About the Fund

(from REI Cooperative Action Fund’s website)

Mission

The mission of the REI Cooperative Action Fund is to create a more equitable outdoors by bringing together the collective strength of our community.

The REI Cooperative Action Fund Story

We believe that time outside and our connection to nature is fundamental for the social, cultural, economic, and individual health and well-being of all people.

But today, millions of Americans lack access to the outdoors, and many don’t feel a sense of safety or belonging outside. The REI Cooperative Action Fund exists to provide support for nonprofit organizations across the country doing the deep and essential work to create a more equitable outdoors for everyone.  

There is no simple or singular solution to these challenges. It takes community-wide action to ensure all people have their right to the outdoors honored and protected. To catalyze this work, the REI Cooperative Action Fund intentionally focuses on marginalized groups. It is these very groups who are leading the way in addressing barriers and creating newfound opportunities to bring joy, well-being and belonging to people’s experience outside, resulting in improved health and well-being for people, communities, and our planet.

Whether connecting people outside, creating spaces outside or centering health outside, our grantmaking strategy allows us the familiarity and flexibility to respond to the needs of communities across the country through a trust-based approach. We invite our fellow outdoor lovers to join us in creating a world without barriers to physical, mental and social benefits of nature. 

We are all on Native land

The REI Cooperative Action Fund recognizes Indigenous people on whose ancestral lands we occupy. We honor Traditional Ecological Knowledge, resistance, and resiliency of these Indigenous communities. The Fund's offices are on the traditional homelands of the Coast Salish peoples, including the Duwamish Tribe the and Puyallup Tribe. We encourage you to uncover truths about Indigenous lands where you live and spend time outside; learn of settler colonialism, displacement, most importantly, remember Indigenous resilience.