The Walt Disney Company has announced that they will be making a $500,000 commitment to the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF) which will go toward supporting high-achieving Asian and Pacific Islander college students. These funds will provide 150 scholarships to students over the course of three years starting with the fall 2017 semester. Auli‘i Cravalho, who voices the title character in Disney upcoming film Moana, made the announcement at an APIASF gala along with producer Osnat Shurer, Disney’s chief diversity officer Paul Richardson, and APIASF President and Executive Director Neil Horikoshi.
“Disney is proud to support young Asian and Pacific Islander leaders in achieving their dreams of a higher education. By giving these promising students the resources and tools they need to earn a college degree, we enable them to create a better, brighter future for us all,” said Richardson. Shurer later said, “Speaking on behalf of Auli‘i and all of us at Disney Animation, we are extremely honored to be part of this important scholarship commitment. We thank APIASF for their extraordinary work and Disney for its support of these initiatives.”
“The Walt Disney Company’s generous support will make a significant difference for some of the nation’s most underserved students,” Horikoshi said. “With many Asian American and Pacific Islander families facing financial barriers, The Walt Disney Company/APIASF Scholarship has the potential to be life-changing for students.”