REI Co-op announced its 2020 grant partners, representing an investment that will total more than $6 million and touch more than 400 nonprofit partners this year. Funds in 2020 will support stewardship work to build and maintain local trails, parks, campgrounds and public lands, and connect people to the outdoors.
This year’s co-op investment comes as local trails, parks and campgrounds are seeing increased use as Americans seek adventure closer to home and enjoy activities that are conducive to physical distancing, amid the COVID-19 outbreak. According to a recent KOA study on travel, 47% of people who had a previously planned trip now plan to camp instead, and another by Civic Science found that 43% of Americans over the age of 13 said they’d be doing more outdoor activities due to the COVID-19 social distancing rules.
“Taking care of the outdoors is more important than ever as many of our favorite parks, trails and wilderness areas are seeing more and more use,” said Marc Berejka, REI director of community and government affairs, and REI Foundation board president. “As we continue to look to these outdoor spaces for health and solace in these challenging times, it’s important that we also give back.”
In the 82 years since its founding, REI has prioritized stewardship of outdoor places and connecting people to the outdoors, said the co-op. In 2019, REI surpassed more than $100 million invested in the outdoors since its founding, and in 2020 continues this investment by supporting more than 400 nonprofit partners including:
- Brown Ascenders in California’s Bay Areaworks to increase justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI) within outdoor spaces, outdoor-related education and outdoor recreation for Black, indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) adults and youth, while cultivating outlets for community, representation, and growth, and while using climbing as their vehicle. ($6,000)
- Freshwater Land Trust in Birmingham, Alabamaconserves, connects, and cares for land and water in Central Alabama, creating dynamic green spaces for future generations. REI grant funds will help support the construction of the Jones Valley Trail Extension in downtown Birmingham. This section will link residents of all socioeconomic backgrounds and ages to the outdoors in an urbanized environment. ($8,500)
- Friends of the Chicago Riveris working to holistically heal, transform, and renew the Chicago River system to make it a corridor of accessible and valued open space that will enable people to enjoy a continuous Chicago River trail. ($10,500)
Investment in local nonprofits represents a portion of REI’s overall corporate giving. Additional grants are awarded throughout the year, including most recently, a $100,000 pledge to both the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund and the National Urban League. The co-op also has provided $100,000 to the American Hospital Association’s 100 Million Mask Challenge, and specifically to the HealthEquip platform which matches PPE donors to health organizations in the greatest need.
“National Forests will continue to be a large and important part of this effort but broadening the scope of this investment allows us to touch more of the places our members are passionate about,” Berejka said.
This year’s support generated by credit card usage will go to 11 organizations including:
- The National Forest Foundation’s Treasured Landscapes, Unforgettable Experiences program. Funding provided to the NFF will support seven projects to restore and steward National Forests and Grasslands. Projects include tree planting in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest in Georgia and restoring climbing routes along Cathedral Ledge in the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire, among others. ($575,000)
- Support for the organizations that develop, preserve and promote and sustain National Scenic Trails.Funds this year will support the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Pacific Crest Trail Association, Continental Divide Trail Coalition and the North Country Trail Association. (Four grants, totaling $100,000)
- American Rivers’ National River Cleanup®(NRC)volunteer engagement program, which mobilizes thousands of river stewards to clean up rivers and waterways in all 50 states. ($40,000)
- Continued support for the co-op’s rewilding projects in Chicago, Portland, Oregon, Washington, D.C. and along the East Coast Greenway.With 80% of the U.S. population living in cities, REI’s rewilding efforts are large, long-term projects that seek to reimagine the way city dwellers connect with the outdoors. (Five grants, totaling $285,000).
