LOS ANGELES, CA, September 19, 2017 – The Hispanic Scholarship Fund announced today a $1.5 million contribution from The Walt Disney Company. The donation, which is a continuation of the scholarship program the company established in 2014, will support students from diverse backgrounds pursuing their educational goals and dreams.

“We are grateful for the generous support of The Walt Disney Company and look forward to strengthening our partnership,” said Fidel A. Vargas, President and CEO of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF). “While the financial commitment is extraordinary, we appreciate just as much the commitment of Disney employees who volunteer and support our students and families across the country.”

The Walt Disney Company-HSF Scholarship Program was established in 2014 with a $1 million grant and the 2017 donation extends the scholarship. Since 2014, the Disney grant has provided scholarships to more than 200 high-achieving college students. The receiving students attend schools across the U.S., including Columbia University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, UC Berkeley, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Southern California The University of Texas at Austin and Vanderbilt University.

“Disney is proud to continue our support of Hispanic college students as they pursue their educational and professional dreams,” said Latondra Newton, Senior Vice President, Diversity and Inclusion, at The Walt Disney Company. “Through this scholarship and the new HSF Media and Entertainment Summit, we hope to make it possible for more students to reach their goals and become leaders in their fields, including in the media and entertainment industries.”

HSF Scholars in the Bay Area recently had an opportunity to tour Pixar Animation Studios and meet the filmmakers of the studio’s upcoming film, Coco. Director Lee Unkrich, Co-Director Adrian Molina and Producer Darla K. Anderson welcomed them to the studio and shared an early look at film footage with them. The visit is one example of how Disney engages with students in addition to supporting the scholarship fund.

Disney’s collaboration with HSF includes support for students as well as programs, including the Media & Entertainment Summit, which will be held in November 2017. The summit brings together HSF scholars interested in the media and entertainment business and industry professionals.

About the Hispanic Scholarship Fund: 
Founded in 1975, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund empowers Latino families with the knowledge and resources to successfully complete a higher education, while providing scholarships and support services to as many exceptional Hispanic American students as possible. HSF strives to make college education a top priority for every Latino family across the nation, mobilizing our community to proactively advance that goal – each individual, over a lifetime, in every way he/she can. HSF also seeks to give its Scholars all the tools they need to do well in their course work, graduate, enter a profession, excel, help lead our nation going forward, and mentor the generations to come. As the nation’s largest not-for-profit organization supporting Hispanic American higher education, HSF has awarded over $550 million in scholarships and provides a range of programs for students, HSF Scholars, Alumni, and parents.

About The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international entertainment and media enterprise with four business segments: media networks, parks and resorts, studio entertainment, and consumer products and interactive media. Disney is a Dow 30 company and had annual revenue of $55.6 billion in its Fiscal Year 2016.

About Disney•Pixar’s Coco
Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector (voice of Gael García Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel's family history.

Directed by Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3), co-directed by Adrian Molina (story artist Monsters University) and produced by Darla K. Anderson (Toy Story 3), Disney•Pixar’s Coco opens in U.S. theaters on Nov. 22, 2017.