State Senator Audrey Gibson and Prudential Financi

State Senator Audrey Gibson and Prudential Financial, Inc. Executives Celebrate $1 Million Contribution to the Step Up For Students Scholarship Program

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., August 24, 2012 - Prudential Financial, Inc. executives and Senator Audrey Gibson (D - Jacksonville) met today with representatives from the Step Up For Students Scholarship Program to present a $1 million check to fund scholarships for more than 223 students in Florida.

Scott Sleyster, Prudential Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer joins State Senator Audrey Gibson, Step Up For Students President Doug Tuthill and Michael Jennings, Prudential Vice President, Government Affairs to present a $1 million contribution to the scholarship program.

Scott Sleyster, Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer at Prudential, and Michael Jennings, Vice President, Government Affairs at Prudential, met with Step Up For Students representatives Doug Tuthill, President, and Ann Mackey, CFO.

Prudential joined Step Up For Students this year as a corporate partner in the program’s mission to provide equal educational opportunities for all of Florida’s students.

“We are proud that our contribution will help 223 Florida students have access to the educational environment that best suits their needs,” said Jennings. “Prudential has a long history of support for the communities in which we do business. This contribution continues that tradition.”

Step Up For Students, also known as the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program, enables corporations to redirect a portion of certain Florida tax liabilities to the program, which distributes the funds as scholarships.

To date, Step Up For Students has awarded over 265,000 scholarships since the program’s inception in 2001.

“It is exciting to welcome Prudential Financial, Inc. as a partner in our mission to serve the students in our state who have the least,” said Step Up For Students president Doug Tuthill. “We are grateful for the corporations like Prudential that recognize the value in investing in the incredible assets that are our communities and our children.”

About Prudential Financial, Inc.

Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a financial services leader with approximately $961 billion of assets under management as of June 30, 2012, 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 and investment management. 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/

About Step Up For Students

Step Up For Students is a nonprofit organization that administers the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship for low-income Florida students. The scholarship program was created by the Florida Legislature in 2001 and is funded by corporations that receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for their contributions. For more information, visit www.StepUpForStudents.org .

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