Nissan Foundation Awards $578,500 to 28 Nonprofit Organizations

FRANKLIN, Tenn., June 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Nissan Foundation, a charitable-giving arm of Nissan North America, Inc., has recently awarded a total of $578,500 in grants to 28 nonprofit organizations in Middle Tennessee, Northeast Texas, South Central Mississippi, Southern California and in the metro areas of Atlanta, Detroit and New York.

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"The Nissan Foundation is committed to enriching people's lives in the neighborhoods where Nissan operates," said Scott Becker, president of the Nissan Foundation. "The Foundation supports numerous educational programs that celebrate and foster appreciation for diversity while making a positive impact in the community."

Established in 1992, the Nissan Foundation has donated over $4.5 million to more than 100 non-profit groups over the past 18 years. The Foundation is committed to celebrating cultural diversity as a means to promote respect for others, generate alternative ways of thinking, strengthen self-awareness and enrich communities.

This year's grantees are:

Middle Tennessee

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee
• Discovery Center at Murfree Spring
• Global Education Fund
• Frist Center Visual Arts
• Nashville Public Television
• Oasis Center
• Tennessee Foreign Language Institute
• Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition
• Tennessee Women's Theater Project  

Northeast Texas

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Fort Worth
• International Museum of Cultures
• National Cowboys of Color Museum

South Central Mississippi

• International Museum of Muslim Cultures
• Jobs for Mississippi Graduates, Inc.
• 100 Black Men of Jackson

Southern California

• Autry National Center
• Friends of the Chinese American Museum
• Los Angeles Opera Company
• Japanese American National Museum

Metro Atlanta

• Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre Foundation
• The National Black Arts Festival
• Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation

Metro Detroit

• Detroit Science Center
• Museum of African American History

Metro New York

• Brooklyn Children's Museum
• New York University, Glucksman Ireland House

For more information about the Nissan Foundation and its application process, visit http://www.nissanusa.com/about/corporate-info/community-relations.html.

About the Nissan Foundation

Established in 1992, the mission of the Nissan Foundation is to build community through valuing cultural diversity.  The Nissan Foundation is part of Nissan North America's commitment to "enrich people's lives" by helping to meet the needs of communities throughout the United States through philanthropic investments, corporate outreach sponsorships, in-kind donations and other charitable contributions.  

About Nissan North America, Inc.

In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing.  Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program 2010, whose key priorities are reducing CO2 emissions, cutting other emissions and increasing recycling.  More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.nissanusa.com and www.infinitiusa.com.

SOURCE Nissan North America