JCPenney Giving

Through our giving programs, JCPenney celebrates and serves America’s diverse working families.

JCPenney Giving

Here are some of the ways we support our communities, our associates in times of need and important causes that make a difference.

Investing in our communities

Supporting America’s diverse, working families today means offering access to skill-building and resources that allow everyone to thrive. To meet this goal, JCPenney invests in leading nonprofits making strides in three critical areas:

  • Job readiness
  • Health and well-being
  • Inclusive access to education
  • Feeding America

The first step towards health and well-being is ensuring access to nutritious food. In 2022, JCPenney joined the fight to end hunger with a $500,000 pledge over the next three years to support child hunger programs through Feeding America®, a nationwide network of 200 food banks, 21 statewide food bank associations and 60,000 partner agencies, food pantries and meal programs.


  • Mental Health America

In 2022, JCPenney Communities Foundation, along with JCPenney, contributed $100,000 to Mental Health America to support the Young Mental Health Leaders Council.


  • step up

Between 2018 and 2022, JCPenney invested over $450,000 in the mentoring nonprofit Step Up to lift up the next generation of young women leaders.

Leader Grants

JCPenney’s largest giving program, Leader Grants, invests in local nonprofits selected by each of our over 650 stores. That’s one way we help support job readiness, health and well-being and inclusive access to education, wherever JCPenney customers live and work.

Funds for Leader Grants are raised when JCPenney customers round up their purchase at check out and donate to the JCPenney Communities Foundation. In 2021, Round Up supported $1.4 million in Leader Grants for notable nonprofits throughout the country, including Boys and Girls Clubs, Communities in Schools and Big Brothers Big Sisters.

America’s diverse, working families deserve to feel respected, valued, and seen. JCPenney’s Hope & Wonder brand brings this message home by celebrating cultural observances throughout the year, such as Black History Month, Pride, Juneteenth, and National Hispanic Heritage Month. The private brand’s assortments are designed in-house by JCPenney team members from those communities being celebrated. In addition to corporate contributions, all net profits from Hope & Wonder sales are donated to nonprofits selected by JCPenney associates.

In 2022, JCPenney donated $400,000 to Hope & Wonder partners.

Supporting disaster relief

Relief organizations provide immediate support in the aftermath of natural disasters and national emergencies. That’s why JCPenney contributes to organizations that deliver emergency response and critical aid in times of crisis. In the last ten years alone, JCPenney donated over $1.1 million to the American Red Cross.


In 2022, the Company donated $2.4 million worth of apparel to The Salvation Army to benefit Hurricane Ian survivors in Florida.

The Golden Rule Relief Fund

The safety and well-being of our associates is our foremost concern. Funded by donations from associates, the Company and the JCPenney Communities Foundation, the Golden Rule Relief Fund (GRRF) provides emergency relief to fellow associates who have experienced financial hardships beyond their control.

Between 2019 and 2021 the GRRF disbursed nearly $3 million to JCPenney associates in times of need.

About JCPenney Giving

James Cash Penney

When James Cash Penney opened the Golden Rule Store in 1902, he posted his values above the door. The Golden Rule—“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”—means taking action to build positive relationships through compassionate words and deeds.

JCPenney’s Golden Rule legacy lives on in the form of James Cash Penney Volunteer Grants where associates log volunteer hours and secure grants for a nonprofit of their choice. Through these grants, JCPenney associates have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to worthy causes in their communities.

The JCPenney Communities Foundation is an integral part of JCPenney giving. More information on the Foundation can be found here.