Applications are now open for regional grantmaking in the Great Lakes and Delaware River Watershed region.
Apply by August 23, 2024!
Justice Outside advances racial justice and equity in the outdoor and environmental movement. We shift resources to build power with and center the voices and leadership of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color because the health of current and future generations demands it. We envision a just world where Black, Indigenous, and Communities of Color experience safety, health, and abundant joy through meaningful relationships with one another and the outdoors. We are thrilled to invite applications to help us achieve this mission and vision through the Liberated Paths Grantmaking Program.
Grant Guidelines
We aim to fund work that lies at the intersection of racial justice and the environment. This could include a number of organizations and programs, including recreation and experiential programs, conservation, climate, environmental advocacy work, cultural and ancestral practices and education, and much more. You do not need to have a nonprofit 501(c)(3)status or be fiscally sponsored to apply for a grant.
In California, your work is eligible for funding if:
- Your work is focused on the intersection of Communities of Color and the ocean, marine conservation, and/or the coast
In the Pacific Northwest, your work is eligible for funding if:
- You are working in Oregon or Washington.
- For work on the Pacific Coast of Oregon, and/or Washington: Your work is focused on the intersection of communities of color and the ocean, marine conservation, and/or the coast*
- For work located in greater Seattle, Washington; the greater Hood River area in Oregon; and in greater Portland, Oregon your work is focused on the intersection of communities of color and the environment and outdoor recreation
In the Southwest, your work is eligible for funding if:
- You work in Arizona or New Mexico and your work is focused on the intersection of Communities of Color and the environment and/or outdoor recreation
In the Nanticoke/Siconese/Lenni Lenape Whittuck/Delaware River Watershed region, your work is eligible for funding if:
- Your work is at the intersection of racial justice, Lenapehoking (Delaware Valley) environmental issues, and Nanticoke/Siconese/Lenape Wihittuk/Delaware River Watershed protection. This could include various activities, such as recreation, environmental justice, conservation, climate justice, environmental advocacy work, open space creation, urban tree planting, cultural and ancestral practices and education, and much more.
- Your projects and programming engage any/all of the counties of the greater Nanticoke/Siconese/Lenni Lenape Whittuck/Delaware River Watershed:
- New York Counties: Broome, Chenango, Delaware, Greene, Orange, Schohaire, Sullivan, Ulster
- Pennsylvania Counties: Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Delaware, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, Pike, Schuylkill, Wayne
- New Jersey Counties: Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Salem, Sussex, Warren
- Delaware Counties: Kent, New Castle, Sussex
In North and South Carolina, your work is eligible for funding if your work:
- Supports solutions and people on the frontlines
- Deepens community engagement and collaborative leadership networks
- Or creates systems change through field building among the many Black, Indigenous, and People of Color-led environmental nonprofits in the Carolinas
The Liberated Paths Grantmaking Program will prioritize:
- Organizations or projects led by and serving Black, Indigenous, and/or Communities of Color
- People and projects rooted within their communities, with the lived experiences they need to understand what approaches will work the best for their communities
- Organizations or projects with an annual budget of less than $1 million
- People or projects that have limited relationships with and/or funding streams from the larger philanthropic community
Application Process
Applications for the Liberated Paths grantmaking along the California Coast and the Carolinas are now open.
2024 California Coast Grantmaking Timeline
| 2024 Regional Grant Milestone | Timeline (subject to slight changes) |
| Applications open | March 11, 2024 |
| Application Webinar | March 15, 2024 at 10am-11am PST |
| Application submission deadline | April 5, 2024 by 11:59PM PST |
| Additional information requests due (if applicable) | April – May 2024 |
| Justice Outside staff review process | April 24th- May 15th, 2023 |
| Awards announced to selected grantees + Updates to applicants not selected | July 2024 |
| Awards announced publicly | August 2024 |
| Funds released | July – August 2024 |
2024 Carolinas Grantmaking Timeline
| 2024 Regional Grant Milestone | Timeline (subject to slight changes) |
| Applications open | March 25, 2024 |
| Application submission deadline | April 15, 2024 by 11:59PM EST |
| Justice Outside review process | April 16 – May 16, 2023 |
| Awards announced to selected grantees + Updates to applicants not selected | June 2024 |
| Funds Disbursement | July 2024 |
| Awards announced publicly | August 2024 |
2024 Great Lakes Grantmaking Timeline
| 2024 Regional Grant Milestone | Timeline (subject to slight changes) |
| Application submission deadline | August 2, 2024 by 11:59PM EST |
| Justice Outside review process | August 5 – September 3, 2024 |
| Awards announced to selected grantees + Updates to applicants not selected | September 2024 |
| Funds Disbursement | October 2024 |
| Awards announced publicly | November 2024 |
2024 Delaware River Watershed Grantmaking Timeline
| 2024 Regional Grant Milestone | Timeline (subject to slight changes) |
| Application submission deadline | August 2, 2024 by 11:59PM EST |
| Justice Outside review process | August 5 – September 3, 2024 |
| Awards announced to selected grantees + Updates to applicants not selected | September 2024 |
| Funds Disbursement | October 2024 |
| Awards announced publicly | November 2024 |
The photo featured at the top of this page depicts the members of our grantee partner organization Black Lives Matter-Phoenix.