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Charitable matching of up to $10K now available for Apple employees

Apple this week launched a new program for its employees in which the company will match personal charitable contributions of up to $10,000 per year.

The program is currently available to full-time employees of Apple in America, but will expand to other countries in time. It was announced on Thursday in an e-mail sent out to employees by Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook, which was obtained by MacRumors

Starting September 15, money donated to a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization will be matched dollar-for-dollar by Apple. Up to $10,000 will be matched every year, should employees choose to take advantage of the program.

"Thank you all for working so hard to make a difference, both here at Apple and in the lives of others," Cook wrote to employees. "I am incredibly proud to be part of this team."

The philanthropy of Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs himself was highlighted last week by Bono, lead singer of the rock group U2. Bono felt compelled to write a letter to The New York Times to respond to an Andrew Ross Sorkin editorial entitled "The Mystery of Steve Jobs's Public Giving," in which Sorkin questioned why there is "no public record" of Jobs donating his money to charity.

Bono highlighted Apple's continuing contributions toward the fight against AIDS in Africa, which the company has supported with special red iPod models since 2006. For each unit sold, Apple donates proceeds to (Product)RED, of which Bono is a founder, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS.

The full e-mail sent out to Apple employees by Cook on Thursday is included below:

Team:

I am very happy to announce that we are kicking off a matching gift program for charitable donations. We are all really inspired by the generosity of our co-workers who give back to the community and this program is going to help that individual giving go even farther.

Starting September 15, when you give money to a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, Apple will match your gift dollar-for-dollar, up to $10,000 annually. This program will be for full-time employees in the US at first, and we'll expand it to other parts of the world over time.

Thank you all for working so hard to make a difference, both here at Apple and in the lives of others. I am incredibly proud to be part of this team.

If you'd like more information on the program, you can get it on HRWeb, which can be easily accessed through AppleWeb.

Tim