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 Giving Program empower associates to support causes that are meaningful to them. These program guidelines include Spark Good Associate Giving and Matching Campaigns.
Associate Eligibility
- Active, full-time, and part-time associates based in the U.S. and Puerto Rico are eligible to access the Spark Good Associate platform, powered by Deed. Temporary associates are not eligible to participate.
- Associates must be employed with the company at time of donation 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 be in good standing with the IRS and be disbursable through PayPal Giving Fund or Network for Good. Organization eligibility can be confirmed by searching for the organization on the Spark Good Associate Platform. If they appear in the search results, they are eligible for Spark Good Associate Giving Programs.
- Eligible organizations include:
- Current 501(c)(3) public charities listed in the IRS Business Master File that conduct charitable activities in the United States (except organizations classified as “Supporting Organizations” under 509(a)(3))
- Faith-based organizations 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), and U.S. government entities not found in the IRS business master file.
- Associates can use the platform to give through credit card, debit card, Venmo, PayPal, or payroll to any eligible organization.
- All associate donations and applicable Spark Good matching grants are made to PayPal Giving Fund (PPGF), a donor advised fund. This means that associates donate to PPGF and make recommendations to PPGF to distribute funds to the recommended nonprofit. For credit card donations to NCES schools or organizations without a PPGF account, these donations are made to Network for Good (NFG), a donor advised fund that will distribute to recommended school or organization.
- Tax receipts for donations made on the Spark Good Associate platform can be retrieved at wmlink/mydonations.
- Please note that associate donations are made to PayPal Giving Fund and the tax receipt will be from PayPal Giving Fund, not the recommended organization.
Seasonal Matching Campaigns
Periodically, Walmart offers matching campaigns for all active part-time and full-time U.S.-based associates. In FY26, associates may match up to $10,000 in personal contributions. Matching balances reset each fiscal year. Associates are notified when matching opportunities are available.
- Only donations made during the campaign period on the Spark Good Associate platform by credit/debit card, Venmo, PayPal, or Payroll are eligible for matching grants until matching cap is met.
- The Spark Good Associate platform can facilitate donation transactions up to $5,000
- Associates may select how much of the maximum match amount they would like to be applied to their donation by utilizing the Adjust Match Amount slider on the donation page.
- All matching grants are subject to approval by the Walmart.org team.
*Off-Platform donation match requests are not eligible for matching grants during seasonal campaigns.
Donation Disbursement
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 contribute funds to a selected nonprofit. For credit card donations to NCES schools, these donations are made to Network for Good (NFG), a donor advised fund.
- If an organization is set up to receive direct deposit with PPGF or NFG, they should receive the matching grant funds within 60 days. If the organization is not set up for direct deposit, a check will be mailed within 90 days.
- If an organization loses program eligibility before the donation/match is disbursed, the PPGF team will reach out to the associate directly and request they reassign their donation. The associate will typically have at least 2 weeks to provide an alternative organization for their donation. If no response is received by the provided deadline, the grant funds will be disbursed to United Way.
All associate 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 on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, veteran, or disability status.
- 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.
- Application Period and Deadlines:
- 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.
