Together Outdoors, an Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) coalition, has awarded a pair of grants to Inclusive Micro-Grant Program recipients, Rising Routes and Color My Outdoors. The honorees reflect the program’s mission, according to ORR.
The Together Outdoors initiative also hosted a webinar of philanthropists and industry leaders to explore practices of “equitable and impactful grant-making” for outdoor activities. Winnebago Industries supported the organization’s efforts.
Ambreen Tariq, Senior Program director at ORR and Together Outdoors Coalition lead, said there’s more work required in specific communities.
“That is why we set up our program using trust-based granting principles that are aimed at disrupting biases imbedded in traditional grant-making,” Tariq said. “Thanks to Winnebago Industries, we are thrilled to support the work of our new grantees as well as share the grant-making lessons we have learned through the upcoming release of our new business learning guide.”
Jil Littlejohn Bostick, Winnebago’s Corporate Responsibility and Inclusion vice president, said philanthropy can be transformative when knocking down socio-economic walls.
“Together Outdoors’ Inclusive Micro-Grant Program does just that—giving grassroots organizations the resources they need to bring more people, especially those who have felt excluded, into nature,” she said. “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.”
Prior to Winnebago’s contributions, Thor Industries and Airstream also invested in the initiative.
According to the coalition, its Inclusive Micro-Grant Program can strengthen small, rural grassroots organizations. Next week, a business learning guide will be unveiled.
For more information, visit Together Outdoors.
