Mission & Values In The Community Company FAQ’s Careers

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We have a simple, fundamental belief in our responsibility to give back.  It is very much a part of who we are as a brand, a company and as individuals.

We support our associates in our corporate headquarters and across the country who are active in the neighborhoods and cities where they live and do business. We are proud of the passion they share for giving back. They give of themselves through volunteering time, providing financial support and offering their various talents in service to others.

On a corporate level, our community engagement philosophy has three primary focuses:  feeding hungry families, supporting the economic independence of women and supporting the battle against breast cancer. 

In addition, we are involved in a number of local charities in the Columbus, Ohio and New York City areas, including The United Way of Central Ohio and our Giving Tree Program. For more information, please e-mail us at Giving@express.com.

Our National Charities
We have made an important decision to lend our philanthropic support to two national organizations that we believe allow us to make an impact, through our corporate offices in Columbus and New York and our more than 20,000 store associates nationwide.

 

	Their mission is to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.
	With hunger being one of our biggest challenges worldwide, America’s Second Harvest is the nation’s largest charitable hunger-relief organizations.  The America’s Second Harvest Network secures and distributes more than 2 billion pounds of donated food and grocery products annually.

Non-Profit Grants
Each year Express will allocate a limited amount of funding to non-profit, public charities with tax exempt status under Section (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.  Before an organization is considered for a grant, it must fulfill the following criteria:

• The organization and/or its programs must fall within the scope of the Express giving philosophy.
• The organization must provide a year-end report stating the results of the grant activities.
• The organization must direct at least 80% of the money raised toward beneficiaries.
• The organization must be willing to provide documentation to Express verifying financial donations.
• The organization must be located in Columbus OH, San Francisco CA, or New York City NY.
• Grant requested should fall within $1,000 - $10,000 range.
• The program/goal of the financial donation must significantly affect the surrounding community.
• The organization must be inclusive in policies and practices involving all genders, races, ages, ethnic origin,
    sexual orientation, or creed.

Programs that are ineligible for support include:

• Fashion shows or other requests for clothing donations
• Organizations that discriminate based on race, creed, color, sex, age, national origin, veteran status
   or physical or mental disabilities
• Religious organizations
• Political organizations, campaigns or candidates for political office
• Lobbying groups
• Medical or health-related causes other than Breast Cancer
• Veteran or fraternal organizations
• Individuals
• Goodwill advertising in journals or program books
• Capital campaigns such as building grants
• Organizations that spend more than 20% of their total budget on fundraising efforts

If your agency meets the above criteria, please submit a brief overview that includes the following information: 

• Brief organization history
• Amount of request
• Program purpose/goals and how you plan to meet them
• Calendar of activities and events
• Clear statement of goals & objectives
• List of funders (present and potential)
• Contact person
• Evaluation process to be used
• Volunteer opportunities

All grant proposals should be mailed to the below or e-mailed to Giving@express.com.

Giving@Express
Human Resources
One Limited Parkway
Columbus, OH 43230

Gift Card Donations
In addition to supporting our national charity partners, Express has created an opportunity to give back through a gift card program that allows us to extend our philanthropic reach while still maintaining a commitment to the areas identified as important to us.  Gift card donation guidelines include:

• Gift cards will be given in increments of $25 with the maximum donation being $100
• Express will focus on organizations that specifically impact our core customer. 
• Gift cards can be requested directly from our organization at least 6 weeks prior to the time the donation was needed.
• While we hope to respond to all gift card requests favorably, often the number of requests we receive far outnumber our    funding capacity.  If a donation request is granted, a letter and gift card will be sent within 6 weeks of the request. 

Please send gift card requests to:

Giving@Express
Human Resources
One Limited Parkway
Columbus, OH 43230