Curry was named one of the best leaders in 2025 by the authoritative magazine "U.S. News & World Report". "U.S. News and World Report" also wrote a special article about Curry to elaborate on his views and list Curry's contributions to public welfare.
Curry once said in an interview that he realized in high school that his performance on the court gave him higher exposure and influence. And in school and college, he was inspired by the incredible coaches.
But it was in 2013 that Curry, an increasingly mature NBA player, gained a new sense of personal responsibility. He traveled to Tanzania with the United Nations Foundation's Just Nets campaign, an initiative to fight malaria. During his travels, he met displaced refugees and saw how even small changes can have a huge impact. Something as simple as giving people mosquito nets to sleep in can save lives. Curry said: "At that time, I was just a young player who had played in the NBA for three years, but when I left Tanzania, I became more aware of how to make my life and leadership meaningful."
Curry's charity approach is as clear and precise as his playing style on the court. He wanted to be deeply involved in areas that he was truly passionate about and where "I knew I could drive progress, create real change, and marshal the right resources," as he once said.
He has multi-year commitments to both the Davidson College and Howard University athletic programs. He founded the Underrated Golf Tour to create more opportunities for student-athletes from diverse communities.
In 2019, the Currys "decided to invest our time and love to create a village-like support system for children and support the community that has always supported us." They founded the foundation Eat. Learn. Play. (Eat, Learn, Play, or ELP for short), taking a holistic approach to provide Oakland's children with the three elements of a happy and healthy childhood: nutritious meals, high-quality educational resources, and safe places to play.
The Currys bear the operating expenses of the foundation, and mobilize a large number of resources for the community by introducing institutions such as Under Armour, Kaiser Permanente, Workday, etc., and forming a volunteer team of 2,000 people.
As of September 2025, ELP and its partners have invested nearly $100 million in schools and related community projects in Oakland. They distributed 25 million meals to families. They partnered with local literacy initiatives to distribute 1 million culturally-identifying books. Following a successful pilot project in which nearly 600 children received professional tutoring, the ELP and its partners have now committed to providing literacy tutoring to 10,000 children.
The ELP team renovated 20 playgrounds, basketball courts and football fields, donated equipment and trained coaches. Before these efforts, only 14 percent of Oakland junior high students participated in school sports; today, almost half participate.
"Christmas with the Curry Family" has become a tradition in Auckland for 12 years. Last December, the campaign resulted in $2 million worth of resources, including gift boxes containing books for every student in all 46 Auckland primary schools.
Curry wrote in "Shot Ready": "Seize your opportunity to serve others. My advice is to start by impacting the community around you, identify a specific goal, and then build a strategy around that goal."