State Farm Insurance Companies
Aymee Ruiz
Aymee.ruiz.p5d4@statefarm.com
(786) 897-7208b

NCLR
Marie Watteau
mwatteau@nclr.org
(202) 785-1670

Oct 2, 2008

NCLR’s Campaign for Stronger American Communities receives $3 million grant

BLOOMINGTON, IL. OCT. 2, 2008—State Farm Insurance ® is empowering Latino students, teachers and administrators today to help solve the dropout rate. Through a $3 million education grant to the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), State Farm will help NCLR in their goals to promote excellence in students, increase Latino graduation rates, and close the achievement gap nationwide. Approximately 2.9 million Latinos are enrolled in U.S. high schools—representing 17% of all secondary public school students—and are less likely than their non-Hispanic peers to complete high school.

The grant, paid over a three-year period, marks the first major contribution to NCLR’s Campaign for Stronger American Communities intended to strengthen the organization’s Affiliates, improve its programmatic outreach, and enhance its effectiveness and impact by strategically focusing financial, human and technical resources in the field on issues of strategic importance to Latino communities across the U.S., such as education. To support this work, NCLR is raising $15 million over the next three years.

“State Farm is a long-time partner of NCLR and has worked with us to strengthen Latino communities by supporting our education programs,” said Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO. “This latest commitment takes that work to a new level and supports our outreach efforts through our nearly 300 Affiliates. We’re excited by the prospective impact these grants will have on decreasing school dropout rates and building future leaders.” NCLR’s Affiliates reach throughout 41 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.

“It’s vital that young members of this growing part of the American community attain the knowledge and skills that will allow them to be full and equal participants in the economy,” said Ed Rust Jr., State Farm Chairman & CEO. “NCLR and State Farm share a vision that begins with making sure our children stay in school and ends with all children achieving their greatest potential.”

The announcement of the grant was made today at a partnership luncheon hosted by the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) for State Farm to recognize the long-standing support and contributions made to NCLR, the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S. At the event, held at NCLR Headquarters in Washington, Ms. Murguía recognized Mr. Rust for his corporation’s support of NCLR’s initiatives.

State Farm’s commitment to NCLR spans over a decade, including NCLR’s community efforts, Annual Conference, Capital Awards, the Raul Yzaguirre Building Capital Campaign, and the NCLR ALMA Awards. Barbara Cowden, executive vice president at State Farm, sits on NCLR’s Corporate Board of Advisors and is the Chair of NCLR’s Education Task Force. As an early contributor to NCLR’s “Empowering an American Community” campaign when it was launched in 2002, State Farm’s commitment was a cornerstone in NCLR’s efforts to strengthen its long-term institutional abilities. “Latinos have a growing role in our nation’s future prosperity and well-being. At NCLR, we appreciate having such a dedicated and supportive partner as State Farm in our work to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans,” said Ms. Murguía.

The grant to NCLR is one of State Farm’s major commitments under its “State Farm Es Para Mí™” campaign, which focuses on citizenship, civic engagement and education in the Latino community. Other education elements include a directory of scholarships, internships and fellowships for Latino students and grant applications to non-profit organizations and public schools for 200 grants of $1,000 each (due November 4, 2008). For more information, please call 1-877-564-3119 to find a participating State Farm agent.

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About State Farm
State Farm® insures more cars and homes than any other insurer in the U.S., is the leading insurer of watercraft and is also a leading insurer in Canada. State Farm's 17,000 agents and 67,000 employees serve over 77 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and more than 1.9 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 32 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com® or in Canada statefarm.ca®.

About State Farm Es Para Mí™
The State Farm campaign “State Farm Es Para Mí™” (State Farm Is For Me) is in collaboration with many community partners including the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), NCLR, and Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI). State Farm Es Para Mí focuses on three pillars important to the Hispanic community: U.S. citizenship, voter registration, and education. Bilingual information on U.S. citizenship, voter registration, and educational resources are available at participating State Farm Agents’ offices. Contact 1-877-564-3119 to locate a State Farm Agent!

About NCLR
The National Council of La Raza (NCLR)—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. Through its network of nearly 300 affiliated community-based organizations (CBOs), NCLR reaches millions of Hispanics each year in 41 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. To achieve its mission, NCLR conducts applied research, policy analysis, and advocacy, providing a Latino perspective in five key areas—assets/investments, civil rights/immigration, education, employment and economic status, and health. In addition, it provides capacity-building assistance to its Affiliates who work at the state and local level to advance opportunities for individuals and families.
For more on NCLR, www.nclr.org.