--- description: And matching employees' contributions 2-for-1 title: Apple Making ‘Substantial’ Donation to Aid Migrants in Europe image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt30971136479c4a64/69886450ab6d77d6456a639d/gettyimages-487392310.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Companies](/tag/companies/) ## Companies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Apple Making 'Substantial' Donation to Aid Migrants in Europe by [Benjamin Snyder](/author/fortune/) ## Benjamin Snyder Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 18, 2015 8:36 PM CUT  Apple CEO Tim Cook waves as he arrives on stage during an Apple Special Event on at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium September 9, 2015 in San Francisco, California. Apple CEO Tim Cook waves as he arrives on stage during an Apple Special Event on at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium September 9, 2015 in San Francisco, California.Stephen Lam—Getty Images by [Benjamin Snyder](/author/fortune/) ## Benjamin Snyder Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 18, 2015 8:36 PM CUT Tim Cook said in an email to Apple staff on Friday that the company is making a “substantial” donation to aid refugees in Europe, BuzzFeed [reports](http://www.buzzfeed.com/johnpaczkowski/tim-cook-says-apple-is-making-a-substantial-donation-to-refu?utm%5Fterm=.oi069madY#.gv2rEKdz3 "undefined"). “As we’ve all seen and read in the news, millions of people from Syria and other Middle Eastern countries have fled their homes because of war and persecution,” Cook wrote. “Europe, where many hope to find safety, is experiencing a refugee crisis on a scale that hasn’t been seen since World War II. “Our hearts go out to these refugees, and many of you have asked how we can help,” Cook added. Apple is supporting 2-for-1 matches of contributions from Apple employees to the Red Cross. Additionally, the company is promoting the Red Cross online and in the App Store. Via BuzzFeed, here’s Cook’s email in full: --- > “” --- Cook’s move is another that separates him from his predecessor, Steve Jobs. Under Jobs, Apple was [notably](http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/08/29/the-mystery-of-steve-jobss-public-giving/ "undefined") unenthusiastic about philanthropy efforts. Cook, meanwhile, has been a vocal leader on social issues. Earlier in the year, Cook [came out publicly as gay](http://fortune.com/tag/tim-cook-shares-hes-gay/ "undefined"), while Apple [publicly supported the Equality Act of 2015](http://fortune.com/2015/07/24/apple-dow-levi-strauss-support-lgbt-bill/ "undefined"). As several technology commentators have noted recently, Jobs himself was the son of a Syrian refugee. Other technology companies, including Google, are also working to help refugees seeking a better life in Europe. For more on Cook, check out [this in-depth feature on his leadership strategy](http://fortune.com/2015/03/26/tim-cook/ "undefined") by _Fortune’s_ Adam Lashinsky. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4041101/apple-refugee-donations-migrants/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4041101/apple-refugee-donations-migrants/"},"headline":"Apple Making 'Substantial' Donation to Aid Migrants in Europe","datePublished":"2015-09-18T20:36:59.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:06:38.753Z","description":"And matching employees' contributions 2-for-1","url":"https://time.com/4041101/apple-refugee-donations-migrants/","keywords":["Companies","Tech","Apple","Refugees","Tim cook"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt30971136479c4a64/69886450ab6d77d6456a639d/gettyimages-487392310.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Benjamin Snyder"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt30971136479c4a64/69886450ab6d77d6456a639d/gettyimages-487392310.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Apple Unveils New Versions Of iPhone 6, Apple TV","caption":"Apple Unveils New Versions Of iPhone 6, Apple TV","creditText":"Stephen Lam—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/companies/","name":"Companies"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4041101/apple-refugee-donations-migrants/","name":"Apple Making 'Substantial' Donation to Aid Migrants in Europe"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Know Right Now: Migrant Crisis","description":"Germany and France are calling for a unified EU response to the growing refugee crisis in Europe","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/Um65XvJC/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-08-25T14:41:02.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Um65XvJC.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4041101/apple-refugee-donations-migrants/","duration":"PT1M1S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4041101/apple-refugee-donations-migrants/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```