’’Children’s Safe Drinking Water’’ Project Idea Voted the Winner of American Express’ Members Project by Cardmembers

American Express Awards $2 Million to U.S. Fund for UNICEF to Bring the Winning Project Idea to Life; Gives Recognition Awards of $100,000 Each to the Organizations Paired with the Other Four Final Projects

NEW YORK.- American Express today announced that “Children’s Safe Drinking Water” is the winning project idea for The Members Project after receiving the most Cardmember votes. American Express is awarding the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, the organization selected to fulfill the idea, $2 million dollars, which will be used to provide millions of children in the developing world with safe drinking water.

The Members Project (www.membersproject.com) launched on May 15 and brought thousands of American Express® Cardmembers together to submit, discuss, rate and ultimately vote on the one project idea they wanted American Express to bring to life. American Express contributed $1 toward the winning idea for every Cardmember that registered with a minimum commitment of $1 million and up to $5 million in funding.

Throughout The Members Project initiative, 186,508 Cardmembers registered with more than 7,000 project ideas submitted and 162,087 votes cast. Additionally, there were over 1.5 million unique visitors to the website. Therefore, American Express decided to double its minimum commitment of $1 million and award the winning project idea $2 million to help make a larger impact.

In addition, American Express announced a Recognition Award of $100,000 each to the organizations paired with the remaining four project ideas and has designated the award money be used in the spirit of the Cardmember’s project idea.

““Through The Members Project, we brought together our community of Cardmembers in a new, interactive way that tapped into ideas and causes they are most passionate about,” said Jud Linville, President and CEO, Consumer Services at American Express. “Our Cardmembers truly rallied around project ideas, encouraging Cardmembers across the country to get involved -- now they can feel great that a difference will be made thanks to their votes and efforts.”

The winning idea, “Children’s Safe Drinking Water” paired with UNICEF, was submitted by American Express® Cardmember Gregory Allgood of Cincinnati, OH.

The other four final projects were:

* “Plant A Million Trees - Global Reforestation” paired with American Forests, submitted by American Express Cardmember Amy Walker of Canton, GA;
* “Restore our U.S. National Park” paired with National Park Foundation, submitted by American Express Cardmember Daniel Miller of Lexington, KY;
* “Teachers ask. You choose. Students learn.” paired with DonorsChoose.org, submitted by American Express Cardmember Charles Best of New York, NY; and
* “Wind and Solar for Residential” paired with American Solar Energy Society, submitted by American Express Cardmember James Muffley of Victorville, CA.

The Members Project, which is a part of American Express’ new brand campaign, “Are You a Cardmember?(sm)”, highlights the value of being part of the American Express Cardmember community.

American Express and Membership
American Express has been synonymous with “Membership” since it introduced “Member Since” dates on its Cards in 1964 and has continued to develop a sense of membership through the special benefits and exceptional services offered to Cardmembers.

American Express and Good Citizenship
Giving back is a core value of American Express and being a “good citizen” is a hallmark of the brand. American Express was the first company to launch a cause-related marketing campaign, which was a program benefiting the Statue of Liberty in 1983, and the Company has continued to roll out successful initiatives around the world that have supported and enhanced the communities where we live and work.

Over the years, American Express has supported causes that are important to Cardmembers, merchant partners and the general public, from reopening the Statue of Liberty after 9/11 to fighting hunger and preserving historic sites around the world. Through these programs, including The Members Project, American Express is providing an outlet for consumers’ desire to “do good.”