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How Outdoor Opportunity Grants Help Us #OptOutside
November 29, 2024
This Black Friday, while many stores will have their largest sales of the year, NCEL is focused on how this day can be an opportunity to spend time outdoors in the last days of autumn. This year millions of people across the country will #OptOutside and join a movement that began in 2015.
What is #Opt Outside?
The history of #OptOutside began with a bold decision by REI Co-Op to close their stores for Black Friday. Immediately, the spirit of getting outside was infectious, and people’s individual choices to #OptOutside nationwide had a ripple effect. In its first year, more than 1.4 million people and 170 outdoor companies closed their doors to spend the day outside; the very next year those numbers quadrupled.
The impact of #OptOutside is not limited to one day a year. At NCEL, we’ve seen how Outdoor Opportunity Grants are acting year-round, planting the seeds for the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts to choose a life of connection to the outdoors.
Ripple Effect: How Outdoor Opportunity Grant Programs #OptOutside
Outdoor opportunity grants are grant giving programs that exist nationwide to help children and families access nature by funding relevant, community-led, and local opportunities. These funds are major tools used by states to increase a sense of comfort and belonging in the outdoors. States recognize the reality that it is hard to #OptOutside when the joy of the outdoors remains unknown to many. Outdoor opportunity funds have been a key strategy to address the nature gap – the disparities in access to nature and outdoor spaces that vary among different populations. Closing the gap will allow for more children and families across the nation to build lasting relationships with nature. In just 3 years, over $63 million has been awarded and over 40,000 participants have been served.
Policy Options
- Outdoor Equity Programs: New Mexico (SB 462), Colorado (HB21 1318), and California (AB 209) offer grant programs for tribal nations, state agencies, local governments, community organizations, and schools improving access to the outdoors among historically excluded communities.
- No Child Left Inside Programs: First launched in Washington (HB 1677) in 2001 and Minnesota (HF 3348) provides grants to provide outdoor engagement for underserved youth.
- Outdoors/Parks Rx Programs: Washington’s successful Parks RX pilot program (SB 5292) and the new Illinois Outdoor RX program (HB 1526) provide guidance and funding to promote public health through outdoor access.
- Greenspace Equity Programs: Maryland (SB 923/HB 503) established a program to increase greenspace in overburdened and underserved communities funded by an existing property tax.
- Youth Outreach Programs: New Mexico (SB 392) and Maryland (SB 327) offer youth outreach programs to foster interest in recreation, field sports, stewardship, and conservation.
When it comes to how we spend our time and dollars this Black Friday, we have a choice. As we look forward to becoming and bringing forth the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts, NCEL chooses to #OptOutside.
“#OptOutside isn’t just about Black Friday. It’s a mindset. It’s about choosing life outdoors.” – REI Staff