Outdoor Equity Fund
Expanding Outdoor Access
We are promoting safer, more equitable access to the outdoors and increased opportunities for nature-based learning in Maine, unceded Wabanaki Territory.
Through this fund, 10+ Black, Indigenous and People of Color led + serving groups receive $10,000 per year for three years.
Redirecting Resources
The fund uses a low-barrier application process to distribute unrestricted and multi-year funding. It shares access to an established outdoor learning network with organizational resources.
Photos by Micheli Oliver
Centering Community Voices
Wabanaki, Black, Indigenous, and other leaders of color in Maine help develop & design the fund and make decisions.
Relationships & Learning
The Outdoor Equity Fund provides space for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color led + serving groups to share knowledge and build relationships with each other and with the broader community
Why an Outdoor Equity Fund?
It is the goal of the Outdoor Equity Fund to improve safe, equitable access to outdoor spaces and increase opportunities for nature-based learning in Wabanaki Territory, (now known as the region of Maine) for everyone, centering Wabanaki people, Black folk, Indigenous people, and people of color (BIPOC).
Maine Initiatives and the Nature Based Education Consortium have partnered to co-create this Outdoor Equity Fund that will make grants to organizations, through a process of participatory grantmaking.
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​The Nature Based Education Consortium proudly co-developed and continues to support this funding opportunity offered by Maine Initiatives.
Barriers to outdoor access this Fund seeks to address:
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Generational wealth and land access disparities
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Nature-deprived living spaces in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities
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Costs of outdoor gear, clothing, transportation, passes, etc
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Lack of opportunity for communities to lead themselves
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Disconnection and displacement from land and traditional nature-based practices
Examples of work this Fund seeks to support:
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Leadership development and mentoring
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Farming and gardening programs
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Outdoor expeditions
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Hunting/fishing trips
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Outdoor learning or environmental education school-based experiences
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Therapeutic and trauma-informed nature programs
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Land-based cultural continuation & preservation
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Land-back and land return projects
We prioritize process
What is participatory grantmaking?
"Participatory grantmaking cedes decision-making power about funding— including the strategy and criteria behind those decisions—to the very communities that funders aim to serve."
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-from Deciding Together: Shifting Power and Resources Through Participatory Grantmaking
Aspects of our participatory grantmaking process:
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Underrepresented community members making decisions
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Peer learning and relationship building
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Creating and sharing organizational resources, partnerships, leadership and professional development opportunities
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Building community, organizational, and sector capacity
The Nature Based Education Consortium (NBEC) is a diverse, multi-sector network of organizations and individuals focused on building support for equitable access to outdoor spaces and learning opportunities for all Maine youth. NBEC believes that all Maine youth deserve the opportunity to learn in ways that connect them to their community and the natural world.
To learn more, visit nbeconsortium.com
Maine Initiatives is a participatory grantmaking organization. It is a network of individuals supporting greater social, economic, and environmental justice in Maine through informed, intentional, and collective philanthropy. Maine Initiatives’ community-based approach to philanthropy explicitly honors the voice, vision, and values that each person can contribute in the pursuit of justice and equity.
To learn more, visit maineinitiatives.org
For inquiries about the Outdoor Equity Fund, contact oef@maineinitiatives.org
Climate change affects everyone, and has unbalanced impacts across race and class. The Climate Education Advocacy working group is invested in these questions of climate justice in working for state-level policy changes.