The Rick Steves Fund

"My joy of traveling has given my life's work a mission: to educate, inspire, and equip Americans to travel smartly and thoughtfully and to bring home that best souvenir: a broader perspective. I was lucky to find my niche and spend my entire career working hard in it — the result is a booming business and financial success.

In this, my 'season of giving,' my mission has taken on a new dimension: to invest the money earned through Rick Steves' Europe in ways that reflect the worldview I've gained through my travels. I support organizations and causes that, through the lens of a traveler, make our world — both at home and abroad — a more just, cultured, and happy place. That's what the Rick Steves Fund is all about."

— Rick Steves

The Rick Steves Fund brings together the issues and causes that have long been central to Rick's personal giving, shaped by lessons learned through a lifetime of travel and a "love thy neighbor" approach. We support organizations working locally, nationally, and internationally to strengthen communities, protect civil rights, nurture democratic values, and address the root causes of poverty and injustice. Across all that we do runs a common thread: we believe we're all better off when everyone is better off.

Since 2017, this has translated to $40 million in support to organizations in the U.S. and around the world.

Our giving is mostly concentrated on four focus areas. Each one reflects a different question we care about: What does a healthy society look like? How do people move forward? Are the rules fair? How does positive change spread?

Many of the most impactful efforts we've supported cut across more than one of these questions, reflecting how interconnected these challenges often are.

We invest in: