Justice Outside, formerly known as Youth Outside, is a left-of-center environmental advocacy group the operates grant programs and other strategic funding initiatives to promote youth outdoors programs in underserved communities. The organization’s grant program has funded groups including Black Lives Matter Phoenix, the Divest Invest Project, and the Movement Strategy Center. 1
Originally founded as the Foundation for Youth Investment and later renamed Youth Outside, the group rebranded as Justice Outside in 2021, shifting its mission to be more focused on left-of-center racial activism and equity ideology, stating that the renamed organization would plan to “dismantle systemic injustices and build a stronger environmental movement for current and future generations.” 2
Background
Justice Outside was founded in 2011 as the Foundation for Youth Investment, and later was renamed Youth Outside. The original mission of the organization was to facilitate programs that “connect youth to the outdoors.” In 2021, the group renamed itself Justice Outside to align with the group’s shift to focus on grantmaking on left-of-center racial activism, stating that the group’s “ultimate mission” is to advance “racial justice and equity in the outdoor and environmental movement” and further stating that “We chose to put the word ‘justice’ front and center because promoting racial justice guides all aspects of our work” and that “we are intentionally working to dismantle systemic injustices and build a stronger environmental movement for current and future generations.” 3
Activity
The primary focus of Justice Outside is to lead the Liberated Paths grantmaking program, which provides grants ranging from $1,000 to $50,000 for organizations throughout the United States that work on issues at the intersection of “racial justice, outdoor experiences, and the environment.” The group gives grants to national organizations and has other grant portfolios covering the California Coast, the Pacific Northwest, the Southwest, the Delaware River Watershed, North and South Carolina, and Youth Access to Nature. The group states that its grantmaking prioritizes “Organizations or projects led by and serving Black, Indigenous, and/or Communities of Color” as well as organizations or projects with a budget of less than $1 million and that have limited relationships with larger grantmaking organizations and foundations. 4
The group’s Youth Access to Nature Fund provides funding for children in the San Francisco Bay Area to participate in outdoor activities, which was the organization’s original primary focus. 4
In 2024 the group announced that it had secured funding from two California state agencies, the Ocean Protection Council and the California State Coastal Conservancy, to expand its grantmaking efforts along the California coast. The state gave Justice Outside $1.1 million to fund projects up to two years in length at 25 to 30 grant recipients. 5
Organizations that have received grants from Justice Outside include African Youth and Community, Black Lives Matter Phoenix Metro, Borderlands Restoration, Brothers on the Rise, Brown Girl Surf, Movement Strategy Center, Pueblo Action Alliance, the Center for Social Sustainability, and Uplift Climate. 1
Groups that have provided funding to Justice Outside include Sustain Us, REI Cooperative Action Fund, the Nathan M Ohrback Foundation, the Progressive Multiplier Fund, and Parks California. 5
References
- Return of an Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Justice Outside. 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/800565914/202303179349307635/full
- “We Are Justice Outside!” Justice Outside. June 4, 2021. Accessed May 12, 2024. https://justiceoutside.org/we-are-justice-outside/
- [1] “We Are Justice Outside!” Justice Outside. June 4, 2021. Accessed May 12, 2024. https://justiceoutside.org/we-are-justice-outside/
- “Liberated Paths.” Justice Outside. Accessed May 12, 2024. https://justiceoutside.org/grantmaking/liberated-paths/
- “Justice Outside expands Liberated Paths grantmaking program along the California Coast.” Protect Earth. February 9, 2024. Accessed May 12, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/full_text_search?q=%22Justice+outside%22