News Release

MINNEAPOLIS (June 14, 2013) - RBC announced today a donation of $100,000 to The Nature Conservancy Minnesota chapter to fund a feasibility study on providing water funds to North American communities.

"The Blue Water Leadership Grant awarded to The Nature Conservancy by RBC Wealth Management has allowed us to take the next step in developing a water fund in Minnesota that will help protect clean drinking water in the upper Mississippi River basin for 1.5 million Minnesota residents," said Doug Shaw, Assistant State Director of The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota. "The quality of life we enjoy in Minnesota is not possible without clean, abundant drinking water, and we are grateful to RBC Wealth Management for their vision and leadership in helping the Conservancy protect one of the most important sources of drinking water in the state."

"Water is our most precious natural resource and it is our responsibility to protect it for future generations," said John Taft, CEO, RBC Wealth Management-U.S. "We are pleased to help The Nature Conservancy preserve the Mississippi River, a landmark that played a part in Minnesota’s development and is vital to the state’s economy and community."

The RBC Leadership Grant will support The Nature Conservancy’s Mississippi River Healthy Waters Fund and help advance the project from feasibility to engagement. The 48 existing Water Funds are investor-driven financial vehicles that are expected to create predictable funding for upstream science-based conservation investments – green infrastructure – valuable to both rural and urban stakeholders.

RBC Blue Water Project Leadership Grants fund programs in towns and cities with populations of more than 10,000 people that focus on:

• Improving urban water quality;
• Improving management of urban storm and rain water, such as building awareness about low-impact design or the use of natural systems to control storm or rain water;
• The efficient use of water in towns and cities;
• or Protecting and restoring urban waterways.

This year, RBC has committed $2.3 million in Leadership and Community Action Grants globally, to 123 organizations that are committed to addressing urban water issues, and protecting water in towns and cities. The Nature Conservancy is one of only five leadership grant recipients in the United States.

About RBC Blue Water Project
The RBC Blue Water Project is an historic, wide-ranging, 10-year global commitment to help protect the world's most precious natural resource: fresh water. Since 2007, RBC has pledged over $38 million to more than 650 charitable organizations worldwide that protect water, including the grants announced today, with an additional $7.8 million pledged to universities for water programs. In 2013-2014, the RBC Blue Water Project will focus on supporting initiatives that help protect water in towns, cities and urbanized areas. For further information, visit www.rbc.com/bluewater.

About RBC Community and Sustainability
Royal Bank of Canada (RY on TSX and NYSE) and its subsidiaries operate under the master brand name RBC. We employ approximately 80,000 full- and part-time employees who serve more than 15 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S. and 44 other countries. RBC is recognized among the world's financial, social and environmental leaders and is listed on the 2012 - 2013 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, the DJSI North American Index, the Jantzi Social Index and the FTSE4Good Index. RBC is one of Canada's Greenest Employers, one of Canada's 50 Most Socially Responsible Corporations and among the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World. Learn more at www.rbc.com/community-sustainability.

RBC supports a broad range of community initiatives through donations, sponsorships and employee volunteer activities. In 2011, we contributed more than $98 million to causes worldwide through donations and community investments of more than $64 million, and $34 million in sponsorship of community events and national organizations.

Media Contact:
Ann Wasik, RBC Wealth Management, 612-313-1275

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