Helping Hands Grant

The Helping Hands Grant recognizes employees who donate their time, skills and knowledge through volunteering and helps to support causes close to employees' hearts.

If you volunteer 30 or more hours in a calendar year, you may be eligible to apply for a $300 grant to a nonprofit or charitable organization of your choice! 

The program runs annually, and employees can access one grant per year. Applications for this calendar year must be received by November 27, 2026.

 

--- PLEASE REVIEW ALL OF THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH YOUR APPLICATION ---

 

You're eligible to apply if:

  1. You have volunteered 30 hours or more in this calendar year with one or more charitable or nonprofit organizations, and
  2. You are a permanent, actively employed, full time or part-time EPCOR employee. Employees not eligible for this program include: contractors, temporary employees, provisional employees, employees on leave of absence.

 

Collecting your hours

  • Accumulate hours spent volunteering during your personal, unpaid time.
  • Total hours may be accumulated from a number of different volunteer opportunities.
  • Your 30 hours must be completed prior to applying for the Helping Hands Grant.
  • Hours cannot be carried over from one calendar year to the next.
  • Only hours that you have personally volunteered count toward the 30 hours. Hours volunteered by your friends or family members don't count. 
  • If you have a volunteer commitment scheduled in December (after the November application deadline), you may note this future volunteering on your application and submit it before the deadline. Your application will be processed in good faith, assuming you will complete the scheduled volunteer commitment.

What counts as volunteering?

30 hours of volunteer time in a year adds up quickly and there are many possibilities! 

Consider:

  • Fundraising (bingos, bottle drives, casinos, canvassing)
  • Being a team coach, manager, treasurer, event planner, time keeper, etc.
  • Helping out at practices and games
  • Cubs, Scouts, Girl Guides involvement
  • Mentoring
  • Helping in the classroom
  • Supervising a school dance or field trip
  • Visiting the sick or elderly
  • Providing care or support
  • Yard work or snow shoveling
  • Collecting, serving, delivering food
  • Volunteer firefighting
  • Board or committee member for non-profit organization

 

Hours NOT eligible for the program include hours volunteered for:

  • a professional association that regulates and licenses professionals, whether directly linked to your work at EPCOR or not.
  • a condo board, or another type of property owners association​​. 
  • non-profit organization as part of an EPCOR team activity that occur during your EPCOR paid time.

 

Recipient Organization Eligibility

You may direct your grant to the same organization you volunteer for or a different one. If the organization you volunteered for does not qualify to receive the Helping Hands Grant (i.e. a church), you may direct the grant to a different, qualifying organization.  

 

The organization receiving the grant must be:

  • a federally or provincially-registered nonprofit society or a registered charity.
  • addressing a community need and providing services or programs that lead to the betterment of the greater community.
  • primarily delivering programs/services in EPCOR operational countries: Canada or the United States. 

 

Grants are not awarded to:

  • Organizations that are political or religious in nature
  • Organizations primarily focused on a particular religious, social, moral, political or economic point of view
  • Lobbying or advocacy groups
  • Professional associations
  • Adult leisure pursuits such as sports or recreation organizations/teams (youth sports teams/organizations do qualify)
  • Individual pursuits
  • Organizations whose programs or services are primarily delivered in countries outside of EPCOR operations (Canada or the United States)
  • Private foundations
  • Fraternal organizations and service clubs
  • Condo associations or homeowner associations

 

Other important information

  • Cheques are sent directly to the organization in the mail. Please ensure the mailing address you enter into the application is accurate and up to date so the cheque does not become lost in the mail. The address must be for the organization and cannot be modified to an employee's residential address.
  • Once issued, the cheque must be deposited by the recipient organization within six months. After six months, the cheque becomes stale dated and cannot be re-issued.

 

Questions

Please email us with any questions at community@epcor.com​

Submit a new application