The Center is making it easier for Northern Forest youth to access outdoor activities by offering grants of $1,500 – $3,000 for a wide range of recreation programs and projects. The application deadline is March 13, 2026. Awards will be announced by or on April 10. 

“The physical and mental health benefits of outdoor recreation for youth are many and extremely well documented in peer-reviewed literature,” said Joe Fox, outdoor recreation manager for the Center. “However, too many children in the Northern Forest are still not able to participate in many of the activities that draw folks to this region.  Issues such as cost, transportation challenges, lack of equipment, or parents and caregivers who have also struggled with the same access issues and don’t have the experience to teach their children how to partake in various outdoor pursuits.”

The Center aims to make outdoor activities more accessible for Northern Forest youth and novices through its Community Outdoor Recreation Grant program. The Center seeks proposals for projects that:  

  • Reduce physical, financial, and social barriers for local youth to participate in outdoor recreation; 
  • Use outdoor recreation to address public health concerns; 
  • Directly engage young people in natural resource stewardship related to outdoor recreation.

Proposals can address any of the goals above, singly or in combination. Since this program usually receives more applications than it can fund, proposals that address multiple goals will score better. 

Municipalities, schools, nonprofit organizations, tribal organizations, and town-based committees working to increase local participation in outdoor recreation in the following counties are eligible to apply for funding: 

  • New York: Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida, Oswego, Saratoga, St. Lawrence, Warren, Washington, Fulton. 
  • Vermont: Caledonia, Chittenden, Essex, Franklin, Grand Isle, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, Washington. 
  • New Hampshire: Carroll, Coos, Grafton 
  • Maine: Aroostook, Franklin, Hancock, Oxford, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Somerset, Washington 

This grant program is possible thanks to funding from outdoor retailer L.L. Bean, the RK Mellon Foundation, and generous supporters.  

“This is the fourth year we’ve been able to offer this wonderful grant program, and I’m thrilled to report that hundreds of kids from this region have been able to more deeply connect with the outdoors, make new friends, learn new skills, contribute to a wide variety of stewardship activities, and, let’s be real, have more fun as a result!” said Fox.  

Full grant guidelines and a very short application are available online.  

Requests should range between $1,500 and $3,000. The Northern Forest Center anticipates making up to 12 awards.