CEC Cares Employee Relief Fund

The CEC Cares Employee Relief Fund is designed to provide short-term assistance to employees experiencing severe financial need due to unexpected and unavoidable emergencies. The CEC Cares Employee Relief Fund may provide short-term assistance to employees experiencing severe financial hardship due to unexpected and unavoidable emergencies.  Eligible applicants must be a CEC Entertainment employee at the time of the crisis event in order to be eligible to apply.  Documentation of the emergency or crisis event will be required.

The CEC Cares Employee Relief Fund is administered by the Tulsa Community Foundation, an organization specializing in the administration of emergency assistance and disaster relief funds for employees. Applications are confidential and identifying details of the crisis are never shared with CEC Entertainment.

Program Guidelines

Eligible to Apply: CEC Entertainment employees are eligible to apply for assistance. 

In the event of an unexpected and unavoidable emergency that causes severe financial hardship, CEC Entertainment employees may apply for assistance within the following categories and qualifications:

• • Home Catastrophe/Natural Disaster – Amount of Grant: Up to $2,000 (One award per employee per calendar year)
    Assistance after a natural or localized disaster has destroyed the employee’s personal residence, rendered it unlivable or it is otherwise in need of costly repairs, in excess of insurance, after the disaster (hurricane, fire, flood, tornado, mudslide, etc.).

• • Funeral or Emergency Travel for Immediate Family – Amount of Grant: Up to $3,000 (Two awards per employee per calendar year)
    Assistance for those who have incurred the loss of an immediate family member*, if the employee is financially responsible for funeral arrangements and no other resources exist. For employees who must travel to visit or care for a terminally ill immediate family member or escort a critically ill immediate family member to an out-of-state medical facility.  (*Immediate Family Defined: Legal spouse/civil-union partner; children; step-children; legal ward; parent; step-parent; legal guardian sibling.)

• • Medical Emergency (emergency hospitalization, injury, etc.) – Amount of Grant: Up to $1,000 (Two awards per employee per calendar year)
    For employees who have encountered financial hardships due to medical emergencies in the household (injury, hospitalization, loss of income during medical emergency, etc.).

• • Military Deployment – Amount of Grant: Up to $750 (Two awards per employee per calendar year) 
    Assistance with unexpected expenses due to employee or spouse’s sudden military deployment (combat duty or guard duty).
  • Personal Emergency (theft, partner laid off, acts of violence, emergency home repair) – Amount of Grant: Up to $2,000 (One award per employee per calendar year)
    For employees who have encountered financial hardships for unexpected, unavoidable reasons beyond their control (spouse’s layoff, unexpected loss of income, non-routine vehicle or home repair that restricts ability of applicant to care for self and household, etc.).

Documentation will be requested from each applicant. Please remember that not all emergencies will warrant the maximum assistance. Additional information and documentation examples are available here.

Note: To comply with IRS conditions, program guidelines restrict assistance to employees experiencing severe financial need due to specific unexpected, unavoidable emergencies which can be documented. While all emergencies and financial hardships are unfortunate, incidents outside of program guidelines cannot be approved.

Upon approval, grant recipients are typically mailed a check made payable to the vendor requesting payment (i.e. landlord, utility company, contractor, etc.). We understand that each situation is unique so please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions. 

Situations that will NOT be Considered: Elective bills; bills related to routine vehicle repairs; child support payments by applicant; expenses/bills resulting from divorce or separation; attorney fees; medical expenses not related to medical emergencies; situations related to extended family members; or garnishments of an employee’s paycheck due to past debt. Additional information is available here.