General Mills Foundation Donates $60,000 to American Indian College Fund

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Jun 02, 2010, 02:00 ET

DENVER, June 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Indian College Fund (the Fund) has received a generous donation from the General Mills Foundation to continue their support of higher education for Native students. The $60,000 grant will continue the General Mills Foundation Tribal College Scholarship Program and will provide scholarships to students attending tribal colleges in Minnesota and New Mexico.

In addition to scholarships, a portion of the grant will be used to administer the Fund's Helping Hands program. This program provides encouragement through one-on-one communication with the Fund staff aimed at increasing overall student success and retention rates. This aspect of programming includes making contact with students via telephone, e-mail, or U.S. mail on average at least once a month. Through the efforts of the Helping Hands program, the General Mills Tribal College Scholarship Program experienced an overall retention rate of up to 90 percent in recent years.

"The General Mills Foundation has partnered with us for almost two decades to support the educational pursuits of Native students," said Richard B. Williams, President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund. "We are proud to continue this productive and beneficial partnership in order to assist many more American Indian scholars pursue their educational and career goals."

About the General Mills Foundation

The mission of the General Mills Foundation, celebrating more than 50 years of giving, is to nourish communities. In fiscal 2009, General Mills awarded $91 million to communities across the country, representing more than 5 percent of company pretax profits that year. Of the total, the Foundation contributed $21 million in grants in the targeted areas of hunger and nutrition wellness, education, social services, and arts and culture. In addition, 82 percent of employees volunteer in the communities where they live and work.

About the American Indian College Fund

With its credo "Educating the Mind and Spirit," the American Indian College Fund is the nation's largest provider of private 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 33 accredited tribal colleges and universities. For more information about the American Indian College Fund, please visit www.collegefund.org

SOURCE American Indian College Fund