Thank you!

Why the GreatEscape Foundation?

We believe that people want to do some good. We believe that people want to return the favor of their good fortunes and help others, but sometimes lack the tools to complete their good intentions. We created the GreatEscape Foundation to give people the tools, knowledge and method to help others help themselves.

We believe the combination of our Foundation’s twin giving strategies—helping to provide elementary school educations to the youth of the world (both boys and especially girls) and providing seed money micro-loans to budding entrepreneurs—will, can and does, help our Foundation’s many recipients in their own great escape from poverty and dependence. They are simple, proven and effective strategies for the development of one person and one family at a time.

The Global Scavenger Hunt has lofty goals for helping international causes in association with our annual travel adventure competition. Our philosophy is that by giving back to our communities—and in our traveler’s case, the global village in which we reside, work and play—is an important aspect of the any Good Neighbor Policy.

Trusting strangers in strange lands is our event’s unofficial motto and helping strangers in strange lands is our Foundation’s goal.

The organizers, corporate sponsors, event suppliers, media outlets, travel partners, advisory board, producers and contestants involved with annual The Global Scavenger Hunt™ travel adventure event, will all be given the opportunity to assist us in our fundraising efforts for our noble cause-related goals as best they can. We hope that they all seize that opportunity, as participation in giving makes one’s participation in the event more gratifying—knowing you had fun making an impact in other people’s lives doing the right thing. A little does go a long way!

Your participation and tax deductibility?
The GreatEscape Foundation, as mentioned, is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) California-based nonprofit organization, and as a result, depending your level of participation in our fundraising activities, aspects of your costs involved in participating in The Global Scavenger Hunt™ may be tax deductible. (Please consult your tax advisor or accountant for full details about what portion of your fees and other expenses are may be tax-deductible* to the extent allowed by law.)

How will we collectively raise our annual goal?
We believe in the best of people and teams participating in The Global Scavenger Hunt™ will be given the opportunity to (and it is wholly optional) help secure a single US dollar, in walkathon-like pledges, on a per kilometer traveled basis. Therefore: 15 two-person Teams traveling on the event’s 40,000-kilometer around-the-world route at US$1.00 per kilometer equals US$40,000 raised per Team. And potentially US$600,000 could be raised in total for the GreatEscape Foundation for this year’s event. Now that would impact a lot of lives!

We of course will be providing Team members with additional details and empowering tools as requested. We can also partner with you in helping rustle up some fun media attention in your local areas that could help you in your noble endeavors.

Win a free trip?
As an added incentive to help us help others assist in the GreatEscape Foundation’s ongoing fundraising efforts, The Global Scavenger Hunt Team that raises the most funds, over and above each Team’s goal of US$40,000, will automatically be entered into our next scheduled event (TBA) with all their Teams entry fees waived!

(Please Note: Although our special incentive is at least a US$28,000 value, this prize has NO cash value, it is NOT transferable and both Teammates must participate for it to apply. The Team that raises the most funds will also have a special set of Terms & Conditions to sign to claim their free trip to participate.)

We have our own charity we’d like the GreatEscape Foundation to support?
We are happy to use your efforts and our event to help raise funds to help others; so, if your charity has international appeal and fits with our well-established and long-term GreatEscape Foundation’s twin humanitarian philosophies, we would be happy to consider your cause with an eye towards integrating it into our event’s fundraising efforts. Please contact us at: GEFoundation [at] globalscavengerhunt.com.

Thank you for your support and interest!

*Tax deductibility: U.S. Federal Tax Law provides deductions where “there is no significant element of personal pleasure, recreation, or vacation.” You should consult your tax advisor if you have any questions. GreatEscape Foundation ID#95-4831064

A bit about some of our Foundation’s past and ongoing activities:
Over the past fifteen years, we at GreatEscape Foundation have been fortunate to fund some special long-term development projects. Here’s what we have done:

Funded over $160,000 of seed money micro-loans to budding entrepreneurs stuck in the poverty trap to help themselves escape that trap—over 3,700 families in almost 80 countries as of Sept 30, 2022 have been helped. Think about that…3,700 families with maybe a more secure future, maybe eating healthier, maybe having safer water to drink, maybe allowing their kids to get educated.

We also pleased to have fully funded thirteen coed elementary schools in eight places like: Ecuador, Sri Lanka, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, India, Haiti and Kenya in partnership with the We.org (aka Free the Children) organization. Think about the hundreds and thousands of children getting educated and young women being empowered to live safer, healthier, productive and more independent lives.

And we are thrilled to have helped the Nomad Foundation open the first ever school, medical clinic and nurse training center in Niger at a migratory center for the Tuareg people known as the Center for Nomadic Life at Tamesna, Niger. From nothing we built something.

And in conjunction with our annual event, we create and incorporate special do good scavenges within the course of our around the world competition. Sometimes it involves buying some supplies in a local market and delivering it to those in need. Sometimes it involves volunteering time at schools, clinics and orphanages. Sometimes it involves raising their own consciousnesses. Sometimes it is just to show and show they care. A few places that come to mind that proved to be life-changing encounters by our travelers include work:
Joining Hands in India
Sunrise Children’s Village in Cambodia
Jawalakhel Tibetan Refugee Camp in Nepal
Big Brother Mouse in Laos
Salaam Baalak Trust in India
Eden Disabled Centre in Myanmar
Light House Orphanage in Cambodia
Hospicio de San Jose in the Philippines
Volunteer Sri Lanka Project
Hope Enterprises in Ethiopia
Asante Africa Foundation in Tanzania & Uganda

A few photos of our travelers showing up to show they care…

A destination world cloud of the event might look like this: