The Estee Lauder Companies Establishes a Tribal Scholars Program with Inaugural Gift to American Indian College Fund

DENVER, April 5, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Indian College Fund is proud to announce the establishment of The Estee Lauder Tribal Scholars Program with an inaugural gift of $11,000 for the 2011-12 academic year. This new program will provide ten $1,000 scholarships to American Indian students studying marketing, business, environmental science or a related field at the tribal colleges in Minnesota. The additional $1,000 will be utilized by the Fund to administer the program.

William P. Lauder, Executive Chairman of The Estee Lauder Companies, stated, "The Estee Lauder Companies is proud to support the American Indian College Fund by establishing The Estee Lauder Tribal Scholars Program to aid in the pursuit of higher education. As a company, we are committed to giving back to the communities we partner with around the world.  Improving education leads to empowerment, economic independence and improved livelihoods, and we look forward to learning more about our scholarship honorees."  

"Our new partnership with The Estee Lauder Companies is very exciting," said Richard B. Williams, President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund. "We are grateful for the opportunity to work with a company that recognizes the importance and power of obtaining a college degree."

About The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. is one of the world's leading manufacturers and marketers of quality skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care products.  The Company's products are sold in over 150 countries and territories under the following brand names: Estee Lauder, Aramis, Clinique, Prescriptives, Lab Series, Origins, M•A•C, Bobbi Brown, Tommy Hilfiger, Kiton, La Mer, Donna Karan, Aveda, Jo Malone, Bumble and bumble, Darphin, Michael Kors, American Beauty, Flirt!, GoodSkin Labs, Grassroots Research Labs, Sean John, Missoni, Daisy Fuentes, Tom Ford, Coach, Ojon and Smashbox.  

About the American Indian College Fund

With its credo, "Educating the Mind and Spirit," the American Indian College Fund is the nation's largest private provider of scholarships for American Indian students, providing an average of 6,000 scholarships annually for students seeking to better their lives and communities through education and support to the nation's 33 accredited tribal colleges and universities. For more information about the American Indian College Fund, please visit www.collegefund.org.

SOURCE American Indian College Fund