Background
The Home Depot Foundation was established in 2011 as a public charity that works in cooperation with the U.S. government initially to address the housing conditions of military veterans and provide help to communities that had gone through a disaster (“The Home Depot Foundation,” 2018). Today, the Foundation’s operations are divided into the following categories:
- National Partner Grants Program;
- Veteran Housing Grants Program;
- Community Impact Grants Program;
- Disaster Relief Program;
- Team Depot.
Partners and Resources
The organization cooperates with a small group of the United States’ of the most engaged non-profit partners in general community improvement work as well as addressing the challenges that veterans and populations impacted by natural disasters face (“The Home Depot Foundation,” 2018). Key partners include the American Red Cross, Convoy of Hope, Habitat for Humanity International, Meals on Wheels America, Operation Blessing, and several others.
Since community impact is a large part of the Foundation’s operations, it will be examined in greater detail. Up to $5,000 is given out in grants to designated organizations and public services agencies exempt from paying taxes to fund projects targeted at community improvement. In general, grants are financed through Home Depot gift cards that organizations can use to buy materials, tools, or fund services they need to complete. The target population of the community improvement programs are veterans, with more than 37,000 homes and public facilitates updated to improve the lives of those who served the United States in the battlefield (“Honoring our veterans,” 2018).
The need for the veterans-based community improvement programs emerged because of the decreased quality of their lives associated with posttraumatic stress disorder, unemployment, poor adjustability in the society, the lack of financial support and others (Oppezzo et al., 2016). Based on the report from the Home Depot Foundation, veteran support is conducted through a volunteer force, with all people, interested in the participation of community improvement projects, welcomed to devote their time and energy.
Impact
The impact of community improvement programs that the Home Depot Foundation implements is expected to be long-term and sustainable, especially given the increasing number of partners that collaborate with the organization to provide localized aid to veterans. Accomplishments and goals for the upcoming years that the Foundation reported include:
- More than 37,000 homes and facilities improved since 2011;
- 3,840 cities improved through the organization’s support since 2011;
- The goal quarter of a billion dollars in commitment to veteran causes reached two years earlier (in 2018 instead of 2010);
- $50 million committed to training 20,000 tradespeople by 2028 (“Community,” 2018).
The Foundation has a strong online presence, which aligns with its mission to engage as many people as possible into giving back to their local communities and helping veterans in particular. The organization has accounts on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook, enabling followers and subscribers to engage in the conversation about community improvement programs. Also, there is a dedicated web resource that has the latest news on the Foundation’s accomplishments and reports on its future goals.
Conclusion
Overall, the Home Depot Foundation is a valuable contributor to community improvement initiatives implemented on the US-wide level. The Foundation collaborates with respected non-profit organizations that have proved their trustworthiness on a global scale. The specific focus on veterans’ life improvement should be noted because this target population is continuously struggling with various emotional and socioeconomic problems that can be improved through the provision of adequate housing and supplementary facilities.
References
Community. (2018). Web.
The Home Depot Foundation. (2018). Web.
Honoring our veterans. (2018). Web.
Oppezzo, M. A., Michalek, A. K., Delucchi, K., Baiocchi, M. T. M., Barnett, P. G., & Prochaska, J. J. (2016). Health-related quality of life among veterans in addictions treatment: Identifying behavioral targets for future intervention. Quality of Life Research : An International Journal of Quality of Life Aspects of Treatment, Care and Rehabilitation, 25(8), 1949-1957.