The Home Depot is an American-based retailer that specializes in home improvement and construction products. It is headquartered in Cobb County, Georgia and was originally founded in 1978 by Bernard Marcus, Arthur Blank, and Pat Farrah. Home Depot has over 371,000 employees and had revenue numbers of more than $83 billion last year alone. In terms of its revenue, Home Depot is ranked as the top home improvement retailer in the entire United States, ahead of some of its biggest competitors and rivals.
The chain of stores also stretches internationally, with Home Depots in both Mexico and Canada. The Home Depot Foundation was created in 2002 and is the philanthropic arm of the company. Since its inception, it has contributed more than $200 million in money, supplies, labor, and time in various charities and initiatives that align with its mission of improving and helping members of the community.
The Home Depot Foundation provides funds and assistance for causes such as Habitat for Humanity, playground construction organization KaBOOM!, and City of Hope National Medical Center. The Foundation also extensively supports all of our troops and members of the armed forces and they display this with a ten percent military discount at all stores.
The Homer Fund is a charity that was founded in 1999 in celebration of The Home Depot’s 20th anniversary. The Homer Fund was originally started in order to make a positive change and impact on employees’ lives, whether it be providing shelter after a natural disaster, or helping to cover funeral costs after the loss of a loved one. As the Homer Fund evolved and grew its initiatives, it recognized that while higher education is extremely important for future generations of their associates, it is oftentimes very expensive and therefore not affordable.
In 2006, the Homer Fund decided to expand their programs in order to help make a difference in this focus area. As a result of this new focus, they created the Orange Scholars Scholarship Program. The Orange Scholars Program was founded to assist associates’ children pursue their dreams of attending college based on financial need, academic performance, and community involvement. Since its inception, the Homer Fund has distributed more than $19 million in scholarships to over 8,500 students in order to help them follow their passions and complete their goals.
In order to be considered for this scholarship, the applicant must be the dependent of a full-time or part-time associate of The Home Depot. The student must be a current high school senior planning to attend an accredited two-year or four-year college or university or a current college freshman, sophomore, or junior that is planning to enroll as a full-time undergraduate in the fall. The Orange Scholars Program Scholarship is awarded to over 1,000 qualified students each year in various amounts up to $2,500. The application, and all required materials, must be submitted and received by January 25th in order to be considered. Find the application, as well as more information online.