Wells Fargo
OVERVIEW: This funder supports local, regional, and national community organizations across the country and invests in education, housing, community development, the environment, and arts and culture.
IP TAKE: Wells Fargo has recently changed its grantmaking approach and has become a less accessible funder as a result. It no longer accepts unsolicited requests for funding and now makes grants by invitation only, although it does welcome inquiries from local community organizations. Whereas Wells Fargo previously left many of its funding decisions up to its individual branches, this no longer seems to be the case. What this means for grantseekers is that they no longer have access to local decision makers and, consequently, will face more of an uphill battle to secure funding. This is also a bureaucratic funder that’s become less responsive.
PROFILE: Based in San Francisco, California, Wells Fargo is a banking and financial services corporation with headquarters across the U.S. and around the world. Through its corporate giving program, the company aims to strengthen communities in which it operates and grow healthy and resilient economies, and to help “build a more inclusive, sustainable future for all.” It seeks to support communities both on the national and local level through “donations to nonprofits and schools, team member philanthropy and volunteerism, community development loans and investments, environmental initiatives, and other corporate citizenship initiatives.” Much of its giving is channeled through areas where it has a corporate presence, as indicated by this helpful map. Fortunately for most grantseekers, Wells Fargo has a corporate presence in nearly every state in the United States.
Wells Fargo has both national and local community grant programs. WF’s National program funds financial health, housing affordability, small business growth, and sustainability and environmental justice. National grants prioritize funds for “activities and programs that have a broad reach and impact several geographical areas, communities, and/or groups.”
Local Community grants are more flexible, fund more broadly, and prioritize smaller, more localized organizations. Focus areas are the same as the national grants program; however, the community program “may consider grants to support other critical local needs and initiatives.” For both grantmaking programs, Wells Fargo prioritizes “nonprofit programming supporting low- to moderate-income communities, addressing racial and social equity, and accelerating an inclusive economy.”
Grants for Housing and Homelessness, Community Development
Through its Economic Empowerment initiative, Wells Fargo seeks to strengthen “economic opportunities in underserved communities by empowering individuals and small businesses.” It also works to stabilize the economies of local communities and low- to moderate-income neighborhoods “through affordable housing, philanthropy, community development investments, and other critical community services.”
Wells Fargo’s National grants program lists housing affordability as a funding priority and prioritizes support for underserved communities and underrepresented groups. To get a better idea of the types of organizations Wells Fargo makes grants to, where they are located, and the grants’ impact, grantseekers look over this helpful interactive map.
Grants for Climate Change and Environmental Conservation
The foundation conducts its climate change grantmaking through its National grants program, which supports “support sustainability initiatives that enable a just, low-carbon future, focusing our efforts on accelerating clean technology innovation, strengthening local climate resiliency strategies, and advancing environmental justice.” To get a better idea of the types of organizations Wells Fargo makes grants to, where they are located, and the grants’ impact, grantseekers look over this helpful interactive map.
Wells Fargo also operates the Innovation Incubator (IN2) program, which funds a mix of renewable energy, energy efficiency, green buildings, alternative transportation, water, and sustainable agriculture. IN2 ultimately seeks to create scalable solutions for a low carbon economy, and one-time grants range between $50,000 and $250,000. In addition, Wells Fargo also finances green businesses.
Past IN2 grantees include accelerator/incubators such as the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator, Rice University, and UC Berkeley’s Cleantech to Market Commercialization Program. The foundation has also funded Santa Clara University and Boston University, which received a grant to conduct energy efficiency training for urban housing.
Grants for Women and Girls
The foundation conducts grantmaking through a gender-lens rather than dedicating a specific program to it. According to its tax filings, past grantees include local chapters of the Girl Scouts of America and the Girl Talk Foundation. To get a better idea of the types of organizations Wells Fargo makes grants to, where they are located, and the grants’ impact, grantseekers look over this helpful interactive map.
Grants for Civic Engagement and Democracy
While the foundation does not maintain a dedicated program in civic engagement grantmaking, it sometimes supports such organizations. Its grantmaking patterns in this space, however, are broad and do not appear to reflect specific interests. Past grantees include Points of Light Foundation in Atlanta, the United Way, GLSEN Inc, which works to address anti-LGBTQ+ bias and violence in schools, and American Immigration Council in Washington D.C. Wells Fargo also gave $50 million to the NAACP in 2023 to advance racial equity. To get a more complete idea of the types of organizations Wells Fargo makes grants to, where they are located, and the grants’ impact, grantseekers look over this helpful interactive map.
Grants for K-12 Education and College Readiness
Wells Fargo supports K-12 education through its Economic Empowerment program, which works to “strengthen financial education and economic opportunities in underserved communities.” Toward this end, Wells Fargo has partnered with the American Bankers Association in implementing the national Teach Children to Save program, “a free national program […] that organizes banker volunteers throughout the year to help young people develop a savings habit early in life.”
While much of its education grantmaking is directed toward scholarships and financial literacy, it has supported organizations working to increase college readiness and ease of access, as well as mentoring and internship programs. Previous grantees in the area of college readiness include Operation Hope and DYI Girls. To get a more complete idea of the types of organizations Wells Fargo makes grants to, where they are located, and the grants’ impact, grantseekers look over this helpful interactive map.
Grants for Arts and Culture, Theater, Dance, Visual Arts, Music
Wells Fargo does not have a specific grants program dedicated to supporting the arts; however, recent tax records reveal a long tradition of supporting local arts and culture groups. These grants are almost entirely made through the Local Community grants program, which “may consider grants to support other critical local needs and initiatives” beyond the scope of its four primary funding areas.
Community is important here. Unlike many other corporate-based funders, Wells Fargo is far more likely to support a city or town’s community arts program than one that is in the national spotlight. Regional groups split the difference—those that are known around the country but also create for and serve a more localized population; this seems to be the foundation’s arts sweet spot.
Past grantees include the Palm Springs Art Museum, the Lee Street Theater, and the Greenville Arts Festival, the Festival of New American Musicals, The Arts Council of Winston Salem and Forsyth County, the Minnesota Orchestra, The All-American Boys Chorus, the Aiken Music Festival, and the Snohomish County Arts Commission. To get a better idea of the types of organizations Wells Fargo makes grants to, where they are located, and the grants’ impact, grantseekers look over this helpful interactive map.
Other Grant Opportunities
Wells Fargo also has an active Employee Volunteerism and Giving program that helps employees engage with the communities where they live and work through volunteer initiatives and by facilitating employee philanthropy. Employees qualify for grants, then direct the funds to eligible charities of their choice.
Important Grant Details:
Wells Fargo’s grants range from the hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars. Its interactive map is incredibly useful, and it publishes annual reports to make them available for potential grantees.
Wells Fargo outlines its eligibility and grant requirements here and its FAQs here. Grants are by invitation only, and it no longer accepts unsolicited proposals, but organizations “may email inquiries to the appropriate local or national contact to express interest in submitting a proposal.”
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