Ross Stevens Planning to Pay $200,000 to each U.S. Olympian and Paralympian
Billionaire financier Ross Stevens has committed to paying awards of $200,000 to each Olympic and Paralympic athlete, beginning with this year’s Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina.
The gifts will be known as Stevens Financial Security Awards or the Stevens Awards. Funding for the plan was announced in March 2025, with Stevens announcing a $100 million anchor funding gift to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Foundation from which these prizes will be paid out. The institution of the prize for this year’s Olympics was first reported Tuesday by the Wall Street Journal.
The amounts will be paid in two increments, with the first $100,000 coming 20 years after their first Olympic appearance that is eligible for compensation and the second $100,000 will come as a guaranteed benefit payable to family upon the athlete’s death. The figure of $200,000 is payable for each participation, so athletes can win the compensation multiple times.
“The Olympic and Paralympic Games are the ultimate symbol of human excellence,” Stevens said. “I do not believe that financial insecurity should stop our nation’s elite athletes from breaking through to new frontiers of excellence. Team USA athletes, extraordinary individuals, have proven they can achieve greatness and represent our incredible country with pride.”
The 232 Olympians named to Team USA’s roster for the Milan Cortina Olympics are the first to benefit. The Stevens Award is designed to last through the 2032 Brisbane Summer Olympics, covering two winter and two summer games initially.
“The Olympic and Paralympic Games are the ultimate symbol of human excellence. I do not believe that financial insecurity should stop our nation’s elite athletes from breaking through to new frontiers of excellence,” Stevens said in the original press release. “Team USA athletes, extraordinary individuals, have proven they can achieve greatness and represent our incredible country with pride. The Stevens Awards honor the sacrifices they have made on behalf of all Americans while inspiring the development of their dreams in the post-Games chapter of their lives.”
Stevens is the founder and CEO of Stone Ridge Holdings Group.
