Best Buy employees are important to us!

In the early 2000’s, Best Buy’s Founder Richard “Dick” Schulze began a company-wide program to help employees during times of great hardship. Today, Mr. Schulze’s family foundation continues to fully fund this program for employees impacted by federally qualified disasters.

Mr. Schulze believes Best Buy employees are the backbone of the company’s success. His ongoing financial support of Best Buy employees during times of great hardship conveys his appreciation for all that those employees have meant to him personally, to his family and to the company.

If you have been employed by Best Buy for at least a year and are impacted by a 
federally declared natural disaster, you may be eligible to receive financial support.

Please review the information below before submitting an application.

  • Were you employed by Best Buy or one of its subsidiaries for at least one year of collective service at the time of the disaster?
  • Is your residence in close proximity to the disaster?
  • Have you personally experienced damage caused by a federally qualified disaster:
    • a presidentially-declared disaster, or
    • a disaster resulting from terrorist or military actions, or
    • a disaster resulting from an accident involving a common carrier, or
    • a disaster that the Secretary of Treasury determines is catastrophic.
    • Find all federally declared disasters here.
  • Can you demonstrate financial need for assistance?
  • You have not applied for this same disaster before now?
  • Are you applying within five (5) months of the date the disaster is declared? (Note: Some applications will require additional verification from the store’s General Manager.)

If you can answer yes to the above questions, you are eligible to apply.

The Disaster Relief Fund may provide direct assistance to eligible individuals for any federally qualified disaster; assistance is defined within Section 139 of the IRS code and includes:

  • reasonable and necessary personal, family, living (food, clothing, medical assistance, psychological counseling) or funeral expenses incurred as a result of a qualified disaster;
  • reasonable and necessary expenses incurred for the repair or rehabilitation of a personal residence due to a qualified disaster (a personal residence can be a rented residence or one you own); and
  • reasonable and necessary expenses incurred for the repair or replacement of the contents of a personal residence due to a qualified declared disaster.
  1.  Immediate Cash Assistance. This assistance is limited to $1,000 per employee.  You might be eligible if you have urgent needs arising within seven days of a qualifying disaster.  Store managers and other supervisory personnel work with RMSFF to communicate what employees may be eligible for immediate cash assistance.  Check with your store manager or supervisor to see if you qualify for immediate cash assistance.

    Examples of circumstances that qualify for immediate cash assistance:
    • an evacuation expense;
    • a medical emergency associated with the disaster;
    • food, lodging and other necessities associated with relocation.

  2. Relief Fund Assistance. This assistance attempts to moderate the financial hardship inflicted on a Best Buy employee due to a qualifying natural disaster over and above what insurance or any form of public assistance might provide. Employees may apply for relief fund assistance through our online portal.
  • A selection committee reviews and makes an award determination on all eligible requests for relief fund assistance.
  • Applicants are notified of their application’s status. The selection committee considers all requests.
  • The current maximum award to applicants is $5,000 for full-time employees and $2,500 for part-time.
  • The fund has limited resources available to award.
  • The relief program may be changed or canceled at any time.
  • income replacement payments, such as
    • payments of lost wages,
    • lost business income, or
    • unemployment compensation,
  • secondary residences;
  • vehicles; or
  • fences.

If you are eligible and the support available could help meet your needs, apply here.

The Disaster Relief Fund is under no obligation to award the total amount requested. The list of damages provided in this application should only include those damages not covered by insurance, FEMA or other assistance.