KEEN Effect Grants
Every KEEN shoe purchased has a positive effect, supporting grassroots efforts for
kids, trades, climate, and equality.
KiDS Grants
We're on a mission to make the outdoors more accessible to all, and connect kids with nature. Through cash grants and KEEN shoe donations, we support innovative programs that inspire outdoor access and inclusion for underserved communities of kids.
She Builds Grants
We know there is a trade skill labor shortage and we to help. Through the She Builds grants, KEEN Utility is supporting nonprofits, who provide access to quality trade skill education and networking for girls and women looking to join the trades, with cash and quality work footwear.
Conservation Alliance Grants
Since 2005, we’ve joined an alliance of like-minded companies to collectively fund semi-annual grants to grassroots environmental organizations that protect the special wild lands and waters in our backyards.
Current Kids Grantees
Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center
The Summer by the Sea Camp is a 4-week program that provides scholarships for Miami’s underserved children to engage in STEAM-related activities and learn life-enhancing skills through hands-on exploration of south Florida's unique ecosystems. Campers participate in marine science expeditions and multi-disciplinary arts.
Earth Team
"Asphalt Break!" is a 24-month program serving 300 underserved high school youth. Twenty teams of outdoor first-timers will spend 25,000 hours outside in 20 immersive adventures visiting 5 different ecosystems to acquire new outdoor exploration abilities, learn about landscape conservation, and develop skills to become environmental leaders.
Georgia Audubon Society
The Atlanta Urban Ecologists program guides teens through an 8-month exploration of the fascinating, rich ecology of metro Atlanta, providing opportunities for hands-on field experiences, conservation, and community science, while also establishing a network of environmental professionals who can assist with their academic and career development.
Mountain Alliance
The Canoe Program for Teens engages teenagers in transformative opportunities through paddling on local rivers, connecting students with the incredible water resources in their backyard. Mountain Alliance has been providing free outdoor experiential education since 1990, helping empower at-risk and under-resourced youth.
Soul River
Soul River connects combat veterans and disconnected youth to the outdoors through the art of fly fishing while bringing awareness to threatened places. In the past two years, Soul River has deployed students to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to learn about the environmental threats directly from Gwich’in elders, and also deployed a team of kids and vets to learn about the lifelong conservation efforts of 97-year old WWII combat veteran Frank Moore.
Chicago Adventure Therapy
Chicago Adventure Therapy’s All Outside program provides access for underserved Chicago youth to local natural spaces. They paddle on Lake Michigan, the Chicago River, the Fox River, and at Skokie Lagoons, and cycle on city trails. For many of these youth, despite living within a mile or two of Lake Michigan, this program is the first time many see the Great Lake.
Our KEEN Effect Grantee Family
Outside is better together. Since 2014, we've supported grassroots non-profit organizations around the world that have been making the outdoors more accessible to all, through conservation, education, and responsible recreation.
2014 Grantee: Adirondack Mountain Club, Lake Placid, NY, USA
Summer Naturalist Community Hikes
Based out of the Adirondack Park in New York State, ADK is a leader in providing outdoor education, promoting responsible recreation, and organizing stewardship experiences. Since 1922, the organization has worked to increase access to the backcountry by building trails, conserving natural areas, and developing a stewardship community that supports the ethical and safe use of New York’s outdoor spaces.
2014 Grantee: ENVIRA, o.p.s., Prague, Czech Republic
Responsible Outdoor Volunteering for Environmental Education Center
Envira, ops provides work to dozens of people with disabilities (PWD) in various job positions at the Toulcův dvůr Center for Environmental Education.
2014 Grantee: Environmental Traveling Companions (ETC), San Francisco, CA, USA
Accessible Adventures
ETC makes the joy and challenge of outdoor adventures accessible to people with disabilities and under-resourced youth, inspiring self-confidence, connection to nature, and stewardship of the environment.
2014 Grantee: Friends of Nature, Beijing, China
Leave No Trace Team
Friends of Nature (FON), registered and founded on June 5, 1993, is one of the earliest nationwide environmental NGOs in China. Through programs in environmental education, low-carbon household, ecological community, litigation, policy advocacy, and others, we have been making efforts to rebuild the bond between human beings and nature, preserve the ecosystem and promote the growth of more green citizens.
2014 Grantee: Friends of the Forest Inc., Sedona, AZ, USA
Boot it up for Red Rock Trails!
Friends of the Forest, Inc. is dedicated to assisting the U.S. Forest Service in maintaining, protecting and restoring the scenic beauty and natural and cultural resources of forest lands for the enjoyment and use of present and future generations. The objective of the nonprofit, volunteer group is to work in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service in tasks it does not have the manpower or the funds to accomplish on its own.
2014 Grantee: Groundwork New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, USA
Earth Lab- Learn & Play
Groundwork New Orleans is developing a green infrastructure demonstration site in the Lower 9th Ward neighborhood. The Lower 9th Ward Earth Lab will feature a green roof, bioswale, pervious pavement, flow-through planters, and rain barrels, as well as cypress tree and native plants.
2014 Grantee: Living Lands and Waters, East Moline, IL, USA
2014 River Cleanups-Loving Every Minute of It!
Living Lands & Waters has grown to be the only “industrial strength” river cleanup organization like it in the world. Spending up to nine months a year living and traveling on the barge, the Living Lands & Waters crew hosts river cleanups, watershed conservation initiatives, workshops, tree plantings and other key conservation efforts.
