Outdoor Equity
Grant Program
Nature access is a fundamental human right, but it is denied to far too many young people.
Background
On June 21, Governor Jared Polis signed HB21-1318 establishing the Outdoor Equity Grant Program, after a multi-year campaign led by Next 100 Colorado members and 60+ local, state, and national organizations. The program will increase access and opportunity for underserved youth and their families to experience Colorado's open spaces, state parks, public lands, and other outdoor areas.
Apply Now
Applications for the first round of the Outdoor Equity Grant Program are open through April 8, 2022! Colorado Parks & Wildlife will disperse $500,000 with this round.
The Outdoor Equity Board is using a Letter of Inquiry as the grant application for the 2022 grant cycle. Organizations interested in applying for the 2022 Outdoor Equity Grant should review the grant guide for instructions on how to apply.
Please use this document to review the list of questions in the application before submitting your own form.
Click here to apply.
Proposals that increase access to outdoor education and conservation opportunities for underserved youth and their families, including youth of color, LGBTQ youth, people with disabilities, and socio-economically disadvantaged youth will be prioritized.
OEGP Council
Next 100 Colorado is proud to have representation on the Outdoor Equity Grant Program Board. Yesica Chavez, one of Next 100 Colorado’s facilitators, holds a youth seat on the Board and serves as Board Chair. Loretta Pineda, a founding Next 100 Colorado member, also sits on the Board.
Click here to read more about Yesica, Loretta, and all Outdoor Equity Grant Program Council members.
Why?
According to a July 2020 report from the Center for American Progress and Next 100 Colorado member Hispanic Access Foundation, “more than 76 percent of people who live in low-income communities of color live in nature-deprived places. Studies have shown that children who spend time outdoors in natural environments experience improved health and cognitive functions, reduced stress, and enhanced social skills.” The grant program will address some of these inequities, provide sustainable funding of up to $3 million annually from lottery proceeds to entities providing conservation, environmental, and outdoor experiences and educational opportunities for underserved youth.
Next 100 Colorado is grateful for the leadership of bill sponsors Representative Leslie Herod, Representative David Ortiz, Senate President Leroy Garcia, and Senator Sonya Jaquez Lewis, as well as to Governor Jared Polis for signing this bill into law. The following organizations are part of the Outdoor Equity Fund Coalition: American Whitewater, Atlantis Community Inc., Audubon Rockies, Avid4 Adventure, Big City Mountaineers, Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center, Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education, Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, Colorado High Country Educational Treks, Colorado Wildlife Federation, Colorado Youth Corps Association, Conservation Colorado, Continental Divide Trail Coalition, Defenders of Wildlife, Defiende Nuestra Tierra, Delta Schools, Denver Urban Gardens, EcoFlight, Environmental Learning for Kids (ELK), Friends of Youth and Nature, Get Outdoors Leadville!, Grand Canyon Trust, Great Old Broads for Wilderness, Greater Arkansas River Nature Association (GARNA), Green Latinos, Groundwork Denver, High Mountain Institute, Hispanic Access Foundation, Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting, and the Outdoors (HECHO), Keystone Science School, Latino Outdoors, Lincoln Hills Cares, Moms Clean Air Force, Move Mountains Youth Group, National Parks Conservation Association, National Wildlife Federation, Next 100 Colorado Coalition, ONEColorado, Outdoor Afro, Outdoor Alliance Colorado, Outdoor Asian Colorado, Outdoor Wilderness Lab (Mesa County Valley School District 51), Protégete, Rising Routes, Riverside Educational Center, Rocky Mountain Conservancy, Rocky Mountain Wild, Rocky Mountain Youth Corps, San Luis Valley Great Outdoors (SLV GO!), The Sierra Club, SOS Outreach, The City of Fort Collins Natural Areas, The Greenway Foundation, The Nature Connection, The Nature Conservancy, The Wilderness Society, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, ViVe Wellness, Western Colorado Alliance, Western Resource Advocates, Western Slope Conservation Center, Wild Bear Nature Center, Wild Rhythms, Worldmind Nature Immersion School.