Conagra Brands Forms Multi-Year Partnerships with Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Hispanic Scholarship Fund
Company donates $125,000 for scholarships and provides professional development opportunities to help scholarship recipients prepare for their future careers
CHICAGO, May 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Conagra Brands (NYSE: CAG) announced today new partnerships with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), the nation's largest organization exclusively representing the Black college community, and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF), one of the nation's leading nonprofit organizations supporting higher education, to support Black and Brown students. The partnerships will help ensure students receive equitable access to quality higher education opportunities and reinforce Conagra's commitment to supporting the communities where its employees live and work.
Conagra will make donations to each organization to fund several college scholarships. Additional resources will be provided to each institution to support scholarship recipients as they navigate internships and other services that prepare them for their future careers. Conagra employees will also actively engage with scholarship recipients to provide unique professional development opportunities that strengthen career prospects for students' post-college, including resume building assistance, job interview preparation, and additional workplace readiness experiences.
"Conagra is committed to advocating for Black and Brown students in their educational pursuits. A significant barrier to higher education remains its cost. Our partnerships with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Hispanic Scholarship Fund will help overcome that barrier to ensure equity and education go hand-in-hand," said Henry Jones, Senior Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Conagra Brands. "By providing diverse students with not only the financial resources, but also with skills and experiences to succeed in their chosen career, we will play a role cultivating our next generation of leaders."
Key components of Conagra's comprehensive diversity and inclusion strategy include building a strong entry-level pipeline; providing development opportunities for underrepresented groups internal and external; and committing to develop and advance talent in order to increase the amount of racial, ethnic and gender diversity and representation within the company. This scholarship initiative will help ensure Black and Brown talent are supported in their pursuit for academic excellence and as they enter today's workforce.
"We are delighted to have the support of Conagra Brands," said Betsy Burton-Strunk, Vice President of Development at the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. "Our commitment to increasing the pipeline and pathways for young Black talent is directly aligned with their dedication to making a difference in the Black community through higher education. We are grateful for their direct support of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund."
"We at HSF are pleased to have Conagra Brands as a partner, who shares our belief that scholarships and support services can make the crucial difference for talented youth to complete a bachelor's degree and ultimately launch careers in fields that matters to our society and our world," said Fidel A. Vargas, President & CEO at the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. "Conagra's contribution will help our scholars achieve their full potential."
To learn more about Conagra's commitments to diversity and inclusion, see the company's 2020 Citizenship Report. For more information on eligibility requirements and how to apply for scholarships, please visit tmcf.org and hsf.net.
About Conagra Brands
Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE: CAG), headquartered in Chicago, is one of North America's leading branded food companies. Guided by an entrepreneurial spirit, Conagra Brands combines a rich heritage of making great food with a sharpened focus on innovation. The company's portfolio is evolving to satisfy people's changing food preferences. Conagra's iconic brands, such as Birds Eye®, Duncan Hines®, Healthy Choice®, Marie Callender's®, Reddi-wip®, and Slim Jim®, as well as emerging brands, including Angie's® BOOMCHICKAPOP®, Duke's®, Earth Balance®, Gardein®, and Frontera®, offer choices for every occasion. For more information, visit www.ConagraBrands.com.
About the Thurgood Marshall College Fund
Established in 1987, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) is the nation's largest organization exclusively representing the Black College Community. TMCF member-schools include the publicly-supported Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Predominantly Black Institutions, enrolling nearly 80% of all students attending black colleges and universities. Through scholarships, capacity building and research initiatives, innovative programs, and strategic partnerships, TMCF is a vital resource in the K-12 and higher education space. The organization is also the source of top employers seeking top talent for competitive internships and good jobs.
TMCF is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization. For more information about TMCF, visit: www.tmcf.org.
About the Hispanic Scholarship Fund
Founded in 1975, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) empowers students and parents with the knowledge and resources to successfully complete a higher education, while providing support services and scholarships to as many exceptional students, Scholars, and Alumni as possible. HSF strives to make college education a top priority for every family across the nation, mobilizing communities to proactively advance that goal—each individual, over a lifetime, in every way they can. HSF also seeks to give its Scholars all the tools they need to do well in their course work, graduate, enter, and excel in a profession, help lead our nation going forward, and mentor the generations to come. As one of the nation's leading nonprofit organizations supporting higher education, HSF has awarded over $650 million in scholarships and provides a broad range of programs and support services for students, parents, HSF Scholars, and HSF Alumni. For more information about HSF, please visit HSF.net.
For more information, please contact:
MEDIA:
Tim Wrona
312-549-5400
tim.wrona@conagra.com
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SOURCE Conagra Brands, Inc.