2014 Grantee: Mountain Studies Institute, Silverton, CO, USA
Mobile Mountains Watershed Initiative
A sustaining premise of MSI is that collaborations among researchers, educators and policy makers with an interest in the San Juan Mountains and other mountain systems worldwide can provide increased knowledge and understanding of mountain environments and communities and the issues that affect them.
2014 Grantee: Northwest Outward Bound School, Troutdale, OR, USA
Portland Urban Center Outward Bound
Northwest Outward Bound School is the premier provider of outdoor education and experiential programs for youth and adults in the Pacific Northwest. Outward Bound's core values of Compassion, Integrity, Excellence, and Inclusion & Diversity are built into every aspect of our programs that challenge people to reach their full potential.
2014 Grantee: Open Space Alliance, Albuquerque, NM, USA
Get Into Open Space
The Open Space Alliance is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to promote public awareness and conservation of Open Space lands, and to educate the public about the natural, historic, cultural, educational, and recreational aspects of Open Space areas.
2014 Grantee: Oregon Natural Desert Association, Bend, OR, USA
Oregon Natural Desert Association
Oregon Natural Desert Association is a community of people dedicated to conserving the high desert.
It might be the scent of sagebrush, or the desert sun’s warmth. It could be the wild rivers, or the unparalleled solitude. Or perhaps it is the chance to see pronghorn running across the steppe that first draws people in. One point is certain: the magical combination of these natural attributes and many more touches souls and bonds people together.
2014 Grantee: Outfit Moray, Lossiemouth, Moray, Great Britain
Explore the Outdoors
Founded in 2003, Outfit Moray is an award winning charity and social enterprise delivering life-changing outdoor learning and adventure activity programmes to young people in Moray. We have worked with over 16,000 children and young people; building confidence, self-esteem and resilience, providing positive role models and encouraging the acquisition of life skills and new experiences through challenge and positive risk taking.
2014 Grantee: Get Outdoors Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, USA
Tomorrow's Stewards Through Today's Leaders
Today, it is Get Outdoors Nevada’s mission and vision to connect Nevadans and visitors from all backgrounds and ages to the state’s diverse outdoor places. To this end, we pursue a three-fold approach of education, service, and community engagement. Many of our efforts and programs focus on the needs and lives of families and school children, especially those who are at-risk and often have limited opportunity to experience the great outdoors. We are committed to preserving Nevada’s public lands, urban trails, and community parks. We love Nevada and Nevada’s outdoors.
2014 Grantee: Paddle Canada, Kingston, ON, Canada
KEEN PaddleSmart
… is a national program that trains new padders for their next water adventure, including water safety, leave no trace principles, and wilderness preparedness.
2014 Grantee: Palmetto Conservation Foundation, Columbia, SC, USA
Interactive Educational Tours of the Palmetto Trail
To foster an appreciation for South Carolina’s natural and cultural resources, providing opportunities for active recreation on the Palmetto Trail and other trail systems that can be enjoyed by all in South Carolina, regardless of gender, race, creed, age, or ability.
2014 Grantee: Rabbit Island Foundation, New York, NY, USA
Rabbit Island School and Artist Residency
Rabbit Island is a 91 acre forested island in Lake Superior three miles east of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula. The island is composed of a native ecosystem standing upon solid bedrock and has never before been developed or subdivided. Bald eagles nest in the trees and the surrounding waters provide habitat for thriving lake trout and salmon populations. The majority of the island is held under a conservation easement granted by the Keweenaw Land Trust assuring it’s unique ecosystem will remain healthy in perpetuity. Rabbit Island will serve as a platform for science, art, preservation and recreation for the generations.
2014 Grantee: Raccoon Creek Partnership, Athens, OH, USA
RCP Outdoor Adventures Camp
formed to improve and protect water quality in the Raccoon Creek Watershed. Located in southeastern Ohio’s hill country, this 683 square mile watershed is a treasure trove of natural wonders including more than 60,000 acres of national forest, state forest, state parks, and wildlife management areas.
2014 Grantee: The Elizabeth River Project, Portsmouth, VA, USA
Paradise Creek Nature Park – Fostering New River Stewards
We are citizens, businesses, schools and government working together to restore our home river. For too long, the Elizabeth River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, has been infamous for pollution. Instead of lamenting the problem, we prefer to take hope from her strengths. From the Great Bridge Lock to the naval base, you can see the importance of the Elizabeth River every day in Hampton Roads. She gives us our work and our play. The Elizabeth River Project is the non-profit leading community efforts to restore the environmental health of this great harbor river while affirming her value to our port economy.
2014 Grantee: The Friends of Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary, Inc., Annapolis, MD, USA
Discovering the Patuxent by Kayak
The Sanctuary protects about 1,700 acres of unique tidal freshwater marshes, forested wetlands, upland and riparian forest, creeks, meadows, pine and sand barrens, and fields along the Patuxent River. This protected land provides a safe haven for a high diversity of plants, insects, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds, fish and microbes, and to rich native american cultural resources.
2014 Grantee: The Sustainable Coastlines Charitable Trust, Auckland, New Zealand
Capacity building workshops and educational roadshow
We’re on a mission to enable people to look after the coastlines and waterways they love. We love our coasts and waterways and we work with our sleeves rolled up to keep them healthy and beautiful. We deliver coastal clean-up events, educational programmes, public awareness campaigns, and riparian planting projects. We also work with volunteers, interns, ambassadors and local community groups to enable them to deliver these activities in their own communities.
