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Colorado Awards $2 Million in Outdoor Equity Grants to Expand Youth Access to Nature and Conservation Careers
Description: Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Outdoor Equity Grant Board awarded $2 million to 24 organizations statewide, supporting youth outdoor access, education, and conservation career pathways. Since 2022, the program has invested $10.5 million to break down barriers to Colorado’s outdoors. Read the Full Press Release from Colorado Parks and Wildlife...
Colorado Parks and Wildlife Invests $2 Million in Equity Grants to Provide Outdoor Experiences for Youth
DENVER — Today, the Outdoor Equity Grant Board and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) announced the recipients of $2 million in Outdoor Equity Grants. These grants, funded through the Colorado Lottery, support organizations that break down barriers to Colorado’s outdoors and create inclusive opportunities for youth and families to take part in education, conservation and job training opportunities in the outdoors. Today’s announcement brings total investment in outdoor equity projects to $10.5 million since 2022.
“Every Coloradan should have access to our breathtaking outdoors. Outdoor Equity Grants help Coloradans get outside and experience the deep connection of hiking our world-class trails and exploring our wild spaces. Beyond recreation, this inspires young Coloradans to explore careers in outdoor recreation, conservation, and similar fields. By fostering passion today, we're building the workforce—the scientists, guides, and innovators—who will drive our $28 billion outdoor economy and lead the charge on environmental stewardship,” said Governor Polis.
The Outdoor Equity Grant Program (OEGP), created in 2021 by the passage of House Bill 21-1318, funds community, educational and governmental organizations and tribes that increase access for youth to Colorado’s outdoors. Grants support youth who have traditionally been excluded from conservation careers and the outdoors, allowing them to experience Colorado’s iconic landscapes. Through Outdoor Equity Grants, organizations across the state provide outdoor opportunities for youth who are: racially and ethnically diverse, low-income, disabled, LGBTQ+ or American Indian.
During the 2025 legislative session, the Colorado Legislature passed HB25-1215, which strengthens the program's future by increasing the amount deposited into the OEGP fund up to $4 million of Lottery spillover funds to support outdoor equity needs in the years ahead. However, lottery revenues did not exceed the minimum needed to fund the Outdoor Equity Grant Program in the 2025 fiscal year.
CPW remained committed to supporting outdoor access for all young people and their families in the face of this funding shortfall. CPW and Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) partnered to secure $2 million in combined funding—$1 million from CPW's Parks and Outdoor Recreation Cash and Wildlife Cash Funds, and $1 million from the GOCO board as a one-time investment due to alignment with the organization's values of equitable access and youth connections to nature.
"As someone who grew up in western Colorado with deep roots in this land, I've witnessed firsthand the profound impact that outdoor experiences have on young people. These Outdoor Equity Grants are essential—they ensure that every Colorado youth, regardless of their background or circumstances, has the opportunity to discover the same connection to nature that shaped my life and career. Investing in equitable access to our outdoors is investing in the next generation of conservationists and stewards of Colorado's wild places. I'm proud that GOCO was able to ensure that support for this program continues," said Parks and Wildlife Commissioner Gabriel Otero, who also serves as CPW’s representative to the GOCO Board.
With the addition of the 2025 awards, the Board has awarded funding to support 166 outdoor, conservation and educational grant projects across Colorado over five grant rounds. Grants have supported everything from outdoor mentoring programs to Queer Scouts programs and summer camps to in-school programming.
While the program has awarded $10.5 million to date, requests for funding far exceed the amount of available funding each year, and applicants undergo a competitive process to gain awards. In 2025, the board received over $20 million in requests for the available $2 million. Ultimately, one tenth of 2025 requests were funded.
"Young Coloradans deserve access to the outdoors, and we need to continue building pathways for them to experience the benefits of being outside. I’m grateful to the CPW staff who worked to ensure that funding for this program wouldn’t falter, and to our partners at GOCO who helped make sure the program could continue despite funding challenges. Every year, we receive far more funding requests than we have dollars available, and that tells us something important: communities across our state are doing incredible work to break down barriers to the outdoors for young people. Thank you to all of this year’s incredibly qualified applicants, and congratulations to the funded applicants,” said Executive Director of the Department of Natural Resources Dan Gibbs.
