Outdoor Foundation Reveals 2021 Annual Report Findings

July 6, 2022

The Outdoor Foundation’s Thrive Outside Community Initiative Reached 14,849 Youth and Expanded to Four New Communities in 2021

BOULDER, CO (July 6th, 2022)/OUTDOOR SPORTSWIRE/ – The Outdoor Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Outdoor Industry Association, released its first annual report today showcasing data from its 2021 Thrive Outside program work and participation research. 

Since the launch of the Thrive Outside Community Initiative in 2019, the Outdoor Foundation has connected 49,855 youth and their families to the joy, wonder, and myriad benefits of the outdoors. Despite the ongoing challenges of COVID-19, the Thrive Outside Initiative reached 14,849 youth in 2021 and successfully launched its second Cohort, welcoming the communities of Maine, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Twin Cities into the program. 2021 also marked the first-ever National Thrive Outside Day, with inclusive and accessible outdoor programming and engagement opportunities in eight Thrive Outside Communities serving over 1,000 individual youths.

Research conducted in 2021 demonstrates that Thrive Outside program providers and partner organizations highly value the network. Overall, more than 90 percent of Thrive program providers indicated they are highly satisfied with the network. Working with cohort one backbone organizations, the Outdoor Foundation also created a youth survey in 2021 to assess the impact of outdoor experience dosage on positive youth development and environmental education outcomes. Full findings from the annual report can be found here.

The 2021 annual report also shares information about the Outdoor Foundation’s collective impact approach to social change. The collective impact model brings people together—in a structured way—to achieve social change. The Thrive Outside program work integrates mechanisms in which backbone organizations, service and program providers, and community partners can pool resources and insights as well as build relationships with each other. This boosts the capacity of every Thrive Outside Community and strengthens the full national network.

The Outdoor Foundation’s work would not be possible without the generous support of its Community Leadership Partners Amazon, Carhartt, L.L.Bean, Patagonia, REI, Thule, VF Corporation, Winnebago Industries, and Yeti.

About Outdoor Foundation 

The Outdoor Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Outdoor Industry Association, is a national 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to getting people outside for their health, the health of communities, and the health of the outdoor industry. Through community investment and groundbreaking research, the Outdoor Foundation works with partners across the country to address equity barriers and help make the outdoors accessible for all. Visit outdoorfoundation.org for more information.