Prompted by the generous, risk-taking and adventurous spirit of our namesake, The Tyler Rigg Foundation supports the charitable interests of the people whose lives Tyler touched. We support organizations and seedling projects whose work involves bold ideas ranging from social welfare , youth empowerment, disability issues and environmental stewardship. We prioritize but are not restricted to fledging projects in need of seed money and thrive in that niche where a little not only means a lot, but might facilitate the beginning of something truly great.

In 1998 Tyler's parents, Dedee and Jerry, and his brother, Rusty, invited a few of Tyler's close friends to join them as an Advisory Board when they formed the Tyler Rigg Foundation. By bringing friends and family together, Tyler came alive through shared memory and storytelling. We set out collectively to honor his life by furthering his interests and values.

In those early years we moved slowly, focusing on remembering Tyler and honing our mission. We had little experience with foundations. We shed tears, laughed a lot and took refuge from the pain of losing Tyler through our deepening connections.

Over the last 2 decades, we have matured as a foundation. We have supported over 100 innovative organizations each working for a better world. We've also grown in our capacity as philanthropic partners - building relationships with many of our grantees, confident that Tyler's spirit will be a source of light to the programs our dollars go to support. In 2008 the original Advisory Board joined the Board of Trustees and three more of Tyler's friends joined the Advisory Board.

We hope our story may help others struggling with the loss of a loved one. If you would like to know more about our foundation model and story please do not hesitate to contact us.