An Employee Assistance Fund (EAF), also known as an Employee Relief Fund or an Employee Crisis Fund, is a program to help employees cope with unexpected hardships that place undue financial stress on them and their families. A leading way to distribute EAF funds is through an external nonprofit partner that increases the flexibility of what hardships the fund can cover, as well as lowers the administrative burden to the company.
Many employers establish these funds to assist their employees with the financial challenges these types of events present. Helping employees allows employees to recover more quickly, demonstrates a company's care for employees and commitment to their well-being, and provides co-workers an opportunity to help their colleagues.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, a leading resource for businesses dedicated to making a difference, and America’s Charities, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership-based nonprofit that inspires employees and organizations to support causes they care about, are partnering to provide employers with the support they need to offer EAFs for their employees. The U.S. Chamber Foundation and America's Charities are ideal partners for external EAF management services as they have decades of experience supporting corporate investments in employees and communities.
By working with the U.S. Chamber Foundation and America’s Charities, your company can provide support to employees in times of distress and hardship, wherever they are located – in-person at your office or remote at home, in the U.S. or internationally. Each EAF is tailored to the parameters and qualifications provided by the company, ensuring it aligns with its corporate values and culture.
The national EAF program has processed over 14,000 applicants, which is a distribution of more than $16M in funds to about 500,000 employees thus far in 2020.