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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.
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
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