Philanthropy

Grants

Western Digital partners with nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) around the world to support programs in STEM education, hunger relief, and the environment. Through a competitive grant process, we fund organizations aligned with our philanthropic focus areas serving the communities in which we operate. Please review our two programs below, one for U.S. based organizations and another for organizations based outside of the U.S.

U.S. Community Grants

Western Digital considers applications from nonprofit organizations and public schools offering programs or services in alignment with our philanthropic focus areas.

• STEM Education: Organizations providing opportunities for underrepresented and/or underserved K-12 youth
  
• Hunger Relief: Innovative programs focused on alleviating hunger in our local communities
  
• Environment: Work in environmental preservation and/or conservation, and the public education of such issues
   

The geographical locations we currently fund in the U.S. include:

• Greater Bay Area, CA (Alameda, Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Cruz counties)
  
• Orange County, CA
• Boulder County, CO
• El Paso County, CO
• Olmsted County, MN
  
  

Proposals are reviewed by Western Digital employee grant committees twice a year. Our U.S. community grant awards generally range between $7,500 - $20,000.

To best honor our commitment to the communities we serve during the COVID-19 pandemic, Western Digital has revised our grant program to an invite only basis. Nonprofit organizations and public schools offering programs aligned with our focus areas will receive an invitation from Western Digital to apply for funding through a competitive application process a week before the grant application opens. Prior to applying, we ask all requestors to review our Global Giving Guidelines for complete details on our giving policies.

We offer two application periods each year; organizations seeking funding may apply once in any 12-month period. Community grant awards are limited to one per organization, per year. Organizations receiving three consecutive years of funding will be required to cycle out for one year before applying for additional funding.

Grant Application Acceptance Dates
Round 1: December 1 -January 15
Round 2: June 1 – July 15

For nonprofits that have been invited to submit a proposal, your unique application link will be available through an email invitation. 

Global Community Grants

Western Digital considers applications for grants to Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) whose programs align with our philanthropic focus areas:

• STEM Education: Organizations providing opportunities for underrepresented and/or underserved K-12 youth
  
• Hunger Relief: Innovative programs focused on alleviating hunger in our local communities
  
• Environment: Work in environmental preservation and conservation, and the public education of such issues
  
  

We currently consider grant requests from the following countries outside of the U.S.:

• India
  
• Israel
  
• Japan
  
• Malaysia
  
• Philippines
  
• Thailand
  
  

This program offers the opportunity for qualifying organizations to apply for funding from Western Digital via a competitive application process. Priority consideration is given to organizations offering programs/services in proximity to Western Digital offices and facilities.

Prior to beginning the application process, please review our Global Giving Guidelines for complete details on our giving policies. In addition to our guidelines, applicants must be able to exhibit tax-exempt status equivalent to U.S. IRS 501c3 status.

The Global Grant application process begins with a Letter of Inquiry. Western Digital will consider inquiries from NGOs that meet all our guidelines, including alignment with our philanthropic focus areas and geographic restrictions. Letters of Inquiry should be submitted in English and include:

• Name of the requesting organization
• Full contact information for the primary contact of the organization
• Brief description of the organization requesting funding
• Name of the program or project for which you are seeking funding
• Country in which the program or project will take place
• Brief description of the program or project
• Anticipated amount of funding that would be requested
  
  

Please send all Letters of Inquiry to GlobalGivingandDoing@wdc.com. Letters are accepted on a rolling quarterly basis. If your inquiry is approved for further consideration, you will be notified and provided an invitation to complete a full grant application.

Questions?

For additional information please contact GlobalGivingandDoing@wdc.com

Our Partners

Western Digital partners with Benevity to process our grant applications and to power our employee volunteer and giving programs around the world. If you are interested in seeking support from Western Digital, we highly recommend registering your organization with Benevity to help streamline our consideration of your partnership.

Funding for our grants program is provided through the Western Digital Fund, a corporate advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

The Western Digital Scholarship Program was established in 2018 to help realize the potential of future scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians, as well as the dependents of our talented workforce. The global scholarship program has awarded more than $3 million in scholarships to encourage and assist students whose educational opportunities will be expanded by financial assistance.

Western Digital scholarships are one-time awards. The maximum award per recipient is $5,000 USD with a lifetime maximum of two awards.

Western Digital has a long-standing commitment to helping others in times of natural disaster. When a natural disaster afflicts areas where the company operates or employees and their families live, Western Digital swiftly acts by providing financial contributions to relief efforts.

Our employees around the globe rise up during times of disaster as well, and their generous financial contributions toward relief efforts are often matched dollar-for-dollar by the company.

Volunteerism is at the heart of Western Digital’s efforts to make a significant impact in the world. Throughout the year and around the globe our employees come together to volunteer in hundreds of ways, supporting causes they care about the most. You’ll often find us:

• Teaching and mentoring underrepresented students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education
  
• Packing meals to support hunger relief worldwide
  
• Planting trees and picking up trash to help preserve the environment
  

When volunteer activities are accomplished as a team, Western Digital employees are not only supporting the organization with their time and efforts, they also earn a cash grant for the non-profit partner.