Together Outdoors (TO), a coalition working on expanding inclusion and diversity in outdoor recreation, opened the Inclusive Micro-Grant Program’s application period.
The Inclusive Micro-Grant Program aims to bolster small and rural grassroots organizations’ capacity to create a more inclusive and welcoming outdoor recreation environment.
The Together Outdoors Inclusive Micro-Grant Program focuses on organizations that bridge the outdoor “adventure gap” but often cannot compete for conventional funding due to resource-intensive application and reporting requirements.
In 2022, Thor Industries, Winnebago and Airstream supported Together Outdoors’ Inclusive Micro-Grant Program funding. The initiative distributed $54,000 across nine organizations. The grant program won a 2023 Bessie Award for Inclusion. The program supported several outdoor recreation-related programming, events and leadership initiatives specifically benefiting communities of color, LGBTQIA+ and other groups.
Outdoor Recreation Roundtable Senior Program Director and TO Coalition Lead Ambreen Tariq said the program represents the organization’s commitment to diversity and representation.
“This initiative is more than just a grant program,” Tariq said. “It is a statement that the outdoors is a space where everyone—no matter your color, creed or community—should feel at home.”
The 2024 Inclusive Micro-Grant Program will focus on two key areas:
- Research and Resources: Financial backing for projects developing research and resources that facilitate inclusion outdoors. This includes the creation of educational toolkits, multimedia content and translation services to ensure accessibility for all.
- Activating Change Outdoors: Support for outdoor recreation programming, events and leadership development initiatives specifically designed to empower communities of color, LGBTQIA+, individuals in underserved regions, people with disabilities and other intersecting minority groups.
The program is made possible by the support from Thor Industries.
TO invites grassroots organizations that embody these focus areas and share TO’s vision for a diverse outdoor community to apply for the Inclusive Micro-Grant Program. TO suggests applying to the inaugural grant round by March 11. Application materials can be submitted to Tariq at [email protected]. For more information about the application process, timeline and grant reporting requirements click here.
Tariq said, “We are eager to see the innovative and impactful ways our grantees will use these funds to break down barriers to outdoor recreation.”
