News Releases

TORONTO, March 31, 2014– BMO Financial Group today announced a contribution of $250,000 over five years to support the Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarships. These scholarships are designed to enable promising young people to build and share their skills, knowledge and experience.

BMO presented the donation to the former prime minister, the Right Honourable Jean Chrétien – a leading supporter of the trust – during the celebration of the 20^th anniversary of the bank's Institute for Learning.

"This prestigious scholarship serves as an enduring tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and will provide funding for deserving university students across Canada," said Bill Downe, Chief Executive Officer, BMO Financial Group. "There is probably no single person in Canada today who has done more for higher education in this country than our former prime minister. We are honoured to be a part of the Commonwealth Scholarships and we hope the bank's support will encourage others in Corporate Canada to do the same."

About BMO Financial Group

Established in 1817 as Bank of Montreal, BMO Financial Group is a highly diversified financial services organization based in North America. The bank offers a broad range of retail banking, wealth management and investment banking products and services to more than 12 million customers. BMO Financial Group has total assets of $593 billion and more than 45,500 employees at January 31, 2014.

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