Wells Fargo & Company (No. 12 on the Fair360, formerly DiversityInc Top 50 Companies list) has donated more than $70 million over four years in support of military servicemembers, veterans and their families through housing initiatives, career transition programs, financial education, foundation donations, and event sponsorships. 2016 highlights include grants to improve homeless veteran housing, strategic support for veteran-founded startup companies, hiring veterans for internships within Wells Fargo Securities, and support for nonprofit programs that improve the lives of veterans with disabilities.
“I’m proud of Wells Fargo’s continued investment in so many great military and veterans’ initiatives across the company,” said Jerry Quinn, Wells Fargo Military & Veteran Programs manager. “These men and women served our country. It’s important for us to give back where it’s needed most, such as housing, hiring and financial education.”
Since establishing the Military Affairs Program in 2012, Wells Fargo has:
– Donated more than 300 homes, valued at over $50 million, to veterans in all 50 states.
– Hired more than 6,300 veterans, and participated in more than 850 military job fairs.
– Launched Hands on Banking for Military, an online financial education program that has been viewed by more than 300,000 since July 2013.
– Donated more than $20 million to military- and veteran-related nonprofits.
Wells Fargo has been helping military members and veterans succeed financially for more than 164 years. 2016 highlights include:
Housing
Wells Fargo recently launched its VeteranWIN grant program aimed at capital improvement and renovation work to support homeless veteran housing and low-to-moderate income veteran residential rehabilitation. Grants totaling $100,000 will be awarded on November 15.
Wells Fargo donated $55,000 to American Family Housing to help develop Potters Lane, a housing community for chronically homeless veterans built with recycled shipping containers that serves as a model for the nation.
Career Transition
Wells Fargo will collaborate with two veteran-founded startup companies in our innovation lab. The two cybersecurity companies, ID.me and Efflux Systems, were recently selected from a Veterans Startup Pitch event on Oct. 18 in San Francisco, which Wells Fargo sponsored in conjunction with Bunker Labs and VetsinTech. The companies will receive resources, such as support, talent, meeting space, and mentoring from Bunker Labs and VetsinTech.
Wells Fargo launched its Veteran Employment Transition (VET) Program focused on sourcing and hiring competitive transitioning veterans for internships within Wells Fargo Securities, the company’s investment banking and capital markets division. Ten interns were selected to participate in the program and nine were hired for employment. The program’s first year success led to an expansion to other banking divisions and a class of more than 50 interns in 2017. Please visit http://myfuture.wf.com/veteran) for more information.
For the third consecutive year, Wells Fargo sponsored Warriors to Summits. Offered by No Barriers Warriors, Warriors to Summits is a nonprofit program that improves the lives of veterans with disabilities through curriculum-based learning in challenging environments. Warriors to Summits experiences serve as an opportunity for growth and a catalyst for change, as warriors stretch boundaries, build teams, innovate through adversity and step up to lead and serve others. Learn more about the 2016 expeditions and the veterans who participated at http://www.warriorstosummits.org/meetthewarriors/.
Financial Education
Wells Fargo renewed its commitment to the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) with a $1 million donation, totaling $3.5 million over the past three years, to help support the nonprofit’s Sharpen Your Financial Focus (Sharpen) initiative. Through the Sharpen initiative, which features the Hands on Banking for Military program, consumers are able to address financial challenges and opportunities, and set a path toward financial goals through targeted education and counseling. To date, more than 15,000 military servicemembers have strengthened their financial capability through the initiative.
Learn more about Wells Fargo’s commitment to military servicemembers, veterans and their families at www.wellsfargo.com/military.
