DENVER, Oct. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Indian College Fund received a grant of $100,000 from the APS Foundation, the charitable giving arm of Arizona Public Service, a leading producer of electric power in the southwest. The donation will renew the Arizona Public Service Navajo Scholars Program for 2011-12, to provide scholarship support to Navajo students studying for a degree in the science, technology, engineering, and math fields (STEM) at tribal colleges including Dine College and Navajo Technical College, and mainstream colleges within the New Mexico and Arizona state university system.

"Education continues to be the principal focus for the APS Foundation and we are proud to invest $100,000 in the APS Navajo Scholars Program at the American Indian College Fund for the second year," said Mark Schiavoni, APS Senior Vice President of Fossil Generation, and APS Foundation board member. "Our Four Corners Power Plant sits on the Navajo Nation, and about 75 percent of the plant's employees are Navajo, so it is incumbent upon us to continually invest in those who may comprise our future workforce."

"The continued support of the APS Foundation will help Navajo students to pursue their passions in the STEM fields at colleges in Arizona and New Mexico," said Richard B. Williams, President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund. "We are delighted that the foundation continues to support Native education so that they can create a better life for themselves, their families, and the people in their communities."

About Arizona Public Service

APS, Arizona's largest and longest-serving electricity utility, serves more than 1.1 million customers in 11 of the state's 15 counties. With headquarters in Phoenix, APS is the principal subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital Corp. (NYSE: PNW). The APS Foundation, Inc. is an Arizona nonprofit corporation that was incorporated in December of 1981 as a charitable foundation recognized by the Internal Revenue Service. The APS Foundation is a separate entity from Pinnacle West and APS. The Foundation receives annual gifts (funding) from APS; is governed by a board of directors; and makes distributions for charitable donations, pursuant to its bylaws, with a focus on education.

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