WACHOVIA WELLS FARGO FOUNDATION

Contact information:

301 South College Street
Suite 2525
Charlotte, NC 28288-0143
Phone: 704-374-6128
Fax: 704-374-2484
Email: communityaffairs@wachovia.com

Website: https://www.wachovia.com/wachoviafoundation

Type of foundation: Company-sponsored

Types of grants: Employee matching gifts, program, in-kind gifts.

Description: Incorporated in 1982, The Wachovia Wells Fargo Foundation builds strong and vibrant communities, improves the quality of life and makes a positive difference. The Foundation prefers to support organizations that serve low- to moderate-income individuals or communities; that work to build inclusive and diverse communities; and that work collaboratively to leverage the Foundation's community investments. The Foundation makes grants in the areas of:

• Arts and Culture: The Foundation supports programs designed to facilitate access to and participation in cultural experiences for persons with low- to moderate-income and ensure the availability of a broad array of artistic opportunities/venues that reflect the diversity of the community.

• Civic: Focus is placed on organizations that enhance a community's quality of life through public policy, community beautification, civic leadership, citizen education and cultural diversity.

• Community Development: The Foundation supports programs that create and sustain affordable housing; revitalize low- to moderate-income neighborhoods; facilitate job creation, work force development, and financial literacy/empowerment; and provide economic development for minority and underserved groups and/or low- to moderate-income areas.

• Education: The Foundation supports programs designed to eliminate the pre-K-12 "achievement gap" through public school-sponsored or facilitated curriculum-based programs; advance teaching through recruitment, professional development, support, and retention of teachers; and facilitate merit-based access to higher education for underrepresented groups.

• Environment: Grants support preservation and conservation of natural resources, endangered species and the global environment.

• Health and Human Services: The Foundation supports programs designed to enable and sustain independence for individuals and families; ensure access to health education programs and ensure access to quality health care.

• Employee Matching Gifts: The Foundation matches contributions made by employees of Wachovia to nonprofit organizations on a one-for-one basis from $25 to $1,000 per employee, per organization, per year up to $4,000 per employee, per year.

• Employee Volunteer Service Grants: The Foundation awards $100 for every 24 hours served to nonprofit organizations with which employees of Wachovia volunteer.

• Wachovia Teachers and Teaching Initiative: The Foundation supports programs designed to increase student achievement in grades pre-K through 12 by addressing the needs of underserved, under-resourced school districts and communities; offer program interventions for educator learning that align with student curriculum standards and support/emphasize student achievement; leverage community resources by partnering with other providers to avoid duplication of services and assess the lasting impact of their efforts through data collection and evaluation. Grants range from $100,000 to $250,000.

Sample grants:

• $155,000 to Commonwealth Public Broadcasting Corporation, Richmond, VA for continued general support for media, radio and television (2007).
• $55,000 to North Carolina Public Television Foundation, Research Triangle Park, NC for continued general support for media and television (2007).
• $50,000 to WHYY, Philadelphia, PA for continued general support for media, radio and television (2006).
• $50,000 to Alabama Public Television, Birmingham, AL for continued general support for media and television (2006).
• $34,900 to Foundation for New Jersey Public Broadcasting, Trenton, NJ for continued general support for media, radio and television (2004).

Fit for public broadcasting: The Foundation has made multiple gifts for public media in multiple states, supporting local broadcast outlets in their communities. Public media appears to be a good fit for the Foundation's interest in arts, education and community development. The Foundation has made 57 grants for radio/television projects over the past four years, totaling more than $1.2 million.

Eligibility: Organizations based in Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Nevada and Texas are not eligible to apply. However, they may be eligible for a grant from the Wells Fargo Corporate Giving Program.

The Foundation will not support:

• Individuals.
• International organizations.
• Travel or conferences for employees of nonprofit organizations.
• Books, research papers or articles in professional journals.
• Veteran, fraternal and alumni organizations.
• General operating expenses for organizations that already receive substantial support through United Way or united arts drives in which Wachovia/Wells Fargo participates.
• Sponsorships, events, or projects for which Wachovia/Wells Fargo and/or its employees receive tangible benefits or privileges.
• Individual pre-college schools - private, parochial, charter or home schools.
• Individual schools in public school systems (other than through efforts to benefit system-wide programs and initiatives).

Deadline: None

How to apply: Interested applicants must complete the online eligibility quiz. If eligible, applicants will automatically be forwarded to the online application. The Board meets semi-annually. Contact information for Regional Community Affairs Managers is available online.

Giving range: The average gift for media projects is approximately $20,605. The Foundation has made gifts as high as $4 million. 

Assets: $174,919,961 (2008)

Total giving: $93,233,111 (2008)