2014 Grantee: Tõnu Jürgensoni matkaklubi, Tartu, Estonia
Don't Panic
2014 Grantee: Urban Ecology Center Inc., Milwaukee, WI, USA
Neighborhood Environmental Education Project (NEEP)
It’s pretty simple; the Urban Ecology Center gets people outside. At the Urban Ecology Center’s locations people make connections between new and old ideas, their behaviors and their impact, and, most of all, with each other.
2014 Grantee: Vermont Works for Women, Inc., Winooski, VT, USA
Dirt Divas
Vermont Works for Women helps women and girls recognize their potential and explore, pursue, and excel in work that leads to economic independence.
2014 Grantee: Whitefish Legacy Partners, Whitefish, MT, USA
Whitefish Interpretive Trail and Outdoor Learning Center
Whitefish Legacy Partners is a non-profit organization whose community-minded vision ensures conservation, recreation and education on the lands around Whitefish for future generations.
2014 Grantee: Wilderness Volunteers Giving Something Back, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
2014 Wilderness Service Projects
Our mission is providing opportunities for everyone to participate in the hands-on stewardship of public lands. Working in cooperation with the National Forest and Park Service, the BLM and the US Fish & Wildlife Agency, you'll be inspired and invigorated when you see how much a group can accomplish in a few days.
2015 Grantee: First Descents, Denver, CO, USA
First Descents is a recognized leader in outdoor experiential programming. Through outdoor adventures, skills development, and local adventure communities FD improves the long-term survivorship of young adults impacted by cancer and other serious health conditions.
2015 Grantee: GirlVentures, San Francisco, CA, USA
GirlVentures’ inspires girls to lead through outdoor adventure, inner discovery, and collective action. The only nonprofit of its kind, GirlVentures combines outdoor adventure with social emotional learning for adolescent girls, at a critical time in their lives. Starting at age 11, our youth follow the GirlVentures’ Leadership Progression Model, building confidence, leadership and life skills as they backpack, hike, kayak and rock climb in the Northern California wilderness. They learn from experiential educators and mentors while gaining knowledge and tools that empower them reach their full potential.
2015 Grantee: Green Thumbs Growing Kids, Toronto, ON, Canada
Green Thumbs offers food growing and environmental education programs in 4 inner-city schools and 2 park sites. Our programs take place in the east downtown Toronto neighbourhoods of St. James Town, Cabbagetown, and Regent Park. Our gardens are about kids and their grownups, plants and their people – from all over the world!
2015 Grantee: Muddy Sneakers, Inc., Brevard, NC, USA
Muddy Sneakers is an outdoor science education program that works with fifth-grade public school students across 11 counties in Western North Carolina and eight counties in the Piedmont of North Carolina. This innovative program educates on the core concepts of the state science curriculum using hands-on, experiential teaching methods spread over multiple, outdoor classroom experiences. Currently, Muddy Sneakers partners with 47 schools and serves 3,450 students.
2015 Grantee: Open Meadow Alternative Schools, Portland, OR, USA
Open Meadow is one of Oregon’s oldest alternative schools providing education and support services to youth who have not achieved success in traditional academic settings. Over the years, Open Meadow supplemented its curriculum with a program called the Corps for Restoring the Urban Environment (CRUE) to enhance school-to-career services for high school students through a project-based and community involvement curriculum.
2015 Grantee: The Sustainable Coastlines Charitable Trust, Auckland, New Zealand
We’re on a mission to enable people to look after the coastlines and waterways they love. We love our coasts and waterways and we work with our sleeves rolled up to keep them healthy and beautiful. We deliver coastal clean-up events, educational programmes, public awareness campaigns, and riparian planting projects. We also work with volunteers, interns, ambassadors and local community groups to enable them to deliver these activities in their own communities.
2015 Grantee: Paaqavi Incorporated, Hotevilla, AZ, USA
The stated mission is “to provide for a good life by promoting Hopi tradition, religion and culture; to create social, economic and cultural opportunities for individuals, groups and villages as a collective; to preserve the Hopi language; to preserve Hopi agriculture, arts and architecture; and to promote for a positive and healthy community environment of the Hopi villages”
2015 Grantee: Alaska Geographic, Anchorage, AK, USA
Alaska Youth Leadership Team
Alaska Geographic works in partnership with public land agencies to connect people with Alaska’s national parks, forests, refuges and conservation lands through the creation and delivery of exceptional educational products and programs.
2015 Grantee: Boone Area Cyclists, Boone, NC, USA
The Keen Bike Trails at Rocky Knob Park
…educates adults and youths about the health and environmental benefits of cycling, while ensuring the development and maintenance of bike lanes and trails.
2015 Grantee: Bush Heritage Australia, Melbourne, Australia
Bush Heritage Australia
We're an independent not-for-profit that buys and manages land, and also partners with Aboriginal people, to conserve our magnificent landscapes and our irreplaceable native species forever.
2015 Grantee: Sociedad para la Proteccion de Ecosistemas Costeros, Lima, Peru
Beach Rangers
Provides low-income Peruvian students an opportunity to learn and develop a love for nature and wildlife.
2015 Grantee: The Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County, Unionville, PA, USA
Chandler Mill Nature Preserve
Our work focuses on establishing conservation corridors, protecting historic sites, providing walk-able communities through trail linkages, and offering ecological education and outreach programs for professionals, students, and underserved members of the community. We like to think of our combined efforts as providing “TLC” for the environment, as well as for the residents of Southern Chester County, PA. Our goal is to provide meaningful, hands-on interaction with the land, that not only feeds our bodies, but also nourishes our health, our creativity, and our spirits.
