Program Overview

During a crisis, every business needs to demonstrate its purpose towards its employees, towards its customers, and towards its community.

The ShipBob Giving Fund was created to give to those experiencing financial hardship by unexpected tragedies. While COVID-19 (Coronavirus) was the catalyst that got this off the ground, this is a fund that will continue to live well beyond the impacts of COVID-19 and support our associates for generations to come.

The ShipBob Giving Fund (“SGF”) relies primarily on voluntary donations from team members as well as support from ShipBob to fund this program. Our investors, customers, and partners in the ecommerce and supply chain ecosystem have stepped up during hard times to support this initiative as well.

Your individual contribution helps and when combined with the donations of others, can provide a financial bridge to those facing unexpected needs.

Currently, the minimum amount available for each grant is $300 and the annual maximum amount is $1,500. We want to increase that maximum and have capped it at $1,500 for now in order to bring support to as many associates as possible.

Application submissions are limited to $1,500 per calendar year with the exception of another disaster event. All applications must be submitted within 60 days of an event.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who is eligible for the ShipBob Giving Fund? All U.S. based team associates employed by ShipBob for at least 90 consecutive days are eligible to participate in the ShipBob Giving Fund.

Note: seasonal team members, temporary team members, contractors, and affiliates are currently not eligible.

If you have a verbal warning, written warning, or final written warning, it must be 120 days from the most recent infraction to qualify.

2. What information does the fund need when reviewing an application? For the ShipBob Giving Fund Committee (“SGFC”) to evaluate your application, it is required to complete the application from the official ShipBob Giving Fund website and answer all necessary questions. The applicant must demonstrate a financial need for which the grant is being requested. Documentation, such as copies of current bills or invoices, may be required.

3. Will everybody who applies be awarded a grant? No, we will provide funds on a first come first serve basis, as we have limited funds. In addition, every application will go through our SGF review process and only those who qualify will be eligible for a grant.

4. Will my information remain confidential? Protecting the privacy of our associates and supporting their well-being is paramount. Only the SGFC will have access to application information.

Yes, your personal information is only used to verify your eligibility for a grant and to determine the grant amount to be made. Applications are processed by SGFC. Others within or outside ShipBob will not have access to any personal information provided, unless you elect to share your story. We may utilise anonymized, statistical information on a periodic basis to help it improve the fund. For any questions regarding the privacy of your personal information, please contact the SGFC privately.

5. What criteria is required to qualify for a grant? While there are many factors that determine if a grant can be made, the review process is designed to try to provide a grant when possible and to do so in a repeatable, calculable, and fair manner. The process was created in a manner that will allow us to review and grant funds in a timely manner, as that is of the utmost importance during hardship periods.

To meet regulations, an objective and confidential review process is completed by the SGFC. To determine if your situation meets the minimum criteria, review the details below:

1. You were employed by ShipBob at the time of the event as a U.S. based associate.

2. You are applying within 60 days of the event.

3. One of the events and one or more of the related expenses listed below happened to you:

• Natural Disaster: This includes items, such as flood, wildfire tornado, earthquake, tsunami, volcanic eruption, blizzard, drought, cyclone, hurricane, typhoon or severe storms. Government (national/state) declared disaster, or determined the event was catastrophic or a pandemic. Terrorist actions. Disaster resulting from an accident involving a common courier such as buses, trains, ferry, planes or trucks.
• Personal Hardship: Impacts primary residence: fire, flood or unusual life-altering expense not covered by insurance.
• Serious Illness or Injury
• Victim of a Violent Crime or Domestic Abuse

* Under “Serious Illness or Injury,” you can be eligible through your spouse/domestic partner**, eligible dependents*** include the applicant, their spouse/domestic partner*, minor children and other dependents for which the applicant is financially responsible. ** Domestic partner is defined as: at least 18 years or older, mentally competent to consent to a contract, not legally married to or the domestic partner of anyone else, not related to you by blood in a way that would otherwise prohibit marriage in your resident state, living together with you in the same primary residence sharing joint responsibilities for common welfare and financial obligations with you. *** Parents, grandparents or other relatives are NOT considered dependents unless the applicant can show that they are claimed as a dependent on the applicant’s IRS tax returns (US-only) or other legal documents (non-US only) or other documents.

4. You will need to meet the IRS requirement for an established needs assessment and be prepared to provide the following when you apply: Current documentation for the event and expenses, which provides the necessary details, such as date of the expense, person responsible for bill, and other criteria, listed in the application; Details related to establishing your individual need, such as, household income and expenses, etc.

6. What are the eligible expenses for the grant? This fund provides grants going through economic hardships during unexpected crises by covering items such as basic needs, medical expenses, childcare, transportation, groceries, or your rent or mortgage.

7. What are the steps to apply? Step 1: APPLICATION: Apply through the official ShipBob Giving Fund website.

Step 2: CONFIRMATION: Submit application and you will receive a confirmation email.

Step 3: VERIFICATION: Only the SGFC will be able to view any personal information, which is needed to verify your employment and start date.

Step 4: REVIEW: Application is objectively and confidentially reviewed. If there are followup questions or document requests, associates who apply will be contacted within 5 business days. Once application is complete with all supporting documentation, the SGFC approves/declines grant/award amount. If your application is not approved, you will be provided with a specific reason.

Step 5: GRANT APPROVAL NOTIFICATION: If approved, you’ll be sent a grant notification approval from the SGFC email address.

Step 6: GRANT PROCESSING: Within 5 business days after your grant notification email, you will receive another email from the SGFC email address confirming your grant amount and the application will receive their funds. Unless stated otherwise through the review process, the associate receiving the funds will receive them through their stated payment methods within the ShipBob system.

8. Do grants need to be repaid? Grants are not loans and do not have to be repaid.

9. Are donations tax deductible to the donor? The ShipBob Giving Fund is not an IRC Sec 501(c)(3) qualified charity. Contributions to the fund are not tax deductible. ShipBob is acting as a conduit for donors to make “gifts” to impacted ShipBob employees. Generally, donors can give up to $15,000 to any individual without creating a tax filing obligation, though we recommend speaking with your tax advisor.

10. Are grants received by the ShipBob Associates tax-exempt? Yes, payments from the fund will not be taxable to the beneficiary. Please consult your tax advisor for further questions.

11. Can I apply on behalf of another team member? No, if you think a fellow team member would benefit from the ShipBob Giving Fund, please provide them with the official link to the ShipBob Giving Fund website to access the application. In the case of a team member who is incapacitated, a family member can apply on the team member’s behalf by calling SGFC’s dedicated support line at (312) 940-6822.

12. How can I apply without having access to computer? Applicants without access to a computer can call SGFC’s dedicated support line at (312) 940-6822.