Au Pair Weekend Gives Back

Siena Rampulla, Erika Barney

Our mission at Au Pair Weekend is to facilitate transformative educational experiences and strengthen the global community - and that includes giving back to the communities that make our weekends so memorable. In 2025, APW expanded our charitable giving policy to donate one dollar for every student who took a course with us during the year. 

We selected three highly ranked US-based organizations to support what we feel connect to our course themes, including: environmentalism and sustainability, peacebuilding and humanitarian efforts, and cultural exchange and the arts.The organizations we chose were:

• Earth Island Institute: Supports environmental action projects and emerging environmental leaders, working toward solutions to the crises threatening life on Earth.

• Water 1st International: Serves the world’s poorest communities by supporting community-managed projects that integrate clean water access, sanitation, and health education.

• National Art Education Association: Champions creative growth and innovation by advancing equitable access to high-quality visual arts, design, and media arts education for diverse populations and communities of practice.

In addition to these national charities, we also support local charities in cities where we host in-person courses. During our Community Engagement classes, students are introduced to several local charities and vote for the one they would most like to support. At the end of the year, we contribute to the winning organizations. Here are the local charities that received donations from APW in 2025:

• Utah: Best Friends Animal Society and Lifting Hands International

• San Francisco: City Team San Francisco

• San Diego: Father Joe’s Village San Diego

• Chicago: PAWS

• Texas: San Antonio Food Bank and Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation

• Hawaii: University of Hawaii Foundation

• Washington DC: Martha's Table

• Boston: The Generational African American Students Association 

Au Pair Weekend is all about community! We ensure that our au pairs enjoy unique cultural experiences in each of our course locations, while also being a part of local solutions. Besides all of the fun our students have, the friends they make, and the cities they fall in love with, they also leave the place better than they arrived - just by being present! 

Your weekend is waiting for you. If any of these causes resonate, be sure to check our calendar for upcoming dates.