2015 Grantee: The Mountaineers, Seattle, WA, USA
Backcountry Impact Video Project
We are a community built around passion for the outdoors. For over 100 years, our volunteers have been teaching skills, sharing adventures, creating volunteers, and conserving land. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit our mission is to enrich the community by helping people explore, conserve, learn about, and enjoy the lands and waters of the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
2016 Grantee: Escalando Fronteras, Monterrey, Mexico
Climbing Borders - Escalando Fronteras
We use rock climbing and education to empower and build the skills of at-risk youth in underdeveloped areas of Monterrey, Mexico, in order to give them the tools to pursue promising and positive lives.
2016 Grantee: Friends of Nevada Wilderness, Las Vegas, NV, USA
Stewarding Nevada’s Piece of the Grand Canyon – Gold Butte, Nevada
Friends of Nevada Wilderness has been successful in protecting over 3 million acres of Nevada wilderness. Getting wilderness designated is the first step toward long-term protection of these special areas but it's not enough. Our wild lands need help to heal from past uses and abuses.
2016 Grantee: West Virginia Rivers Coalition, Charleston, WV, USA
Living Monumental Weekend: Birthplace of Rivers
Today, the WV Rivers is the statewide voice for water-based recreation and clean, drinkable, swimmable, and fishable rivers and streams–from the headwaters to wherever water flows in West Virginia. We’re also the West Virginia state affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation. Our mission is to conserve and restore West Virginia’s exceptional rivers and streams. We believe that clean water is the foundation of life, and that all people should respect and be able to enjoy clean West Virginia rivers and streams.
2016 Grantee: Idaho Conservation League, Boise, ID, USA
Wilderness Stewardship Program
The Idaho Conservation League is Idaho’s leading voice for conservation. With offices in Boise, Ketchum, and Sandpoint, we work hard and smart to protect the air you breathe, the water you drink and the wild places you and your family love.
2016 Grantee: Friends of Saguaro National Park, Tucson, AZ, USA
Exploring Sonoran Desert Diversity
Friends of Saguaro partners with the National Park Service to provide strategic resources and support that promote park exploration and discovery, preservation and conservation, and resource stewardship. By providing critical financial support and growing public awareness, Friends of Saguaro provides a vital link between Saguaro National Park and the Tucson community -- and helps protect our "most glorious heritage" for future generations.
2016 Grantee: Grand Staircase-Escalante Partners, Inc., Kanab, UT, USA
Escalante River Youth Riparian Restoration Training Program
… is the largest Riparian Restoration conservation youth training program in the country, while also preserving the imperiled Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
2016 Grantee: The Greening of Detroit, Detroit, MI, USA
Camp Greening
The Greening of Detroit is an urban forestry program and non-profit partner in The Detroit Partnership; it was founded in 1989. In addition to planting trees in the Detroit area, the organization engages in urban forestry education, job training, and other community programs.
2016 Grantee: NatureBridge, Washington, DC, USA
living and learning in Prince William Forest National Park
As the largest education partner of the National Park Service, we are proud to support their mission to preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of this and future generations. Today, NatureBridge connects over 35,000 students and 600 schools each year to the wonder and science of the natural world, igniting self-discovery and inspiring stewardship of our planet. We operate in Yosemite National Park and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in California; Olympic National Park in Washington; and Prince William Forest Park in Virginia.
2016 Grantee: Outdoor Outreach, Twentynine Palms, CA, USA
Outdoor Voices Youth Leadership Initiative
Outdoor Outreach facilitates after-school local Adventure Clubs at three Title I high schools.
Each club has approximately 50 members, and members have the opportunity to attend over 40 outdoor outings throughout the year. The majority of participants in these clubs have little or no prior exposure to the outdoors; for many, these outings represent opportunities to try and accomplish things they never thought possible, like surfing their first wave in Coronado, or reaching new heights while rock climbing at Dixon Lake.
2016 Grantee: Shining Stars Foundation, Winter Park, CO, USA
Grand County Family Adventure
Our mission is to transform lives through year-round recreational and social programs for children and their families challenged with pediatric cancer or another life-threatening illness. We provide programs that help these children move past just trying to survive, to thriving and truly living again. We serve not only the child, but their entire immediate family, including siblings and parents.
2016 Grantee: Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Northern Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Mapping the Eastern Slopes
The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) is Canada’s only nationwide charity dedicated solely to the protection of our public land and water, and ensuring our parks are managed to protect the nature within them. In the past 50+ years, we’ve played a lead role in protecting over half a million square kilometres – an area bigger than the entire Yukon Territory! Our vision is to protect at least half of our public land and water so that future generations can experience Canada’s irreplaceable wilderness. CPAWS Northern Alberta has championed the protection of Alberta’s diverse natural heritage since our establishment in 1968 as the first regional chapter.
2016 Grantee: Trails Youth Initiatives Inc., Newmarket, ON, Canada
2016-2017 Trails Youth Sponsorship Programme
Trails' "Four Seasons, Four Years, For Life" outdoor programme builds confidence through skill development, high school credits, bursaries and mentorship. We challenge and equip vulnerable youth to become contributing members of the community.
2016 Grantee: Ascend: Leadership Through Athletics, Afghanistan
Ascend Afghanistan Day Tripper Club Pilot
Our short term goals include achieving tangible climbing feats, of known peaks and first ascents. Our long term goal is to develop a cadre of strong female role models and leaders who are equipped and motivated to help their society transition to peace. Our team members occupy a unique space in Afghan culture; they are role models because of their climbing achievements as well as their civic contributions.
