MCLEAN, Va., Dec 01, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- 35 nonprofit organizations and school systems that provide direct services for over 15,000 at-risk youth and their families received funding from Capital One Financial (NYSE: COF) in 2005. These grants will enhance opportunities for children and families in the Richmond area to achieve economic self-sufficiency by providing support for childcare, education, community revitalization, and financial education.

The grants included funding for the following:

-- $2.5 million to programs supporting children and families including pre-school readiness, after school programs, life skills training, family literacy, mentoring/tutoring programs, job and computer training and quality early care and education programs;

-- $2.6 million to support community revitalization projects such as the 25th Street/Nine Mile Road commercial district, development of affordable housing for low-income persons, vocational training program for young adults as subcontractors in building trades industry;

-- $62,000 to support financial literacy programs.

"At Capital One, through charitable contributions and volunteerism we focus our support on finding effective ways to invest in our future by enhancing the lives of children and families," said Adele Johnson, Community Relations Manager for Capital One. "Working together with local service agencies, we can build strong and healthy communities - good places to work, good places to do business and good places to raise families."

Beyond financial contributions, to date in 2005, Capital One associates have volunteered more than 30,000 hours in Richmond serving families and youth including nearly 10,000 hours building three houses with Habitat for Humanity, donating 33,027 pounds of food, 12,120 children's books and 23,974 school supplies and 1,047 pints of blood.

The Richmond organizations receiving grants this year include:

-- American Red Cross, Greater Richmond Chapter

-- Better Housing Coalition

-- Big Brothers Big Sisters Services Inc.

-- Boaz and Ruth

-- Central Virginia Foodbank

-- Chesterfield County Public Schools

-- Childsavers

-- Commonwealth Catholic Charities

-- Communities in Schools of Virginia

-- Family Lifeline

-- Friends Association for Children

-- Habitat for Humanity

-- Henrico County Public Schools

-- Highland Park Community Development Corporation

-- Homeward

-- Interfaith Housing Services

-- Junior Achievement

-- LISC

-- New Visions New Ventures

-- Richmond Community Action Program

-- Richmond Goodwill Industries

-- Richmond Redevelopment & Housing Authority

-- Sacred Heart Center

-- St. Joseph's Villa

-- Salvation Army

-- Science Museum of Virginia

-- The Daily Planet

-- The Healing Place

-- United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg

-- Virginia Council on Economic Education

-- Virginia Supportive Housing

-- Voices of Virginia's Children

-- William Byrd Community Center

-- Youth Matters

-- YWCA of Richmond

For more information about Capital One's contributions program in Richmond, contact Eric Swenson at virginiarfp@capitalone.com

About Capital One

Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One Financial Corporation (http://www.capitalone.com) is a financial holding company whose principal subsidiaries, Capital One Bank, Capital One, F.S.B. and Capital One Auto Finance, Inc. offer a variety of consumer lending products. Capital One's subsidiaries collectively had 49.2 million accounts and $84.8 billion in managed loans outstanding as of September 30, 2005. Capital One is a Fortune 500 company and, through its subsidiaries, is one of the largest providers of MasterCard and Visa credit cards in the world. Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "COF" and is included in the S&P 500 index.

SOURCE: Capital One Financial Corporation

Capital One Financial, McLean
Laura White, 804-284-5799
laura.white@capitalone.com