The recently installed Apple CEO Tim Cook sent out an email to employees on Thursday announcing a matching gift program for charitable donations.
According to the email, obtained by MacRumors, when an Apple employee gives money to a non-profit organization, the Cupertino company will equal the donation up to $10,000 annually. The scheme kicks off on September 15.
The new program currently applies only to US employees of the computer giant, though there are plans to include Apple workers around the rest of the world at some point in the future.
When that happens, donations could add up to a sizable sum – Apple is thought to have around 50,000 employees globally.
Cook said in his email that it was the generosity of Apple employees who already make donations that inspired the creation of the program. Fortunately the company is in a healthy enough financial position to be able to launch the new scheme.
Here’s the full text of Cook’s email:
Team:
I am very happy to announce that we are kicking off a matching gift program for charitable donations. We are all really inspired by the generosity of our co-workers who give back to the community and this program is going to help that individual giving go even farther.
Starting September 15, when you give money to a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, Apple will match your gift dollar-for-dollar, up to $10,000 annually. This program will be for full-time employees in the US at first, and we’ll expand it to other parts of the world over time.
Thank you all for working so hard to make a difference, both here at Apple and in the lives of others. I am incredibly proud to be part of this team.
If you’d like more information on the program, you can get it on HRWeb, which can be easily accessed through AppleWeb.
Tim