Rick Steves’ Europe Fund – Capacity Grants
At Rick Steves’ Europe, we view travel as a potentially life-changing experience. Teaching good and thoughtful travel is our number one priority. As travel teachers, we inspire people to acquire the skills necessary to make their trip an enjoyable, economical, smooth, and rewarding experience. We strive to be “teachers first,” and encourage travelers, as well as our employees, to be thoughtful, cooperative, and respectful, be open to change and considerate of new ideas, and have a willingness to learn new skills.
Our capacity grant program is intended to enable Snohomish County nonprofits to invest in infrastructure to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their fundraising, finances, leadership, and sustainability. Basically, we want to help you work better.
We understand that many nonprofits focus their resources on supporting their direct service programs, but we believe that with strong and well-supported back offices, nonprofits can increase their capacity to serve the community.
The committee is interested in funding small grass roots organizations who have traditionally been overlooked by grant opportunities in the past. Organizations with budgets of less than $500,000 are encouraged to apply. Capital expenditures will be considered. BIPOC, refugee, immigrant, migrant and nonprofit leaders with lived experience are encouraged to apply! Click here to apply.
Grant Criteria
One-time capacity building expenditure (or, if ongoing expense, strong statement of how it will be funded in the future)
For example grants could support the following:
- Technology, Marketing or Business infrastructure
- Volunteer management
- Fundraising software or planning
- Data evaluation and collection
- Websites, computer networks or database development
- Internal systems: accounting and human resources
- Training for new systems (i.e. IT, database)
We will not fund consultants, strategic planning, new staff positions or retreats.
Click here to view the list of grant questions.
For questions regarding grants or the online grant process, contact nekya@cf-sc.org
Past awarded grants
Rick Steves Capacity Grants – Awarded – 2022
| Organization Name | Amount Awarded | Grant will pay for |
| Black Healing Fund | $3,500 | Awarded to provide computers, accounting support, and an HD camera for the culturally competent holistic nonprofit responsible for supporting diverse Snohomish County families and youth. |
| Community Health Worker Coalition for Migrant Workers and Refugees | $2,000 | Awarded to a Latinx women-led nonprofit with a mission to serve the Snohomish County migrant/refugee community. Their request will help them purchase Donor Perfect fundraising software and provide asylum resources. |
| Everett Public Schools Foundation | $2,000 | Funding this request will allow Everett Public Schools Foundation to film and share a documentary film highlighting students that will be used as a fundraising and outreach tool. |
| Leadership Launch | $5,000 | Awarded to a nonprofit with a dedicated mission to work with first-generation college-bound students and students facing hardship. This one-time grant will go a long way and allow them to purchase culturally competent fundraising software for 2 years, laptops for staff, and a projector. |
| Lift Every Voice Legacy (LEVL) | $5,000 | Awarded to the local, diverse-led nonprofit organization responsible for hosting community events that remind Snohomish County residents about the importance of celebrating MLK, Juneteenth, and other cultural events. The RSE grant allows them to purchase office equipment that will help the grassroots organization and its staff improve efficiency and increase capacity. |
| Madres de Casino Road | $2,000 | Awarded to improve their website and create a video that will highlight the Spanish-speaking youth their nonprofit serves. The video will also help them inform and raise awareness for their donors. |
| Modest Family Solutions | $5,000 | To support a faith-based, women-led nonprofit with a mission to fight against food justice and insecurity in Snohomish County. $5,000 will allow MFS to purchase fundraising and distribution inventory software. |
| Outdoor Youth Connections | $3,000 | To improve their website to attract and inform Snohomish County youth in need of invaluable outdoor education/experiences. |