2016 Grantee: The Edible Schoolyard Project, Berkeley, CA, USA
Growing Educators in the Garden Classroom
The Edible Schoolyard Project is dedicated to transforming the health of children by designing hands-on educational experiences in the garden, kitchen, and cafeteria that connect children to food, nature, and to each other.
2016 Grantee: Cascade Forest Conservancy, Portland, OR, USA
Gifford Pinchot Stewards: Bringing People Outdoors for Conservation!
On January 19, 1985, citizens in Southwest Washington united under the name Gifford Pinchot Task Force to participate in forest management decisions, advocate for the conservation of critical natural resources, and help protect the newly-created Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. Now, 30 years later, we are continuing the mission they started as the Cascade Forest Conservancy.
2016 Grantee: Mazamas, Portland, OR, USA
State Leadership for Outdoor Recreation in Oregon
Founded in 1894 on the summit of Mt. Hood, the Mazamas is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit mountaineering education organization located in Portland, Oregon. The Mazamas offer over 700 hikes and 350 climbs annually. A variety of classes and activities are offered for every skill and fitness level and are open to both members and nonmembers. The Mazamas promotes climbing, responsible recreation, and conservation values through outdoor education, advocacy, and outreach.
2017 Grantee: Argentia Beach Sports, Recreation and Wildlife Society, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Graves Wildlife Sanctuary Trail
2017 Grantee: Castlegar Friends of Parks and Trails Society (2001), Castlegar, BC, Canada
West kootenay Gap
Castlegar Friends of Parks and Trails Society is a non-profit charitable, volunteer organization that maintains trails and builds new trails for hiking and biking in the Castlegar area for non-motorized use. We hire a small seasonal crew to undertake trail maintenance. We encourage the use of parks and trails while respecting the natural environment and the area’s cultural heritage.
2017 Grantee: Corduroy Brook Enhancement Association, Grand Falls Windsor, NL, Canada
Ivany's Road Link
The Corduroy Brook Enhancement Association (CBEA) is a non-profit, charitable organization committed to restore and preserve Corduroy Brook, and to build and maintain a system of accessible nature trails along its course. The Association was incorporated in 1994 and now boasts over 20 kilometres of nature trail, and related infrastructure including bridges and boardwalks, playgrounds, viewing platforms, rest areas, tent sites, and a comprehensive system of signage.
2017 Grantee: Pinawa Trails Association and Pinawa Foundation, Pinawa, MB, Canada
Pinawa
The Pinawa Foundation was formed to help strengthen our community, now and for future generations, by promoting philanthropy, creating partnerships and supporting diverse local groups and charities. Volunteer organizations work hard to make Pinawa better. We were looking for a way to help – a community foundation was the answer.
2017 Grantee: Sentiers Wakefield Trails, Wakefield, QC, Canada
“Village of Wakefield Québec” Section
Sentiers Wakefield Trails is a chartered not-for-profit organization aimed at promoting trail creation, maintenance and associated activities in the Wakefield/La Peche area.
2017 Grantee: Back Country Land Trust, Alpine, CA, USA
"Living Classroom" Program
Back Country Land Trust is committed to long-term land conservation and stewardship in San Diego’s east county. We work to preserve environmentally sensitive open-space lands through property acquisition, conservation easements, land stewardship, and monitoring. Our ecological preserves protect and enhance several threatened and endangered species through preservation and restoration of native habitats. We offer environmental education in our community through outdoor youth programs, organized guided hikes, and opportunities for volunteers to work directly on the land.
2017 Grantee: Cahaba Riverkeeper, Inc., Birmingham, AL, USA
Cahaba River Assessment and Education Project
The Cahaba Riverkeeper was established to protect the Cahaba River watershed from numerous pollution problems that threaten its well-being and to specifically focus on the political and scientific issues related to its degradation. The mission of the Cahaba Riverkeeper is to defend the ecological integrity of the Cahaba, its tributaries and watershed and to ensure clean water, a healthy aquatic environment, and the recreational and aesthetic values of the river.
2017 Grantee: Careyes Foundation, Careyes, Jalisco, Mexico
Ecology Education and Outdoor Recreation in Coastal Mexico
... develops hands-on conservation and outdoor recreation programs for underserved rural schoolchildren in Jalisco, Mexico, so they can improve the beauty of coastal ecosystems and become lifelong stewards of their local environment.
2017 Grantee: Conservtz Water, Nairobi, Kenya
Rainwater harvesting schools and Radio Water Education project in Kenya
Conservtz is a Social Enterprise that advocates for Water conservation in Kenya. At Conservtz we are passionate about the conservation and wise management of water, be it rainwater, rainwater runoff or piped water for the economic growth of all. Conservtz uses media and communication products to support Water Conservation projects.
2017 Grantee: Environment for the Americas, Boulder, CO, USA
GALS: Girls on outdoor Adventure for Leadership and Science
Environment for the Americas connects diverse people to birds and nature and inspires the next generation of conservationists by connecting diverse people to nature and to the protection of birds and their habitats.
2017 Grantee: Human Access Project, Portland, OR, USA
Elementary School Outreach
It’s a fact that we protect what we love. Creating river access and a human habitat that people love and protect is what drives us. We create a human habitat and more accessibility points to the Willamette River in Portland, inspire people to connect with the Willamette River and embrace it, and facilitate conservation, education, and stewardship of the Willamette River and Watershed.
