Impact that Matters
At Justice Outside, we believe that truly transformative environmental justice work requires more than good intentions—it demands rigorous learning, honest evaluation, and knowledge sharing that shifts power to communities.
Our approach is grounded in the understanding that how we measure success directly shapes what we value and prioritize.
The Nature Gap Report
The Nature Gap: Communities of Color and Those With Low Incomes Are Bearing the Brunt of America’s Nature Loss
Co-authored by Justice Outside, the Center for American Progress, and Conservation Science Partners | February 2026
Communities of color are three times more likely than white communities to live in areas stripped of forests, wetlands, and green spaces. Nearly three-quarters of people in those nature-deprived areas have low household incomes. And those closest to pollution sources are almost twice as likely to also lack access to nature — meaning the most burdened communities face compounding health risks with the fewest natural buffers.
This updated analysis of the landmark 2020 Nature Gap report uses new data and an improved methodology to measure both the distribution and severity of nature loss across every census tract in the contiguous United States — and for the first time, connects nature deprivation to pollution exposure and climate risk at a national scale.
“This data confirms what frontline communities have long known — that nature loss is not random, it is the result of centuries of policy choices rooted in discrimination. The communities bearing the greatest burden are also the ones building the most powerful solutions.”
— Kim Bailey, President and CEO of Justice Outside, report co-author
What the Data Shows
74% of people living in nature-deprived areas are communities of color
83% of nature-deprived areas are renter-majority communities
70% of nature-deprived communities are severely cost-burdened, spending more than half their income on housing
77% of communities facing both the greatest pollution and nature loss are communities of color
1.4x more likely for extreme heat zones to overlap with nature-deprived areas
Community Solutions: Justice Outside Grantee Partners in Action
The report features eleven Justice Outside grantee partners who are closing the nature gap from the ground up — led by the very communities the data describes. From Indigenous land stewardship in rural North Carolina to community-driven air quality monitoring in Seattle to coastal land rights protection on the Sea Islands of South Carolina, these organizations demonstrate that the most effective solutions come from the people closest to the problem.
Read the Report
Redefining Success
Centering Community Wisdom Over Institutional Metrics
We shift traditional evaluation frameworks to prioritize community wisdom. Data comes from a variety of sources, and we center the perspectives, experiences, and goals of communities most impacted by environmental inequities.
This means:
Asking different questions
Involving different people in evaluation design
Sharing what we learn in accessible, transparent ways
Our Impact and Learning Work
Serves Multiple Purposes
Informing strategic decisions about resource allocation and Power-Building
Building accountability to the communities we serve
Contributing to field-wide knowledge about effective approaches to environmental justice
Creating evidence that helps shift funding and power toward community-led initiatives
Through our community-centered approach to learning and evaluation, we’re working to transform not just what the environmental movement achieves, but how success is defined and measured in the first place.
Sharing Our Findings with Transparency
Research & Evaluation Reports
Our commitment to building power with communities most impacted by environmental inequities includes measuring what matters, sharing what we learn, and creating spaces for collective action.
This work informs our strategies and contributes to field-wide knowledge about effective approaches to environmental justice.
We believe in evaluation that centers community perspectives and measures the impacts that matter most to those most affected by environmental inequities. Our reports document our collective learning journey and share insights with the broader field.
Grantmaking Impact Reports
Our Grantmaking impact reports track both quantitative outcomes and qualitative stories that demonstrate how community-led initiatives are transforming the environmental movement:
Featured Evaluation: From Trust to Transformation
A comprehensive external evaluation of Justice Outside’s power-building grantmaking approach
Our latest evaluation, conducted by Bowman Performance Consulting, provides rigorous evidence of how trust-based grantmaking transforms both organizations and movements. This year-long study examined our partnerships with 117 grantee organizations across 9 states, revealing powerful insights about what happens when philanthropy centers community wisdom and shifts power to grassroots leaders.
- 96% of grantee partners reported improved financial stability through our flexible, multi-year funding approach
- 95% of participants described our grantmaking process as co-designed and supportive
- Grantees leveraged their Justice Outside partnerships to secure additional funding, with our reputation serving as a “stamp of approval”
- Our capacity-building support—from leadership development to peer networking—strengthened community power beyond funding alone
Community Power Metrics
We track how funding strengthens community capacity to advocate for environmental justice
Systemic Change Indicators
Evidence of policy changes, institutional shifts, and resource redistribution resulting from grassroots leadership
Trust-Based Philanthropy Research
Evidence-based analysis of how our funding approach builds community power and advances environmental justice
Field Leadership Impact Evaluation
Our evaluation of the Rising Leaders Fellowship documents how grassroots leaders transform their organizations and the broader field:
Field Influence Tracking
How fellows are changing practices and policies within environmental organizations
Movement Building Assessment
How fellowship alums collaborate across organizations to build collective power
System Change Analysis
Documenting shifts in environmental decision-making resulting from fellows’ leadership
Network Transformation Evaluation
The Network for Network Leaders evaluation examines how connecting movement leaders builds collective power and transforms systems:
Network Power-Building Metrics
How participation strengthens networks’ capacity to drive systemic change
Cross-Movement Collaboration
Examples of coordinated action that emerged from relationship-building
Field Influence Analysis
How network leaders are changing norms and practices in the environmental sector
Impact & Learning by the Year
Justice Outside’s
Annual Impact Reports
What Are Impact Reports?
A detailed and transparent summary of Justice Outside’s work during the respective calendar year.
Included: Key accomplishments, program highlights, list of grantees and donors, events, our impact by the numbers, and more.
Stay close to the work
Lasting Change Starts Here
Help Us Amplify Our Impact
Your contribution to Justice Outside fuels education, leadership, funding, and community-driven change in the outdoor and environmental movement.
Together, we can shift power to communities, advance equity, and redefine what meaningful impact looks like.