| Project Girl Mentoring Program | $2,500 | To pay for and maintain Grammarly and Wix subscriptions that will help ensure their T’s are crossed and I’s are dotted while communicating with the community. The award will also help PJ purchase Air Pads for staff. |
| S.A.F.E. | $2,000 | Awarded to a Black female-led racial & social justice nonprofit responsible for supporting Stanwood/Camano Island youth and families experiencing racism. |
| Take the Next Step | $2,500 | To carry out their mission to provide community resources for local youth and families. The $2,500 award will allow them to purchase software and a database to improve volunteer management. |
| Tulalip Foundation | $1,750 | The funds will allow them to purchase equipment for staff and executive leadership who spend countless hours responding to the needs of Indigenous community members. |
Rick Steves Capacity Grants – Awarded – 2021
| Organization Name | Amount Awarded | Grant will pay for |
| Arlington Kids’ Kloset | $1,800 | This grant will be used to purchase a yearly membership to an online scheduling software for client appointments. |
| Millennia Ministries | $2,300 | 4x Apple M1 chip Mac Minicomputers, keyboards, mice. Microsoft Office 360 & Adobe Creative cloud software. |
| GAMBIAN TALENTS PROMOTION | $2,300 | Buy computers for our work station |
| Faith Lutheran Church Food Bank and Community Meal | $2,300 | Computer, accounting software, marketing software, data evaluation and collection |
| Monroe Gospel Women’s Mission | $1,500 | A new main office computer that is user friendly, capable of running contemporary software, and can accommodate video conferencing. |
| Clothes For Kids | $2,300 | Upgrade to our computer network including hardwiring internet to the workstations and purchasing at least one new computer. |
| Foundation for Sustainable Community | $2,300 | Laptops and tablets |
| All Aboard of America 1 | $2,200 | Funds to pay for updating our interior safety surveillance system. |
| Miracles and Memories Academy | $2,300 | Software that will help us manage donations, fundraise and manage volunteers. Staff pay to learn how to use software. |
| VISION CHURCH | $2,300 | IT infrastructure upgrade |
| Mountlake Terrace Community Senior Center | $2,300 | POS and cash drawer. Quickbooks online to facilitate real-time account reporting. SchedulesPlus Center Management Software and training to improve tracking and communications. Touchscreen reception computer. |
| Camp Read-a-Rama | $2,300 | We will hire a web developer to redesign our website. |
| What Happened on First Street | $3,000 | Website construction/subscription for resources and public access to the documentary; professional audio engineering to enhance the documentary sound; closed captioning to enhance accessibility. |
| Immigrant Guide | $2,300 | The completion of a comprehensive Immigrant Resource Guide platform/website Immigrant Guide is developing. The same grant will pay for the hosting of the website for at least three years. |
Rick Steves Capacity Grants-2020
$10,000 to Schack Arts Center for a new server needed to provide Zoom art classes for children and teens
Capacity Grants – Awarded – 2019
| Organization Name | Project Name |
Amount Awarded |
| Boys & Girls Club of Snohomish County | Great Futures Training Initiative | $2,400 |
| Cascadia Art Museum | Building Capacity through Fundraising Softward | $2,500 |
| Everett Museum of History | Organizational Assessment & Strategic Planning | $2,400 |
| Foundation for Sustainable Community | Planning Capital Campaign for Paradise Farm | $2,500 |
| Habitat for Humanity Snohomish County | IT Infrastructure Upgrade | $2,500 |
| Monroe Community Senior Center | Software for Data Collection and Fundraising | $2,000 |
| Snohomish Senior Center | Strategic Planning | $2,000 |
| Warm Beach Senior Community | Volunteer and Computer Lab Expansion | $2,500 |
| Work Opportunities | Strategic Planning | $850 |
| YWCA Stanwood | Stanwood Camano Youth Project Website | $2,500 |
Capacity Grants – Awarded – 2018
| Organization Name | Project Name | Amount awarded |
| Arlington Kids’ Kloset | Organization Productivity Software | $500 |
| Girls on the Run of Snohomish County | Girls on the Run National Summit | $2,500 |
| Mari’s Place | Automating Registration and Records at Mari’s Place for the Arts | $2,500 |
| Northshore Youth & Family Services | NYFS Electronic Health Records | $2,500 |
| Snohomish County Legal Services | SCLS Board of Directors Assessment, Development, and Training | $2,600 |