Spark Good Associate Programs Guidelines

 
When it comes to strengthening communities, our associates are leading the way. Whether it’s the gift of time, money, or a combination of the two, Walmart’s Spark Good Associate Programs empower associates to support causes that are meaningful to them. These program guidelines include Spark Good Associate Giving Program and Spark Good Volunteerism Guidelines.

Associate Eligibility

• All active, full-time, and part-time associates based in the U.S. and Puerto Rico can give to, volunteer with eligible organizations and request matching grants (as applicable).
• Associates must be employed with the company at time of donation, volunteerism, or matching grant request submitted and processed in the Spark Good Associate platform.
• Participation is strictly voluntary. Associates are not required to participate, and the decision to participate or not has no impact on the terms or conditions of employment.

Organization Eligibility

• Organizations must have a Spark Good account and be verified by Deed, Walmart’s third-party verification service provider.
• Eligible organizations include:
  • Current 501(c)(3) public charities listed in the IRS Business Master File that conduct charitable activities in the United States 
  • Faith-based organizations that appear in the IRS Business Master File with programming that benefits the community at large, such as food pantries, soup kitchens and clothing closets.
  • Recognized U.S. government entities that appear in the IRS Business Master File 
  • A K-12 public or private school, charter school, community/junior college, state/private college, or university. Institutions must have an NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) number or 501(c)(3) tax status.
• Organizations must agree to use grant funds solely for activities in the United States. 

Note: Examples of tax statuses that are NOT eligible include: 501(c)(19), 501(c)(4), 501(c)(6), 509(a)(3) (Types I, II, and III), and U.S. government entities not found in the IRS business master file.

Spark Good Associate Giving Program Guidelines

• Associates can give through credit card, debit card or payroll to any eligible organization.
• Associate Giving Matching Grants: 
  • At least twice per fiscal year, Walmart offers matching campaigns for all active part-time and full-time US based associates, up to $10,000 in personal contributions per fiscal year. Associates will be notified when these matching opportunities are available.
• All associate donations and Spark Good matching grants are made to PayPal Giving Fund (PPGF), a donor advised fund. This means that donors make recommendations to PPGF to distribute funds to the recommended organization. For credit card donations to NCES schools, these donations are made to Network for Good (NFG), a donor advised fund that will distribute to recommended school. 

Spark Good Volunteerism Program Guidelines

• Associates may request a $10 matching grant for eligible volunteer activities up to 100 hours, per fiscal year ($1,000 maximum). 
  • Application Period and Deadlines:
    • Associates may submit volunteer matching grant applications starting Feb. 1 through Jan. 31 at 11:59 pm (EST) for hours completed during the current fiscal year (Feb 1 – Jan 31), up to 100 hours per associate.
    • Volunteer hours submitted must be within the same fiscal year the hours were completed.
    • Organizations must confirm volunteer hours within 90 days of submission.
  • Eligible volunteer activities for matching grants include: 
    • Associate must be “off the clock” at the time the hour/s were volunteered and cannot be compensated by the organization for their time. 
    • Volunteer activities must be sponsored or planned by an eligible organization, and the organization played an active role in the planning and managing the volunteer activity. 
    • Virtual Volunteerism is allowed but the associate must participate in a specific activity that is tracked and validated by the organization.
    • Volunteer activity must happen outside a Walmart or Sam’s Club facility to be eligible for a matching grant. 
    • Only time spent actively volunteering is eligible for a matching grant. 
  • Each matching grant request may only be given to a single, eligible organization; grant funds for a single request may not be split among multiple organizations.
  • Associates may not request matching grants on behalf of other associates as each individual associate has their own allotment of hours/matching grant funds. 
• Matching grants are made from the Walmart Spark Fund for Charities at PayPal Giving Fund (PPGF), a donor advised fund and disbursed monthly to the recommended organization. 
• All matching grants are subject to approval by the Walmart.org team and PPGF. 

All donations and matching grants are made subject to review of the organization’s reputation and activities and its agreement to comply with applicable terms and conditions. Program and funding exclusions include organizations that deny service, membership or other involvement based on race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, veteran, or disability status.

Access the new Spark Good associate giving & volunteerism experience, powered by Deed on Walmart.com/nonprofits to post volunteer opportunities for associates to sign up!