The Walt Disney Company Foundation

The Walt Disney Company Foundation has for more than 50 years provided cash grants to children's charities, charitable organizations and educational institutions,  particularly small, locally based groups providing services to diverse, under-served populations. The Walt Disney Company Foundation also promotes conservation and other Disney programs.

The foundation focuses its philanthropic efforts in areas where The Walt Disney Company has a major business presence, including Los Angeles and Orange Counties in California and Orange and Osceola Counties in Florida. Foundation grants support a variety of services, with the greatest concentration in children's charities, education, music and the arts, conservation, public health and general community services.

The Walt Disney Company Foundation also administers a matching gifts program designed to encourage Disney employees to support higher education. Contributions to eligible institutions are matched by the foundation, increasing the incentive for employees to make such gifts.

A scholarship program for children of Disney employees has been in effect since the Foundation began operation in 1951. This program offers a number of full and partial scholarships for students attending colleges and universities and working toward an undergraduate degree. The program also offers several $1,000 cash scholarship awards. The program is open to all children of full-time employees of The Walt Disney Company and its subsidiary companies based in the United States.

Conservation: Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund

We recognize that the challenges facing wildlife today are numerous, including habitat destruction, conflicts between people and animals and lack of space for both. As global citizens, we wanted to create a Disney program to help experts create solutions to these issues by providing some of the resources they so desperately need. Whether they swim, fly, crawl, slither or hop, these endangered animals are the focus of the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund.

Established in 1995 as a global awards program for the study and protection of the world�s wildlife and ecosystems, the fund provides annual awards to US non-profit conservation organizations working alongside their peers in other countries. Many of the recipient organizations concentrate their activities on �biological hotspots� - areas rich in plant and animal life at risk of imminent destruction. Since its inception, the Fund has supported more than 200 projects in 20 countries. Each project is evaluated on specific criteria, including scientific methodologies, magnitude of need, involvement of partner organizations, ability to impact an area in the near-term, and elements of public education and community involvement.

The Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund includes contributions made by guests visiting the Walt Disney World Resort. Guests at Disney�s Animal Kingdom, Disney�s Animal Kingdom Lodge and The Living Seas at Epcot have an opportunity to �Add A Dollar� to their merchandise purchases. One hundred percent of guest contributions are in turn distributed to non-profit conservation and wildlife organizations. Disney pays all administrative costs and overhead. After seeing the animals in our parks, many of our guests are inspired to become more involved in the effort to save our last wild places. Their contributions help provide a connection to conservation and an immediate way to impact the wildlife they admire. Together, we are making a difference. For more information on the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund contact:

Conservation Initiatives

P.O. Box 10000

Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830