fishing

Let's Get Outside

We believe in the power of outdoor recreation and the value of a strong connection with nature.

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kayaking

On the Road to Healthy Lifestyles

We support programs that seek to increase physical activity with the goal of fostering and modeling healthy lifestyles.

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mountain

Experience Challenge

Self-confidence grows from learning new skills, gaining new knowledge and successfully completing new endeavors.

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group

Our Focus is Youth

We strongly believe that rewarding recreational experiences can improve the lives of young people in need.

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Recent News

two students raise their hands while sitting at desks

Wrap-Around Services Support Youth Outcomes

January 20, 2026

For many young people, the barriers that prevent them from accessing opportunities are more like webs than walls. There are often multiple, intersecting factors that make it difficult for young people to succeed rather

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program participants stand with their arms around each other
Photo courtesy of REACH

Grantee Spotlight: Refugee Education and Adventure Challenge

December 18, 2025

Refugee Education and Adventure Challenge (REACH) is an outdoor recreation organization based in Chicago that serves refugee youth and their families. REACH was founded in 2015 by Shana Wills, who had decades of

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Heather Kuhlken
Image courtesy of Families in Nature.

Heather Kuhlken Awarded NRF’s 2025 Crawford Prize

December 9, 2025

For the past 10 years, I have been planning how we [Families in Nature] can meaningfully scale our work, how we can replicate it, and how there can be thousands of me instead of just me. The Crawford Prize will allow us

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Year At A Glance

34.5K+

youth served

$2.41M

invested in youth recreation programs

96

grants made

$19.4M

to 270+ organizations across the U.S. in the past decade