Ford Motor Company Fund Awards $50,000 to American Indian College Fund

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Dec 05, 2011, 12:43 ET

DENVER, Dec. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Ford Motor Company Fund has granted $50,000 to The American Indian College Fund for the Ford Motor Company Blue Oval Scholars Program for the 2011-12 academic year for Native American students attending tribal colleges and mainstream universities.

The scholarship is available to Native students at a tribal college pursuing a degree in math, science, engineering, business, teacher training, or environmental science. Native mainstream university students are eligible if they are studying accounting, computer science, engineering, finance, marketing, or operations management. All applicants must have a 3.0 grade point average.

"At Ford, we understand that the strength of our country relies on the quality of its future leaders and the education they receive," said Mike Schmidt of the Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services. "We are honored to be working with the American Indian College Fund to provide Ford Blue Oval Scholarships that support Native American students in their pursuit of higher education."

"We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Ford Motor Company Fund for the betterment of Native people and Indian Country," said Richard B. Williams, President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund. "Ford Motor Company Fund's philanthropic support of higher education in Indian Country is helping to change the lives of not just our students, but their families and communities by providing the hope of a college education. American Indian people are some of the poorest in the nation, and without the support of partners like Ford Motor Company Fund, they might not otherwise be able to afford to pursue their education goals."

About Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services
Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services are committed to creating opportunities that promote corporate citizenship, philanthropy, volunteerism and cultural diversity for those who live in the communities where Ford operates. Established in 1949 and made possible by funding from Ford Motor Company, the Ford Motor Company Fund supports initiatives and institutions that foster innovative education, auto-related safety, and American heritage and legacy. National programs include Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies, which provides high school students with academically rigorous 21st century learning experiences, and Ford Driving Skills for Life - a teen-focused auto safety initiative. The Ford Volunteer Corps, established in 2005, continues Ford's legacy of caring worldwide. Through the Volunteer Corps, Ford employees and retirees participate in a wide range of volunteer projects in their communities. For more information on programs made possible by the Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services, visit www.community.ford.com.

About the American Indian College Fund
With its credo "Educating the Mind and Spirit," the American Indian College Fund is the nation's largest private provider of scholarships for American Indian students, providing an average of 6,000 scholarships annually for students seeking to better their lives and communities through education and support to the nation's 34 accredited tribal colleges and universities. For more information about the American Indian College Fund, please visit www.collegefund.org

SOURCE American Indian College Fund