2017 Grantee: Isles, Inc., Trenton, NJ, USA
Activate and Revitalize! Community-Based Environmental Engagement
Founded in 1981, Isles, Inc. is a community development and environmental organization based in Trenton, New Jersey. With a mission to foster self-reliant families and healthy, sustainable communities, we design and develop effective services that support this mission and share what we learn with others who can make a difference.
2017 Grantee: Mississippi Park Connection, Saint Paul, MN, USA
Every Kid in a Park
Mississippi Park Connection strengthens the enduring connection between people and the Mississippi River by enriching the life of the river and the lives of all who experience our national park, the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.
2017 Grantee: Neighborhood House of Milwaukee, Inc., Milwaukee, WI, USA
Lead & Learn Conservation and Sustainability Program
Founded in 1945 as a safe and nurturing place for urban youth, families and seniors, Neighborhood House is a community center in the settlement house tradition serving individuals and families at all stages of life and regardless of income. Neighborhood House reaches over 4,000 people annually through wrap-around services including quality early child care, after school programs for youth and teens, adult education for refugees, and parenting support.
2017 Grantee: Sail To Prevail, Newport, RI, USA
Confidence is Cool
Sail To Prevail is a nonprofit that improves the lives of more than 1,000 children and adults, each summer, through sailing in our fleet of specially adapted, 20-foot sailboats. Our programs encourage individuals with disabilities to be active participants in the sailing experience. They steer the boat, grind the winches, and trim the sails. The measurable outcomes demonstrate increased self-confidence and leadership skills.
2017 Grantee: The Lands Council, Spokane, WA, USA
“Snow Science and Water Resources in a Changing Climate”
We preserve and revitalize Inland Northwest forests, water, and wildlife through advocacy, education, effective action, and community engagement. We collaborate with a broad range of interested parties to seek smart and mutually respectful solutions to environment and health issues. We’re enriched by the beauty of nature. We’re energized by the recreational opportunities it affords. And we’re inspired to preserve its legacy for future generations.
2017 Grantee: Betties360, Portland, OR, USA
Betties360 inspires confidence, well-being and community in girls through action sports, outdoor adventure, and life-skill education. Since 2005, Betties360 has provided under-served girls in the Portland community access to outdoor activities and life-skill training for free.
2017 Grantee: Oregon Parks Forever, Portland, OR, USA
Oregon Parks Forever is a statewide nonprofit organization raising funds to enhance & preserve special places and experiences in Oregon’s Parks. With the growing popularity of outdoor recreation, visitation to parks in Oregon has exploded. Oregon Parks Forever was formed to help supplement existing funding sources, in order to preserve and protect the experience of using the parks for Oregonians and all those who visit our beautiful state.
2018 Grantee: Solar Youth, New Haven, CT, USA
Solar Youth Cycle of Stewardship
Solar Youth’s mission is to empower youth to achieve lifelong success (and nothing less!) Focusing in three high-poverty neighborhoods of New Haven, we do this through our unique program model which includes long-term supportive relationships, and programs that happen IN their neighborhoods, where youth EXPLORE their ENVIRONMENT, become PROBLEM-SOLVERS and
practice LEADERSHIP.
2018 Grantee: Takshanuk Watershed Council, Haines, AZ, USA
Wonderous Watersheds - Outdoor Youth Science Exploration of Haines, Alaska Watersheds
The mission of the Takshanuk Watershed Council (TWC) is to provide stewardship of the Chilkat, Chilkoot, and Ferebee River systems. Through restoration, education, research, and community involvement we seek to benefit the natural ecology, economy, and quality of life valued by all residents. Through our initiatives, we attain a better understanding of our watershed’s ecology and use this information to foster good stewardship of the streams, rivers, lakes, and lands.
2018 Grantee: Young Women Empowered (Y-WE), Seattle, WA, USA
Y-WE Nature Connections
… serving young women with adult women mentors, girls engage in healthy outdoor activities, environmental learning and stewardship while having inspiring experiences of the natural world.
2018 Grantee: Friends of the Osa, Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica
Healthy Rivers for Healthy Kids! Outdoor learning for growing young citizen scientists
Osa Conservation’s mission is to conserve the globally significant terrestrial and marine biological diversity of the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica by implementing ecosystem stewardship, enhancing scientific understanding, providing education and training, and creating sustainable economic opportunities.
2018 Grantee: Tingathe Development Forum, Nkhotakota, Malawi
Creating Conservation Culture in Nkhotakota Children
Tingathe Development Forum (TIDEF) is a nonprofit community based organisation in Nkhotakota Malawi. It was formed in order to empower the community with different skills and capabilities for them to successfully respond to various community challenges, including efforts of providing sustainable clean water through rain collection.
2018 Grantee: City Kids Wilderness Project, Washington, DC, USA
Job Experience Training Leadership Program
City Kids Wilderness Project is a non-profit organization founded on the belief that providing enriching life experiences for DC children can enhance their lives, the lives of their families and the greater community. Our program is based around three core principles: long-term youth engagement, experiential education programming with a focus on overcoming challenges, and goal setting with a focus on future planning.
2018 Grantee: Change is Simple, Inc., Boston, MA, USA
Marine Paddle Adventures
Change is Simple’s super-charged STEM curriculum brings environmental, sustainability, and climate education to more than 8,000 elementary and middle school students in the Boston area each year.
2018 Grantee: Free to Be Kids, London, United Kingdom
Free to Be Kids, Thrive Outside Programme
Free to Be is a growing London based charity supporting children & young people who are struggling with social or emotional difficulties, and helping to create lasting change for vulnerable children's emotional health. Our volunteers work with disadvantaged children across London to rebuild self-esteem, boost resilience and to help explore challenging emotions and ways of managing. We do this via a range of therapeutic adventures & countryside based respite residentials, in all seasons, as well as through creative termtime afterschool groups.
