Our mission is to unite travel industry professionals to fund human initiatives that support education, inclusivity, and community.
Our power lies in our number, and every donation fuels an existing project or individual. Together, let’s leverage the charitable power of the travel industry!
Our promise is that the money you trust us with is allocated to vetted, established projects. As such, our Board and Committees review requests for donations and grants, identify the strongest proposals, and ask you, our generous Avancers, to help choose the causes we should support. 100% of your donation goes towards the causes we advance. Read more here: Funding Explained.
Every year, the money we raise among the travel industry is distributed to four pillars: emergency help (natural disasters, human crisis, etc.), disadvantaged youth, the LGBTQ community, and underserved groups.
Emergency Relief
AVANCE Collective is committed to supporting areas and population in crisis with a special emergency fund. Each year, when applicable, a portion of all proceeds is distributed to vetted programs and charities helping impacted communities survive and rebuild after a fire, hurricane, or health or human crisis.
Future Travel Professionals
The travel industry offers a rewarding path for anyone seeking financial stability and professional advancement. Too often, prospective students have to make choices and compromises when it comes to higher education. Our goal is to facilitate access to our industry to deserving youth via local initiatives and grants. This may take the form of support with tuition, lodging, software, etc. We are working with the Dedman College of Hospitality at FSU to make hospitality training more approachable.
The LGBTQ Community
No industry is more welcoming to the LGBTQ community than the travel industry. Rather than taking it for granted, we recognize it and want to ensure every LGBTQ person is given the same chances. This year's recipient charity is The Trevor Project. LGBTQ young people are four times more likely to attempt suicide, and suicide remains the second leading cause of death among all young people in the U.S. The Trevor Project is a nonprofit that provides suicide prevention and crisis intervention services for LGBTQ youth.
Underserved Groups
Across the planet, small communities live close to the poverty line. Entrepreneurship is a unique way to build communities and improve the quality of life of many. Through nonprofit micro-credit, AVANCE Collective supports initiatives near locales we travel to, operate in, or dream of. Our trusted partner is Kiva. Kiva lenders (including AVANCE Collective) crowdfund an average of $2.5 million in loans each week, creating a unique, renewable pool of funds that is reshaping access to financial services around the world.