EX-10.17





 Exhibit 10.17 

JOANN INC. 

NON-EMPLOYEE DIRECTOR COMPENSATION
POLICY 
 Non-employee members of the board of directors (the
“Board”) of JOANN Inc. (the “Company”) shall be eligible to receive cash and equity compensation as set forth in this Non-Employee Director Compensation Policy
(this “Policy”). The cash and equity compensation described in this Policy shall be paid or be made, as applicable, automatically and without further action of the Board, to each member of the Board who is not an employee of
the Company or any parent or subsidiary of the Company (each, a “Non-Employee Director”) who may be eligible to receive such cash or equity compensation, unless such Non-Employee Director declines the receipt of such cash or equity compensation by written notice to the Company. This Policy shall become effective after the effectiveness of the Company’s initial public
offering (the “IPO”) and shall remain in effect until it is revised or rescinded by further action of the Board. This Policy may be amended, modified or terminated by the Board at any time in its sole discretion and if such
IPO does not occur on or prior to January 1, 2022 this Policy shall be void ab initio. The terms and conditions of this Policy shall supersede any prior cash and/or equity compensation arrangements for service as a member of the Board
between the Company and any of its Non-Employee Directors and between any subsidiary of the Company and any of its non-employee directors. 

1. Cash Compensation. 

(a) Annual Retainers. Each Non-Employee Director shall receive an annual retainer of $70,000 for
service on the Board. 
 (b) Additional Annual Retainers. In addition, a Non-Employee Director
shall receive the following annual retainers: 
 (i) Audit Committee. A Non-Employee Director
serving as Chairperson of the Audit Committee shall receive an additional annual retainer of $25,000 for such service. A Non-Employee Director serving as a member of the Audit Committee (other than the
Chairperson) shall receive an additional annual retainer of $12,500 for such service. 
 (ii) Compensation Committee. A Non-Employee Director serving as Chairperson of the Compensation Committee shall receive an additional annual retainer of $20,000 for such service. A Non-Employee Director
serving as a member of the Compensation Committee (other than the Chairperson) shall receive an additional annual retainer of $10,000 for such service. 

(iii) Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. A Non-Employee Director serving as
Chairperson of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee shall receive an additional annual retainer of $15,000 for such service. A Non-Employee Director serving as a member of the Nominating and
Corporate Governance Committee (other than the Chairperson) shall receive an additional annual retainer of $7,500 for such service. 
 (c)
Payment of Retainers. The annual retainers described in Sections 1(a) and 1(b) shall be earned on a quarterly basis based on a calendar quarter and shall be paid by the Company in arrears not later than the fifteenth day following the end of
each calendar quarter. In the event a Non-Employee Director does not serve as a Non-Employee Director, or in the applicable positions described in Section 1(b), for
an entire calendar quarter, such Non-Employee 












 
Director shall receive a prorated portion of the retainer(s) otherwise payable to such Non-Employee Director for such calendar quarter pursuant to Sections
1(a) and 1(b), with such prorated portion determined by multiplying such otherwise payable retainer(s) by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of days during which the Non-Employee Director serves
as a Non-Employee Director or in the applicable positions described in Section 1(b) during the applicable calendar quarter and the denominator of which is the number of days in the applicable calendar
quarter. 
 2. Equity Compensation. Non-Employee Directors shall be granted the equity awards
described below. The awards described below shall be granted under and shall be subject to the terms and provisions of the Company’s 2021 Equity Incentive Plan or any other applicable Company equity incentive plan then-maintained by the Company
(such plan, as may be amended from time to time, the “Equity Plan”) and shall be granted subject to the execution and delivery of award agreements, including attached exhibits, in substantially the forms previously approved
by the Board. All applicable terms of the Equity Plan apply to this Policy as if fully set forth herein, and all equity grants hereunder are subject in all respects to the terms of the Equity Plan. 

(a) IPO Awards. Each Non-Employee Director who (i) serves on the Board as of the date the
IPO price of the shares of the Company’s common stock is established in connection with the Company’s IPO (the “Pricing Date”) and (ii) will continue to serve as a
Non-Employee Director immediately following the Pricing Date shall be automatically granted, on the Pricing Date, an award of restricted stock units that have an aggregate fair value on the date of grant of
$125,000 (as determined in accordance with FASB Accounting Codification Topic 718 (“ASC 718”) and subject to adjustment as provided in the Equity Plan in each case). 

(b) Annual Awards. Each Non-Employee Director who (i) serves on the Board as of the date of
any annual meeting of the Company’s stockholders (an “Annual Meeting”) after the Pricing Date and (ii) will continue to serve as a Non-Employee Director immediately following
such Annual Meeting shall be automatically granted, on the date of such Annual Meeting, an award of restricted stock units that have an aggregate fair value on the date of such Annual Meeting of $125,000 (as determined in accordance with ASC 718 and
with the number of shares of common stock underlying such award subject to adjustment as provided in the Equity Plan). The awards described in this Section 2(b) shall be referred to as the “Annual Awards.” For the
avoidance of doubt, a Non-Employee Director elected for the first time to the Board at an Annual Meeting shall receive only an Annual Award in connection with such election, and shall not receive any Initial
Award on the date of such Annual Meeting as well. 
 (c) Initial Awards. Except as otherwise determined by the Board, each Non-Employee Director who is initially elected or appointed to the Board after the Pricing Date on any date other than the date of an Annual Meeting shall be automatically granted, on the date of such Non-Employee Director’s initial election or appointment (such Non-Employee Director’s “Start Date”), an award of restricted stock units that
have an aggregate fair value on such Non-Employee Director’s Start Date equal to the product of (i) $125,000 (as determined in accordance with ASC 718) and (ii) a fraction, the numerator of which is
(x) 365 minus (y) the number of days in the period beginning on the date of the Annual Meeting immediately preceding such Non-Employee Director’s Start Date (or, if no such Annual Meeting has
occurred, the effective date of the Company’s IPO) and ending on such Non-Employee Director’s Start Date and the denominator of 

  
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which is 365 (with the number of shares of common stock underlying each such award subject to adjustment as provided in the Equity Plan). The awards described in this Section 2(c) shall be
referred to as “Initial Awards.” For the avoidance of doubt, no Non-Employee Director shall be granted more than one Initial Award. 

(d) Termination of Employment of Employee Directors. Members of the Board who are employees of the Company or any parent or subsidiary
of the Company who subsequently terminate their employment with the Company and any parent or subsidiary of the Company and remain on the Board will not receive an Initial Award pursuant to Section 2(c) above, but to the extent that they are
otherwise eligible, will be eligible to receive, after termination from employment with the Company and any parent or subsidiary of the Company, Annual Awards as described in Section 2(b) above. 

(e) Vesting of Awards Granted to Non-Employee Directors. Each IPO Award shall vest and become
exercisable on the first anniversary of the date of grant, subject to the Non-Employee Director continuing in service on the Board through the applicable vesting date, and each Annual Award and Initial Award
shall vest and become exercisable on the earlier of (i) the day immediately preceding the date of the first Annual Meeting following the date of grant and (ii) the first anniversary of the date of grant, subject to the Non-Employee Director continuing in service on the Board through the applicable vesting date. No portion of an IPO Award, Annual Award or Initial Award that is unvested or unexercisable at the time of a Non-Employee Director’s termination of service on the Board shall become vested and exercisable thereafter. All of a Non-Employee Director’s IPO Awards, Annual
Awards and Initial Awards shall vest in full immediately prior to the occurrence of a Change in Control (as defined in the Equity Plan), to the extent outstanding at such time. 

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