Apple this week launched a new program for its employees in which the company will match personal charitable contributions of up to $10,000 per year.
The program is currently available to full-time employees of Apple in America, but will expand to other countries in time. It was announced on Thursday in an e-mail sent out to employees by Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook.
Barely two weeks after a New York Times article called out ex-Apple CEO Steve Jobs for falling short in his philanthropic commitments compared to his peers, new Apple CEO Tim Cook has decided to grab the issue of Apple philanthropy by the horns.
According to a memo sent by Cook to all of Apple, reported by Fortune's Brian Caulfield, Apple will now begin matching employees' charitable contributions. The limit per employee sits at $10,000 annually, and the contributions must (obviously) be directed toward an official 501(c)(3) organization.
"I am very happy to announce that we are kicking off a matching gift program for charitable donations," reads Cook's memo, sent this past Thursday. "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."
Apple plans to start the program for its full-time Apple employees in the U.S. first, and intends to roll out matching contributions for the company's international workers over time.