Applications for 2023 are now closed. Please check back for updates and scroll down for a timeline of grantmaking this year.
Youth Access to Nature Fund awarded over $1 million in 2022, and we are committed to doing even more in 2023!
“rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion.”
— bell hooks (All About Love)
We at Justice Outside have been so honored to be in the movement for community healing and the work for our collective liberation. Together with our program participants, grantees, and you—our community—we are growing towards systemic change, to build a future that honors the strength, joy, and leadership of Communities of Color. Grantmaking is one of our core strategies to support that systemic change, that strength, that joy and that leadership.
In 2016, the San Francisco Foundation launched the Youth Access to Nature Fund to ensure youth of color have access to meaningful experiences in nature, to support their growth as leaders and students, and to improve their mental and physical health. During its six-year incubation period at the foundation, 35 organizations received more than $7 million in grants from a pooled-donor fund at the foundation, and 125,000 youth received hands-on, transformative experiences in the outdoors.
In January of 2022, the Youth Access to Nature Fund transitioned from being managed by the San Francisco Foundation to being managed by Justice Outside. We are excited and so humbled by their trust in our vision and our dedication to the youth of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Liberated Paths Grantmaking: Youth Access to Nature Fund is committed to:
- The prioritization of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color-led youth-serving organizations, in order to overcome the racial bias in philanthropic funding
- Ensuring that grant application and reporting processes that are co-designed and informed by grantees
- Providing grantee opportunities to participate in quarterly capacity-building trainings to support sustainability and growth
In the spring of 2023 the Liberated Paths: Youth Access to Nature Fund will open a new round of open application funding, you can learn more about next steps with the Youth Access to Nature Fund, including how and when to apply for grants, by joining our email community, or reaching to YAN Grantmaking & Program Manager, Amelia Vigil, at Amelia@JUsticeOutside.org. You can also find answers to Frequently Asked Questions here.
Interested in funding Youth Access to Nature? Learn more about joining this pooled fund by contacting Danielle Wolfrum, Director of Donor Engagement, at Danielle@justiceoutside.org.
Special thanks to our friends at The San Francisco Foundation for their continued partnership in our work toward liberation.
2023 Grantmaking Timeline
| 2023 Youth Access to Nature Grant Milestone | Timeline (subject to slight changes) |
|---|---|
| Application submission deadline | April 10th, 2023 by 11:59PM PST |
| Justice Outside staff review process | April 24th- May 15th, 2023 |
| Justice Outside Board info session | June 1st, 2023 |
| Final Board Vote Deadline (Board Meeting) | June 16th, 2023 |
| Awards announced to selected grantees + Updates to applicants not selected | June 21st – June 30th, 2023 |
| Funds released | July 17- August 18th, 2023 (dependent on grantee responsiveness) |
| Awards announced publicly | August 21st, 2023 |