America’s Great Outdoors: Connecting Youth to the Outdoors 2012 Grants

Our public lands have never been more important to our nation than they are today. Yet we live in a changing America, where our engagement with the natural world is influenced by complex factors, including our increasingly mobile and technology-connected society. Amid these changes, re-establishing a connection to the natural world is critical for a sustainable future.

President Obama launched the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative (AGO) on April 16, 2010. He asked the Secretaries of the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture, the Administrator of the EPA and the Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality to develop a 21st century conservation and recreation agenda that addressed the challenges faced by our public lands today. One of the overarching themes is to offer opportunities to engage young people with the outdoors.

In support of these goals, NEEF, in partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, U.S. Forest Service and The Bureau of Land Management are launching the America’s Great Outdoors: Connecting Youth to the Outdoors 2012 Grants. Through the grants, NEEF and its partners are catalyzing efforts to increase the number of youth who build a connection with public lands as places for recreating, learning and volunteering.

Approximately $243,000 in funding is available to support grant awards in the range of $2,500 to $20,000. It is estimated that the average award amount will be $15,000 for 16 grants.  Applications are due by September 19, 2012. For more information, please see the grant details.

Apply now!  Applications are due September 19, 2012.

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