RSF Frequently Asked Questions

The Rick Steves Fund is an initiative of Rick Steves' Europe, a privately held corporation in Edmonds, WA since 1980. RSF 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 and causes that, through the lens of a traveler, make our world — both at home and abroad — a more just, cultured, and happy place. We support non-profit organizations working locally, nationally, and internationally to strengthen communities, protect civil rights, nurture democratic values, and address the root causes of poverty and injustice. We look for opportunities where a financial boost can materially strengthen a great/smart organization or expand access to the services and opportunities people need to live and work with dignity.

The best souvenir of travel is a broader perspective. Our commitment to giving back and supporting our neighbors — both here, near and far — is rooted in a simple belief: the success of our travel business should translate into a broader good. Shaped by lessons learned through a lifetime of travel, RSF puts the values we gain on the road into action to help build a better world.

Rick has long believed that supporting advocacy can be one of the most effective uses of philanthropic dollars. Advocacy is simply giving a voice to (e.g. lobbying for) a cause in the places where decisions are made. If special interests like the gun, tobacco, and pharmaceutical industries have lobbyists, the causes we care about need advocates, as well.

RSF supports 501(c)(3) organizations that educate, organize, and advocate for change on issues aligned with our mission. We do not fund political candidates, parties, or campaign committees.

The Rick Steves Fund brings together many of the issues and causes that have long been central to Rick's philanthropy. Since 2017, this has translated to $40 million in support to organizations in the United States and around the world.

We believe good citizenship means active citizenship. Democracy depends on citizens who are willing to (and free to) engage in difficult questions. It also means recognizing that progress often comes through constructive disagreement, not unanimity. We won't all reach the same conclusions, but a healthy democracy requires us to wrestle with difficult issues together. While this may occasionally put us at odds with our government and some might call this "America bashing" we see it as "America loving"… a way to live up to those much-vaunted ideals we all want to be proud of.

No. RSF is privately funded. If you'd like to get involved, many of the organizations we support offer meaningful ways to learn more, volunteer, advocate, and contribute to their work directly. You can also make a tax-deductible donation to our Climate Smart Commitment through the National Philanthropic Trust or to a variety of local organizations through the Community Foundation of Snohomish County.

Most of our grants support organizations we've come to know over time or learn about through trusted partners. While our application process is largely through invitation, we also reserve a portion of our funding each year to consider new organizations and ideas that come to us through our open application process.

Requests may be submitted through the online request forms. It must come from a 501(c)(3) organization or affiliated program with a valid EIN. We do not accept requests by phone, mail, or email.

While there are far more causes than we can support, we value hearing from people working to make a difference. Thank you for taking the time to submit a request and for understanding that we're not able to respond to every application individually. We'll reach out if we think there may be a good fit.

We do not fund:

• support for individuals or crowdfunding campaigns
• animal shelters or humane societies
• disaster relief
• disease-related causes, medical research, and hospitals
• educational or travel scholarships
• political candidates and campaign committees

It's not that these aren't important causes, but for us to get the most done with our philanthropic dollars, we need to stay focused on our existing priorities. Just like we can't see everything in one trip, we can't support every worthy cause.

We regularly share updates, articles, and news at Rick Steves Fund. We also invite you to subscribe to Rick Steves' Travel News, Rick's free, monthly e-newsletter.

If you have a question or something you'd like to share, we'd love to hear from you. While we can't reply to every message, we do read and appreciate each one. Thank you for taking the time to reach out.