Western Union Foundation Announces First Grant Recipients under Western Union - Our World, Our Family Program

"Western Union - Our World, Our Family will help open doors to new
opportunities and support global citizens on their journey to a better
life." With those words, Christina Gold, president and chief executive
officer of The Western Union Company, launched the Western Union
Foundation's new signature program: Western Union - Our World, Our
Family. Today, less than one month later, the Western Union Foundation
is proud to announce the first grant recipients under the new program.
Together, more than 70 non-profit organizations will benefit from
nearly $2 million in grants, helping them to assist individuals and
families around the world as they strive to overcome obstacles, rise
above limitations and lay the groundwork for a brighter future.

Our World Gives

As part of the new program, the Western Union Foundation is
engaging Western Union employees, Agents and consumers to create
global giving circles. By joining together, these individuals and
organizations seek to multiply the benefits of their contributions,
creating greater impact for recipients. In this grant cycle alone,
organizations in Austria, the Philippines, Togo and the United States
have benefited from more than $700,000 in donations from Western Union
Agents. Those donations have been matched dollar-for-dollar by the
Foundation, resulting in more than a million dollars in grants.

One grant recipient under the Our World Gives program is Global
Hunger Project's African Woman Food Farmer Initiative (AWFFI),
empowering rural women in Ethiopia to increase their incomes and grow
more food, moving them and their families out of the cycle of hunger
and poverty.

Our World Learns

Our World Learns is dedicated to advancing education in unique
ways that impact not only the individual, but - wherever possible -
the entire family. The Foundation has furthered this mission through
contributions to initiatives like Education is Freedom, a U.S.-based
non-profit organization that grants scholarships to high school
seniors who have shown promise and academic achievement, but who
struggle to obtain the financial resources necessary to attend
college.

In Hong Kong, a contribution to Hope Worldwide will further the
development of a community school program designed to provide academic
and mentoring opportunities to low-income children. In addition, a
grant to Costa Rica's Rahab Foundation will provide computer and
life-skills training to women whose desperate financial hardships have
driven them to a life on the streets.

Our World Strives

Our World Strives seeks to provide support in the areas of
entrepreneurship and personal finance. Along with the other elements
of the Western Union - Our World, Our Family program, the Western
Union Foundation sees Our World Strives as a way to increase
opportunity for many migrants in their home countries or wherever they
are in the world, helping to make migration a choice rather than a
necessity.

In Mexico, a donation to Fundacion ProEmpleo Productivo AC will
support training programs designed to teach individuals how to start
their own small businesses. In Gambia, a donation to Friends of
Women's World Banking/USA, Inc. will further the development of a
leading microfinance institution dedicated to advancing the economic
well-being of that country's citizens. In Haiti, donations to the
Lambi Fund will help entire communities promote sustainable
development projects that will improve socio-economic conditions today
and for generations to come.

Our World Speaks

Our World Speaks seeks to engage global leaders in a dialogue to
encourage an inclusive approach to economic development and issues
that impact migrant communities. Recently, Western Union President and
Chief Executive Officer Christina Gold took a first step at engaging
this dialogue in her speech to the Management Association of the
Philippines' International CEO Conference.

In her address, Ms. Gold emphasized that migration "is a human
rights issue involving many millions of people. It is a development
issue affecting almost every nation on earth. It is a global finance
challenge - and opportunity - that increasingly will demand the
attention of every business with a global connection - and that is
essentially every business there is." She also drew attention to
Western Union's recent commitment of $50 million over the next five
years to the Western Union - Our World, Our Family program.

However, it is not only CEOs and government leaders who will lead
this important dialogue. Contributions to the U.S.-based Cordillera
Presidents Foundation will bring together leaders from organizations
that serve homeless children in Mexico with agencies that serve
similar youth populations in Denver, Colorado. The goal of the
exchange is to discuss best practices and share ideas on ways to
better serve and create opportunities for homeless youth in both
countries. Similarly, a donation to the Human Services Coalition in
Miami, Florida, will promote civic engagement among Haitian and Cuban
immigrants with the long-term goal of making Miami a better place to
live for all residents.

"The Western Union - Our World, Our Family program allows the
Western Union Foundation to focus its giving efforts in areas that
have a tremendous potential for long-term impact," said Luella Chavez
D'Angelo, president, the Western Union Foundation. "While I have
always been proud of the work we do and the generous support we
receive from our corporate sponsor, Western Union, its employees and
its Agents, I believe our new focus provides us with a roadmap for a
brighter future for communities around the world."

For more information on Western Union - Our World, Our Family or
on individual grants, please visit the Western Union Foundation's
Website at www.westernunion.com/foundation.

About the Western Union Foundation

The Western Union Foundation, the charitable organization of
Western Union (NYSE:WU), supports philanthropic initiatives worldwide.
Since its inception in December 2000, the Foundation has donated over
USD$40 million to help those most in need. Grants are made to
non-profit and nongovernmental organizations to create pathways to
opportunity, support cultural inclusion and foster hope in the
developing world. Grants strengthen and improve the lives of many
individuals in communities throughout the world. Scholarships are
given to nontraditional college students. The Foundation also provides
disaster relief funding to communities in need. Additionally, the
Foundation raises money from Western Union employees and business
associates to increase the impact of grantmaking to communities
worldwide. Please visit the Foundation's website at
www.westernunion.com/foundation.

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