Prudential Financial, Inc. has been named winner of the 2011 Jefferson Award for Outstanding Service by a Major Corporation, the first time the award has been given in the 39-year history of the program.

Known as the "Nobel Prize" for public service, the annual awards are presented for extraordinary, selfless contributions to the community to honor high-profile individuals who have dedicated their lives to public service and community enrichment as well as unheralded community-based volunteers and organizations that represent the pinnacle in citizenship and schools that best reflect the Jeffersonian ideals of citizen involvement.

Throughout its more than 135-year history, Prudential, The Prudential Foundation and Prudential employees have helped to build the communities where they live and work. Through various programs, Prudential has provided business expertise, financial assistance and employee volunteer service to revitalize neighborhoods and invest in projects that benefit communities around the country and the world. In addition, it has been a major player in the revitalization and enrichment of Newark, New Jersey, its headquarters.

"Our nation's greatness is derived in large measure from its goodness - from the countless noble Americans whose commitment to helping others embodies the founding ideals of our democracy," said Sam Beard, founder and president of The Jefferson Awards for Public Service. "The Jefferson Awards serve to celebrate the selflessness, altruism and generosity of spirit that represent the best of America. The tireless work of our honorees not only improves lives within their communities, but dignifies our nation as a whole."

In accepting the award, Charles F. Lowrey, Prudential Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, U.S. Businesses, said, "Using grants from The Prudential Foundation, capital investments from Prudential and thousands of volunteer hours from our employees, we have partnered with civic, community and nonprofit leaders to meet the many challenges confronting our neighbors across the globe. We cannot declare victory. But through our collaborations we can see progress toward a shared vision of a world that is vibrant, vital and livable."

Through strategic grantmaking by The Prudential Foundation, a not-for-profit corporation supported by a subsidiary of Prudential Financial, Inc., the company promotes sustainable communities and improves social outcomes for people in communities around the world. Some of Prudential's community outreach activities have included:

  • Prudential has provided corporate contributions, social investments and grants to financially support The New Jersey Performing Arts Center, one of the largest performing arts center in the U.S. In addition, Prudential executives have provided guidance and other assistance to NJPAC through board and advisory service.
  • Global Volunteer Day that mobilizes companywide volunteerism around the world. Every October, employees lead teams of Prudential associates, family members and friends in service projects that support qualified nonprofit organizations. In 2010, nearly 25,000 volunteers participated in more than 800 projects in 12 countries.
  • The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards Program is the United States' largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer community service. During the past 16 years, more than 310,000 young Americans have participated in the program.
  • Prudential's Social Investment Program originates and manages investments to revitalize neighborhoods by investing in projects that benefit communities around the country. It currently has a portfolio of $400 million in social investments and has invested more than $1 billion in socially worthy causes since its inception 40 years ago.

About The Jefferson Awards

Co-founded in 1972 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, U.S. Senator Robert Taft Jr. and Sam Beard, The Jefferson Awards annually celebrate America's commitment to public service. Recognizing both the famous and the unknown, individuals and organizations, the young and old, the awards reflect one of the founding ideals of our nation, that of contributing toward the larger good. As Thomas Jefferson himself wrote, "Private charities as well as contributions to public purposes in proportion to everyone's circumstances are certainly among the duties we owe to society."

The Jefferson Award recipients are nominated from throughout the country and selected by the organization's board of directors, who include Hank Aaron, the Hon. Julian Bond, Cris Collinsworth, Michael Douglas, Whoopi Goldberg, the Hon. Mitch McConnell, the Hon. Harry Reid, Neil Simon, Leslie Stahl and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend. Honorees are chosen on the basis of two main criteria: the outstanding nature of the acts of service and the impact on the community of those acts. Past recipients of the award include Lance Armstrong, Oprah Winfrey, Bill and Melinda Gates, Dr. C. Everett Koop, General Colin Powell and Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. For more information on The Jefferson Awards, visit www.JeffersonAwards.org.

About Prudential

Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a financial services leader with approximately $859 billion of assets under management as of March 31, 2011, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Prudential's diverse and talented employees are committed to helping individual and institutional customers grow and protect their wealth through a variety of products and services, including life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services, mutual funds, investment management, and real estate services. In the U.S., Prudential's iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for more than a century. For more information, please visit http://www.news.prudential.com.

For Prudential Financial, Inc.
Elisabeth Edelman, 804-788-1414
eedelman@hodgespart.com
or
Karen Oliver Moore, 973-802-8533
karen.moore@prudential.com