Staples Cause for Caring Grant Program

Geographic Scope: United States (Staples employees)

Program Purpose: Helps Staples employees who are experiencing severe financial hardship due to an emergency qualifying event and lack the ability to maintain basic monthly living expenses.

Eligibility

• Applicant: Staples employees
• Beneficiaries: Employee, immediate family members (limited to spouse/domestic partner or dependents)
• Timeline: All qualifying events must be within a 6-month timeframe to be considered
• Note: Staples Cause for Caring reserves the right to approve or deny applications for any reason in its sole discretion; no applicant has a right or entitlement to receive a grant

Qualifying Events

1. Illness or Injury - Financial hardships for reasons beyond their control (illness or injury) with household or travel expenses
2. Funeral - Loss of employee, immediate family member, or relative if employee is financially responsible for arrangements
3. Natural Disaster - Primary residence/property severely damaged, destroyed, or rendered unlivable by localized natural disaster (fire, flood, tornado, hurricane, ice/wind/snowstorm, mudslide, etc.) or federally/state-declared natural disaster or terrorist attack
4. Unemployment - Loss of spouse's job or employee's second job due to layoff or company closure within past 6 months (excludes Staples employment or reduction in hours)
5. Housing Assistance - Rental unit/home condemned or deemed uninhabitable; unforeseen sale/foreclosure of employee's home; preventing homelessness (extreme situations with official court order and less than 30 days' notice to vacate)
6. Domestic Abuse - Employee in unsafe home environment needing new housing
7. Military Deployment - Financial hardships after being deployed

What Staples Cause for Caring Does NOT Fund

• Medical bills

Contact Information

Address: 500 Staples Drive, Framingham, MA 01702

Qualifying Expenses by Event Type

Illness or Injury:

• Past due rent or mortgage
• Past due basic utilities
• Travel expenses to attend appointments
• Repairs to make home safe/habitable or condemned unit/home
• Uninsured/underinsured needed repairs to primary residence or property

Funeral:

• Essential funeral expenses for deceased family member
• Travel expenses to attend funeral or make funeral arrangements
• Past due rent or mortgage
• Past due basic utility bills

Natural Disaster:

• Uninsured/underinsured needed repairs to primary residence or property
• Security deposit or other move-in/moving fees to move into new residence
• Emergency housing (if needed)
• Past due rent or mortgage
• Past due basic utilities
• Food
• Necessary items lost due to event
• Necessary transportation lost or inoperable due to event

Unemployment:

• Past due rent or mortgage
• Past due basic utilities

Housing Assistance:

• Security deposit or other move-in/moving fees to move into new residence
• Past due rent or mortgage (if applicable)
• Repairs to make home safe/habitable to condemned unit/home
• Uninsured/underinsured needed repairs to primary residence or property

Domestic Abuse:

• Security deposit or other move-in/moving fees to move into new residence
• Temporary housing if needed
• First month's rent to move into new residence
• Replace daily care items left behind when fleeing unsafe environment (clothes, toiletries)

Military Deployment:

• Rent or mortgage
• Other bills where assistance is needed

How to Apply

1. Download Materials: Download the Direct Grant Application Prep Pack and complete the application checklist
2. Gather Documentation: Gather appropriate documents before submitting your application based on your qualifying event
3. Submit Application: Submit completed application with all relevant supporting documentation

Required Documentation by Qualifying Event

Illness or Injury:

• Medical leave documentation or FMLA form (if applicable)
• Doctor's note documenting dates employee was not able to work
• Itemized medical bill statement to prove illness/injury occurred
• Documentation of time off from work due to medical reasons
• Travel receipts to attend appointments
• Past due rent/mortgage default notice or past due utility statements

Funeral:

• Itemized funeral invoice or estimate
• Proof of death of relative (death certificate or obituary)
• Transportation receipts showing cost and date of travel to funeral or travel to make arrangements
• Past due rent/mortgage default notice or past due utility statements

Natural Disaster:

• Insurance report of damages or current insurance declaration page for residence or transportation
• Proof of deductible amount from insurance company for residence or transportation
• Insurance decision (amount awarded by insurance, denial of coverage) for residence or transportation
• Itemized contractor/auto repair quote showing amount needed to make repairs to primary residence or transportation
• Fire report from local fire department or other proof of fire
• Statement from community organization assisting employee (American Red Cross, fire/police department, shelter, etc.)
• Images of damage to primary residence or transportation
• Copy of travel receipts to attend appointments
• Copy of grocery/food receipts
• Past due rent/mortgage default notice or past due utility statements

Unemployment:

• Copy of termination letter with date and reason of termination or paperwork from unemployment office showing date and reason of separation
• Past due rent/mortgage default notice or past due utility statements

Housing Assistance:

• For condemned/uninhabitable unit: Inspection report or other documentation showing how home is uninhabitable
• For sale/foreclosure on rented residence: Foreclosure notice from landlord/owner; documentation showing property is for sale; current lease or proof of address
• For foreclosure on owned residence: Court-issued mortgage foreclosure notice
• Complete the New Tenant/Temporary Housing Statement
• For eviction prevention: Copy of court order
• For move-in costs: Lease agreement from NEW landlord showing security deposit and first month's rent amounts

Domestic Abuse:

• Police report or restraining order documenting the abuse
• New landlord/temporary housing statement
• Past due rent/mortgage default notice or past due utility statements
• Lease agreement from NEW landlord showing security deposit and first month's rent amounts
• Copy of receipts to replace daily care items

Military Deployment:

• Copy of deployment orders
• Copy of basic utility bills
• Copy of rent/mortgage statement

Important Notes

• Application Completeness: Application is not complete until all relevant supporting documentation has been received
• Processing Time: To ensure prompt processing, gather appropriate documents before submitting your application