The Outdoor Equity Grant Board accepted letters of interest from April to June, and after reviewing the letters over the summer, invited 54 applicants to complete full applications in the fall. The board approved the 24 organizations to receive grants in November.
This year, the Board underscored the need for geographic diversity when selecting grant recipients, and funded projects reflect Colorado's varied landscapes and communities. Outdoor Equity Grants distributed this December will reach youth across the state, from La Junta to Nucla. La Junta Jr/Sr High School will launch a summer and after-school fishing program, while Beast Fingers Kids will purchase a van, outdoor gear, and provide climbing coaching to youth from Aurora. Southwest Conservation Corps will offer youth training and paid opportunities in conservation careers, and Stepping Stones of the Roaring Fork Valley will provide experiential outdoor programming to marginalized Western Slope youth, connecting them to nature and environmental stewardship.
“In my first term on the Outdoor Equity Grant Program Board, I’ve been inspired by the organizations that are not only expanding access to the outdoors but also sparking lifelong connections to nature. These programs are building confidence, skills, and purpose in young people who have traditionally been excluded from outdoor opportunities and careers. Looking forward, I hope the Board continues to elevate projects that strengthen Colorado’s conservation and outdoor recreation workforce through the creation of pathways for youth to become the conservation leaders, environmental educators, and natural resource management professionals of tomorrow. Colorado's outdoor future depends on who we invest in today,” said Dawson Metcalf, Outdoor Equity Grant Program Board member.
The Outdoor Equity Grant application opens annually each spring. The board will request initial letters of interest in the spring of 2026 and will distribute up to $4 million in grants by December 2027. Interested applicants can learn more about the grant opportunity on the Outdoor Equity Grant Program webpage.
CPW is currently recruiting new members to the Outdoor Equity Grant Board to help guide the program and decide on grant awards. The board is seeking individuals with outdoor education experience, expertise in disability-accessible programming, and young people (age 25 and younger) from communities served by the program. Applications are due by December 21, 2025. To apply and learn more, visit the CPW website: https://cpw.state.co.us/committees/outdoor-equity-grant-board
Outdoor Equity Grant recipients for 2025 include:
Adaptive Sports Center - Crested Butte - $42,000
Beast Fingers Kids, Inc. - Lakewood - $100,000
Bits of Freedom - Beulah - $100,000
Boys & Girls Clubs of Pueblo County - Pueblo - $100,000
Camping to Connect - Aurora - $100,000
Colorado Asian Culture And Education Network - Englewood - $100,000
Colorado Circles for Change - Denver - $100,000
Colorado Outward Bound School - Leadville - $48,580
Connections for Independent Living - Greeley - $43,093
Costilla County Conservancy District - San Luis - $83,500
elevateHER - Buena Vista - $100,000
Friends of Youth and Nature - Hotchkiss - $75,000
Groundwork Denver - Denver - $100,000
Inside Out Youth Services - Colorado Springs - $100,000
La Junta Jr/Sr High School - La Junta - $12,730
The Matthews House - Fort Collins - $81,988
Montrose West Recreation Inc. - Nucla - $80,000
Mountain Dreamers - Frisco - $75,000
The Nature Connection - Delta - $98,654
Rocky Mountain Equality - Boulder - $80,000
Rocky Mountain Welcome Center - Aurora - $100,000
Southwest Conservation Corps - Durango - $99,804
Stepping Stones of the Roaring Fork Valley - Carbondale - $78,000
Yampa Valley Autism Program - Steamboat Springs - $100,000
OEGP is funded with Colorado Lottery proceeds and allocates funding through grants for initiatives that focus on increasing access to the outdoors for youth and families from communities that are traditionally underrepresented in outdoor recreation and conservation. For more information, visit https://cpw.state.co.us/aboutus/Pages/Outdoor-Equity-Fund.aspx.
