin Bank per customer. Customer will receive the Ram Coin Bank at the time of opening and funding the new Wells Fargo consumer checking account.

About Wells Fargo

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 has offices in 36 countries to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 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. 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 Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund

Based in Washington, D.C., the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF) is the nation's largest nonprofit 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 Institution scholarship program, and the Gates Millennium Scholars/Asian Pacific Islander Americans funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20150202005182/en/