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Together Outdoors Launches New Grant Program To Support “Frontline” DEI Orgs

The Together Outdoors Coalition, an initiative committed to advancing equity and inclusion in the outdoor recreation experience, announced a new grant program to support organizations leading the frontlines in building a more accessible, welcoming outdoor ecosystem.

Along with the coalition’s overall efforts, the grant program is made possible with the foundational and multi-year support of THOR Industries and Winnebago Industries, as per the News & Insights report of the RV Industry Association.

“Funding from the initial pilot round of our grant program will go directly to frontline, grassroots leaders and organizations working to make the outdoors more accessible and welcoming,” said Gerry Seavo James, Together Outdoors Coalition Lead. 

“This grant program epitomizes exactly what Together Outdoors was founded on doing – to help with incubating an environment where all people have access to welcoming outdoor recreation experiences, and we look forward to expanding this effort in the future.”  

The grant focuses on giving monetary support to develop effective research and resource tools concerning outdoor inclusions like toolkits, educational resources, audio and video resources, and linguistic translations.

It also intends to support outdoor recreation-related programming, events, and leadership development initiatives that benefit colored communities and intersecting minority groups.

“At THOR, our purpose is to inspire and empower everyone to Go Everywhere. Stay Anywhere. Our family of companies offer a comprehensive range of RVs and travel tools to help connect people with nature and with one another,” shared Bob Martin, THOR president and CEO. 

“In support of Together Outdoors’ mission to alleviate barriers to inclusion in the outdoors, THOR is honored to empower front-line organizations driven to cultivate the necessary change that will allow everyone to Go Everywhere and Stay Anywhere.” 

The program is Together Outdoors’ first grant project, with its initial pilot round offering $25,000 in funding for organizations with under $100,000 revenue that are led by or serve a majority constituency of communities of color or intersecting minority groups.

Together Outdoors’ Advisory and Governance Council members will review the applications that are due on September 5 at 11:59 PM EST. The grants will be given by September 30.

In the first year of the program, projects must take place in one of the following 27 states or territories to be eligible for the grant: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Tennessee, Texas, U.S. Virgin Islands, West Virginia, & Virginia. Future rounds of this grant program will be open to applicants nationwide.  

“At Winnebago Industries, we help our customers explore the outdoor lifestyle, enabling extraordinary mobile experiences as they travel, live, work and play. We are excited to extend our support to grassroots organizations committed to removing barriers and creating inclusive outdoor spaces,” said Jil Littlejohn Bostick, Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Winnebago Industries.  

Written or video submissions will be accepted. Information about the timeline, eligibility, and where to submit applications can be found here. For inquiries regarding the grant program, send an email to [email protected].

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Hi, you might find this article from Modern Campground interesting: Together Outdoors Launches New Grant Program To Support “Frontline” DEI Orgs! This is the link: https://moderncampground.com/usa/together-outdoors-launches-new-grant-program-to-support-frontline-dei-orgs/