2018 Grantee: One Heartland, Inc, Willow River, MN, USA
Camp Northstar
Since 1993, One Heartland has been creating life-changing camp experiences for youth facing social isolation, intolerance or serious health challenges. Our camps provide a welcoming, bully-free environment where children, youth and young adults can feel completely accepted for who they are—often for the first time in their lives.
2018 Grantee: Portland Parks Foundation, Portland, OR, USA
Free Lunch + Play program
The Portland Parks Foundation mobilizes support to improve Portland’s system of parks, natural areas, and public spaces. We believe in the the power of these places to strengthen communities, address historic inequities, and create a sense of belonging for everyone in Portland. We help people help parks.
2018 Grantee: Roanoke Outside Foundation, Roanoke, VA, USA
Outdoor Adventure Club (OAC)
It is our mission to make outdoor activity and environmental stewardship a core component of our community’s lifestyle by promoting a “conservation through recreation” philosophy. Roanoke Outside seeks to impact the greater good of the community by organizing or partnering with others to create outdoor-oriented activities and programs focused on recreation, education, stewardship, and healthy lifestyles.
2018 Grantee: Surya Zoba Studies, Page, AZ, USA
Glen Canyon Outdoor Academy Year Round Immersion Course
Surya Zoba Studies (Sunshine in Sanskrit) is a non-profit organization that provides regional experiential educational adventures and custom curricula. We promote empowerment through tailored educational experience, preservation through awareness of our environment, and stewardship by recognizing our role in our environment as a result of immersive place-based education. Our adventures and curricula offer a unique blend of all core academic subjects with a focus on STEAM project-based learning opportunities and immersion in the outdoors.
2018 Grantee: Winter Wildlands Alliance, Idaho City, ID, USA
SnowSchool
Winter Wildlands Alliance is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and preserving winter wildlands and a quality human-powered snowsports experience on public lands through education, outreach and advocacy. We are an alliance of over 100 grassroots environmental organizations and backcountry partners. Our SnowSchool program engages over 33,000 kids in science-based field trips and education across 60 sites nationwide.
2018 Grantee: Thai Child Development Foundation, Paksong, Phato, Thailand
Fun @ the Farm
The Thai Child Development Foundation (TCDF) supports underpriviledged children in their development by making sure that customized medical care and education is also available to children with disabilities, learning disorders or children from challenged family’s.
2018 Grantee: Adventures Without Limits, Forest Grove, OR, USA
Outdoor Adventure and Stewardship for At-Risk Youth
AWL was created to address the region's shortage of adaptive recreation opportunities, and we've since become a leader in the field. We specialize in working with individuals with disabilities to find adaptive solutions for their adventures. Over the years, our programs have expanded to address many common barriers to outdoor recreation, such as access to transportation, outdoor apparel, and training. We're committed to providing all participants with the equipment, knowledge, confidence, and support to enjoy outdoor activities safely.
2018 Grantee: Camp El Ranchito, LLC, Austin, TX, USA
El Ranchito Nature Immersion Camp
Our mission is to connect children with the natural world by providing an extraordinarily fun and inspiring nature-immersion camping experience. We serve children and youth from urban Austin, offering Nature Discovery Camp for 4th – 9th graders, and Conservation Corps for 10th -12th graders. Our traveling camp, the Texas River Expedition, is a service learning journey for 18-22 year-olds.
2018 Grantee: Trails Youth Initiatives, Inc., Toronto, ON, Canada
Trailblazers: Outdoor Adventure for Vulnerable Youth
Our mission is to cultivate resilience, leadership, connections and compassion through inspiring and challenging journeys of self-discovery in the natural world. We level the field by empowering all children to recognize their potential and realize their dreams.
2018 Grantee: She Jumps, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
All Girls Can Jump
Outdoor play that transforms. SheJumps increases the participation of women and girls in outdoor activities. Partnering with nature, SheJumps creates safe, educational outdoor experiences for girls and women that nurture growth and transformation.
2019 Grantee: Final Straw Solent, Hampshire, United Kingdom
Final Straw Solent educational outreach program
... works with local schools to minimize the amount of single-use plastic used on the south coast of the UK to help reduce the amount of waste entering our oceans.
2019 Grantee: OISCA International, Tohoku, Japan
Coastal Forest Restoration Project in the Area Damaged by Tsunami in Tohoku, Japan
.. Will establish a model coastal forest restoration site to help revitalize the community damaged by a 2011 tsunami in Northeastern Japan.
2019 Grantee: Cedar Coast Field Station Society, Tofino, BC, Canada
Coastal Connections
...promotes ecological health through involving youth in a migrating wild Pacific salmon monitoring program in Clayoquot Sound.
2019 Grantee: Galveston Bay Foundation, Houston, TX, USA
Students in Action
...combines coastal restoration, environmental education, and citizen science initiatives into one service-learning program for local students, helping them gain knowledge of local wetland habitats and environmental careers.
2019 Grantee: ActionAid Association, Sundarbans, India
Building coastal resilience amongst communities in Sundarbans
... serves the Sundarbans coastal forest that has been exacerbated by human-induced disaster by helping local communities adopt more sustainable practices and resilience through nature-based infrastructures like mangroves.
2019 Grantee: Size of Wales, Cardiff, United Kingdom
Forest Champions
Size of Wales is an ambitious and growing charity, promoting conservation and sustainable development
by encouraging the public and, in particular, the people of Wales, to take positive action to protect an
area of tropical forest twice the size of Wales.
