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Three young people wave from the bow of a sailboat
Photo courtesy of SailMaine

Grantee Spotlight: SailMaine

March 3, 2025    barriers to recreation, City Sailors, community partners, connection to nature, holistic philanthropy, infrastructure funding, learn to sail, outdoor education, portland, positive youth development, SailMaine, water sports, waterfront access

Based in Portland, Maine, SailMaine promotes affordable access to the water through community sailing and education programs. NRF funding supports the City Sailors program, which offers free sailing lessons and

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a person sits near a cliff edge with a backpack and a camp stove, looking at the view

Honoring Black Leaders in Outdoor Recreation & Environmental Conservation

February 14, 2025    black history month, charles crenshaw, environmental leaders, environmental movement, hattie carthan, john francis, matthew henson, outdoor afro, outdoor recreation, planet walkers, robert taylor, rue mapp, warren washington

In February, we celebrate Black History Month. This is an opportunity to recognize that the history of outdoor recreation and environmental conservation is rich with the contributions of Black Americans. Below are

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STW
Photo courtesy of Vamos Outdoors Project

NRF Announces 2025 Special Grant and Trustee Grant Recipients

February 7, 2025    access to nature, National Recreation Foundation, outdoor recreation, positive youth development, special grants, trustee grants

The National Recreation Foundation is pleased to announce its 2025 Special Grant and Trustee Grant recipients. More than $1.5K was distributed to 41 organizations across 23 states. NRF is proud to invest in these

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A group of people stand and sit in a library all looking at a speaker
Photo courtesy of Ready, Set, Resilience

Ready, Set, Resilience Offers Critical Support to Western NC

January 28, 2025    classroom resources, climate change, duke marine lab community science initiative, ecological resilience, hurricane helene, k-12 teachers, natural disaster response, nc state environmental education lab, north carolina, personal resilience, ready set resilience

In September of last year, Hurricane Helene hit the southeastern U.S., causing significant destruction. One of the areas most affected was western North Carolina. Official estimates indicate that North Carolina suffered

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A group of people sit around a Brown Girls Climb flag next to a cliff
Photo courtesy of Brown Girls Climb

Three Years of the Get Into Nature Initiative Yields Positive Results

January 21, 2025    access to nature, community organizations, equity outdoors, Get into nature, grantee support, national recreation foundation, philanthropic funding, toms of maine, youth development

The National Recreation Foundation has collaborated with Tom’s of Maine since 2020 to increase access to nature for youth across the United States. The Get Into Nature initiative has allowed NRF to reach small,

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AW

Atiya Wells Awarded NRF’s 2024 Crawford Prize

January 9, 2025    access to food, access to nature, Atiya Wells, Backyard Basecamp, bipoc youth, community connection, connection to nature, crawford prize, environmental justice, food justice, healthier communities, intergenerational programming, National Recreation Foundation, nearby nature, reconnect to the land, resilient communities, urban farm, urban forest

“When I found out I won the Crawford Prize, I was surprised. It’s heartwarming to know the impact we have on our local community is being seen and heard across the country. We just turned five. But we really hit the

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