Together Outdoors, a program of Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, announced two new recipients of its Inclusive Micro-Grant Program — Color my Outdoors and Rising Routes — and hosted a webinar with industry leaders and philanthropists discussing best practices around equitable and impactful grant-making in outdoor recreation. These efforts were made possible by the generous support of Winnebago Industries, the organization said, and will be followed by the release of a new business learning guide next week outlining the essential role that grant funding can play in breaking down barriers and supporting those working hard to increase access to the Great Outdoors for underrepresented communities.
Together Outdoors’ Inclusive Micro-Grant Program bolsters capacity for small and rural grassroots organizations that are key to creating a more inclusive and welcoming outdoor recreation environment for all. Through the administration of this program, Together Outdoors has gained first-hand knowledge of how substantial the need is for capacity building support among small-scale grassroots organizations that are instrumental in bridging the outdoor “adventure gap” but often cannot compete for conventional funding due to resource-intensive application and reporting requirements.
In its recent webinar, and as will be shared in the upcoming business learning guide on trust-based grantmaking, Together Outdoors outlines the disparities in outdoor recreation grant-giving and shares innovative approaches through trust-based philanthropic practices to help reach and support more community-based organizations in outdoor recreation.
“Philanthropy is a powerful mechanism to help more people access the outdoors, but there is more we must do to ensure smaller organizations that serve diverse and underrepresented communities aren’t being left behind because of onerous granting requirements. That’s why we set up our program using trust-based granting principles that are aimed at disrupting biases imbedded in traditional grant-making,” said Ambreen Tariq, senior program director at Outdoor Recreation Roundtable and Together Outdoors Coalition Lead. “Thanks to Winnebago Industries, we are thrilled to support the work of our new grantees as well as share the grant-making lessons we’ve learned through the upcoming release of our new business learning guide.”
“I know firsthand how transformative it can be when organizations are empowered to break down barriers to help people enjoy the outdoors. Together Outdoors’ Inclusive Micro-Grant Program does just that — giving grassroots organizations the resources they need to bring more people, especially those who’ve felt excluded, into nature. This funding helps create not just moments of joy, but lasting connections between communities and the outdoors, fostering a love for nature that transcends generations,” said Jil Littlejohn Bostick, vice president, corporate responsibility and inclusion, Winnebago Industries.
The awardees reflect the mission of Together Outdoors’ Inclusive Micro-Grant Program in their commitment to dismantling historic barriers and welcoming their communities into transformative outdoor experiences. THOR Industries has also invested in previous rounds of this grant program.
How Together Outdoors’ new grantees plan on using their funding:
“Our nonprofit looks forward to dedicating new dollars to our organization’s emergency relief efforts happening here in the Southeast Region. Color My Outdoors’ Resilience Relief Fund recognizes the incredible resilience marginalized communities face, especially during economic and natural disasters like the recent devastation from Hurricane Helene. Because of programs like the Together Outdoors, Color My Outdoors can continue its work to provide Black and Brown people access to nature spaces throughout the South,” said Simone Adams, founder and executive director of Color My Outdoors.
“To expand access to nature’s benefits — especially for underserved communities — we must better understand the technical and financial needs of outdoor education and recreation organizations who are leading this work. Funding from Together Outdoors will help us do this research in Colorado, fostering collaboration among government, non-profits, and businesses to increase resources statewide. This work will also help develop a replicable template for other states, using research to drive equity-focused public policies, planning, and programs that ensures the needs of communities are being heard and met,” said Jason Swann, founder of Rising Routes.
Color my Outdoors and Rising Routes join the 2024 cohort of Together Outdoors’ Inclusive Micro-Grant Program awardees, who include the nine organizations selected earlier this year to receive a total of $80,000 in grant funding. In 2022, thanks to THOR Industries, Winnebago and Airstream, the Together Outdoors Inclusive Micro-Grant Program distributed $54,000 across nine organizations, the organization said.
For more information, visit the Together Outdoors website.