2019 Grantee: Soul River, Portland, OR, USA
North Umpqua River & Arctic Deployments
Soul River, started by Navy Veteran Chad Brown, brings U.S. Veterans and inner-city youth into the outdoors through mission-driven experiences tackling
environmental and social justice issues. Participants are immersed in threatened landscapes through flyfishing, scientific exploration and cross-cultural learning. They then advocate for these places, using
modern media and traditional advocacy at local and national scales.
2019 Grantee: Earth Team, Richmond, CA, USA
Asphalt Break!: The Spirit of Exploration
Earth Team empowers urban youth to become lifelong environmental stewards
through experiential education, skills development, and the building of community connections
2019 Grantee: Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Key Biscayne, FL, USA
Summer by the Sea Camp
Dedicated to environmental education and the encouragement of greater citizen participation in the protection of our natural environment, the Biscayne Nature Center offers a 4-week program for Miami’s underserved children to engage in STEAM-related activities and learn life-enhancing skills through hands-on exploration of south Florida's unique ecosystems. Campers participate in marine science expeditions, outdoor recreation, and multi-disciplinary arts.
2019 Grantee: Mountain Alliance, Boone NC, USA
Canoe Program for Teens
Mountain Alliance provides transformative experiences and support for teenagers in the North Carolina
High Country regardless of means or background. We sponsor experiential education, academic support,
after school programs, tutoring and mentorship to help unlock the leadership potential present in all
teens, including those under resourced or at risk.
2019 Grantee: Human and Hope association, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Youth Leadership Program
We empower Cambodians to create sustainable futures for themselves through programs focused on
education, vocational training and community support.
2019 Grantee: The BC Wildlife Foundation, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Youth Program
A province-wide voluntary conservation organization representing all British
Columbians whose aims are to protect, enhance and promote the wise use of the environment for the
benefit of present and future generations.
2020 Grantee: Size of Wales, Cardiff, United Kingdom
Forest Champions
Size of Wales is an ambitious and growing charity, promoting conservation and sustainable development
by encouraging the public and, in particular, the people of Wales, to take positive action to protect an
area of tropical forest twice the size of Wales.
2020 Grantee: Soul River, Portland, OR, USA
North Umpqua River & Arctic Deployments
Soul River, started by Navy Veteran Chad Brown, brings U.S.
Veterans and inner-city youth into the outdoors through mission-driven experiences tackling
environmental and social justice issues. Participants are immersed in threatened landscapes through flyfishing, scientific exploration and cross-cultural learning. They then advocate for these places, using
modern media and traditional advocacy at local and national scales.
2020 Grantee: Mountain Alliance, Boone, NC, USA
Canoe Program for Teens
Mountain Alliance provides transformative experiences and support for teenagers in the North Carolina
High Country regardless of means or background. We sponsor experiential education, academic support,
after school programs, tutoring and mentorship to help unlock the leadership potential present in all
teens, including those under resourced or at risk.
2020 Grantee: Chicago Adventure Therapy, Chicago, IL, USA
All Outside
Using outdoor adventure sports like paddling, orienteering, cycling, camping and rock climbing, Chicago Adventure Therapy (CAT) works with Chicago youth to have a lasting positive impact on their communities and become healthy adults by teaching effective social skills and strong leadership skills, increasing participants’ sense of possibility, and fostering a sense of empowerment and personal responsibility.
2020 Grantee: Georgia Audubon Society, Atlanta, GA, USA
Atlanta Urban Ecologists
Georgia Audubon is dedicated to building places where birds and people thrive. We are a thriving, bird-focused organization that combines serious conservation, education, and community engagement with activities that build community and foster the joy of birding.
2020 Grantee: Earth Team, Richmond, CA, USA
Asphalt Break!: The Spirit of Exploration
Earth Team empowers urban youth to become lifelong environmental stewards through experiential education, skills development, and the building of community connections
2020 Grantee: Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center, Key Biscayne, FL, USA
Summer by the Sea Camp
Dedicated to environmental education and the encouragement of greater citizen participation in the protection of our natural environment, the Biscayne Nature Center offers a 4-week program for Miami’s underserved children to engage in STEAM-related activities and learn life-enhancing skills through hands-on exploration of south Florida's unique ecosystems. Campers participate in marine science expeditions, outdoor recreation, and multi-disciplinary arts.
Current Core Partners
Since 2012
Outdoor Afro and KEEN are on a mission to set right the long history of Black outdoor exclusion by introducing Black children to water recreation through life-saving swim classes.
Since 2005
Leave No Trace partners with KEEN to help protect more natural areas than ever before through a series of community-based efforts called "Hot Spots" that ensure threatened parks will thrive.
Since 2005
KEEN is a pinnacle member of The Conservation Alliance, a group of like-minded companies that disburses its collective annual membership dues to grassroots environmental organizations. Together, we have saved over 73 million acres of wild lands and waters in North America.
Since 2011
KEEN supports All Hands and Hearts so it can deploy staff, equipment, volunteers, and proper footwear after disaster strikes to help affected communities regain secure, functional homes and schools.
Since 2006
KEEN and Forest Park Conservancy are working together to increase responsible and inclusive recreation in Portland's Forest Park, one of America's largest urban forests, through a diverse crew of youth ambassadors focused on outreach and education.
Since 2005
KEEN works with American Whitewater to protect threatened headwater streams, creating a lasting legacy of protected and restored rivers for public enjoyment and access.