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The Outdoor Foundation

Foundation · Grantmaker BOULDER, CO EIN: 84-1549065 Website

THE FOUNDATION IS ORGANIZED EXCLUSIVELY FOR CHARITABLE AND EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES RELATED TO OUTDOOR RECREATION ACTIVITES AND EDUCATION, INCLUDING THE PRESERVATION OF THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT, ADDRESSING ISSUES OF THE OUTDOOR INDUSTRY AND PROMOTING PARTICIPATION.

Key facts about The Outdoor Foundation

EIN
84-1549065
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2024
Annual giving (2024)
$657,212
Grants made (2024)
13
Average grant
$50,555
Median grant
$25,000
Total assets
$1,697,791
Primary geography
Minnesota (20% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated April 2026.

Who The Outdoor Foundation funds

By grant dollars, the top recipient states for The Outdoor Foundation's 13 itemized 2024 grants were Minnesota (20%), Michigan (19%) and Virginia (19%). The most frequent recipient cities were St Paul, MN (2 grants). None of its 11 grants with a stated purpose were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Youth Outdoor Part." (11 grants).

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$1.7M

-19.6% YoY

Annual Giving

$657K

-20.3% YoY

Grant Count

13

+8.3% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$51K

-26.4% YoY

About The Outdoor Foundation

Based on IRS filings

The Outdoor Foundation is a nonprofit organization focused on Education, based in BOULDER, CO. IRS filing data is available from 2020 through 2024. As of 2024, the organization holds $1.7M in total assets. In 2024, it awarded 13 grants totaling $657K. Net investment income was $21K.

Focus Areas

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

Grant Distribution by State

12states

Share of all 13 itemized 2024 grant dollars.

Cities

Oklahoma CitySan DiegoGrand RapidsSaint PaulFalmouthPortlandRestonSt LouisAnnapolisArlingtonAtlantaSan FranciscoSeattleBoulderDetroitBerkeleyDenverMilwaukee

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$725K$1M$2M$3M20202021202220232024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets$1,697,791$2,111,705$2,849,383
Revenue$824,925$1,020,247$2,636,844
Expenses$1,231,540$1,753,203$2,217,006
Qualifying Distributions———
Net Investment Income$21,126$48,052—
Distributable Amount———

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$328K$657K$985K$1M12 grants20208 grants202115 grants202212 grants202313 grants2024

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Wilderness Inquiry$115KSeattle Parks Foundation$100KThe Nature Conservancy$100KDetroit Parks Coalition$100KChesapeake Bay Trust$50KCity of Grand Rapids$25KMaine Audubon$25KNational Wildlife Federa…$25KRiver City Outdoors$25KRiversport Foundation$25K

Grant Size Distribution

60 grants across all recorded years

22<$50K16$50–100K22$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest recipients include Wilderness Inquiry ($115,400), Seattle Parks Foundation ($100,000), The Nature Conservancy ($100,000).

RecipientPurposeAmount
WILDERNESS INQUIRY ST PAUL, MNYOUTH OUTDOOR PART.$115,400
SEATTLE PARKS FOUNDATION SEATTLE, WAYOUTH OUTDOOR PART.$100,000
THE NATURE CONSERVANCY ARLINGTON, VAYOUTH OUTDOOR PART.$100,000
DETROIT PARKS COALITION DETROIT, MI—$100,000
CHESAPEAKE BAY TRUST ANNAPOLIS, MDYOUTH OUTDOOR PART.$50,000
CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS GRAND RAPIDS, MIYOUTH OUTDOOR PART.$25,000
MAINE AUDUBON FALMOUTH, MEYOUTH OUTDOOR PART.$25,000
NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION RESTON, VAYOUTH OUTDOOR PART.$25,000
RIVER CITY OUTDOORS ST LOUIS, MOYOUTH OUTDOOR PART.$25,000
RIVERSPORT FOUNDATION OKLAHOMA CITY, OKYOUTH OUTDOOR PART.$25,000

Leadership & Key People

Officers and directors from IRS filings

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

LESFORD DUNCANEXECUTIVE DI$163K

From 2024 filing

NameTitleHoursCompensation
KENT EBERSOLEPRESIDENT8—
DR ARLENE CHARLESFORMER COO8—
LESFORD DUNCANEXECUTIVE DI40$162,673
JEN BOLDRYDIRECTOR2—
DANICA CAREYDIRECTOR2—
AMY DOMINQUEZ-ARMSCHAIR2—
HILARY HARTLEYSECRETARY-TR2—
BILL NEFFDIRECTOR2—
JEN NEUHAUSPAST CHAIR2—
NATE SIMMONSDIRECTOR2—

Subject Areas

Focus areas based on grantmaking activity

Frequently Asked Questions

What is The Outdoor Foundation?

The Outdoor Foundation is a nonprofit organization focused on Education, based in BOULDER, CO. It holds $1.7M in total assets as of 2024.

How large is The Outdoor Foundation?

As of 2024, The Outdoor Foundation holds $1.7M in total assets with $825K in annual revenue. It awarded 13 grants totaling $657K in 2024.

Where does The Outdoor Foundation operate?

The Outdoor Foundation has awarded grants in California, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin.

What size grants does The Outdoor Foundation award?

In 2024, The Outdoor Foundation awarded 13 grants totaling $657K — an average of about $51K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

What is The Outdoor Foundation's EIN?

The Outdoor Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 84-1549065. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings.

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