April 15, 2016 – San Diego, CA – The San Diego Foundation today announced the availability of grant funding through the Opening the Outdoors program. The spring 2016 grant cycle will prioritize community-driven projects that develop or improve access to natural space throughout the San Diego region, particularly in park-poor and underserved communities. All interested nonprofit organizations and agencies may submit applications that meet the Opening the Outdoors grant guidelines.

“San Diegans value our region’s vast natural resources, and they want a future where nature is accessible, connected and protected,” shared Nicola Hedge, Director of Environmental Initiatives at The San Diego Foundation. “In just three years, the Opening the Outdoors program has enabled more than 33,000 youth and volunteers to experience and help protect San Diego parks, and this year we will grow that impact.”

The Opening the Outdoors program was established in 2012 in response to key findings in Parks for Everyone, a 2010 report commissioned by The San Diego Foundation that found while 45 percent of San Diego County’s total land area is green space, many low-income, ethnically diverse communities have limited access to parks and open spaces. The Opening the Outdoors program serves to close this gap and ensure that San Diego youth grow up with equitable access to nature and similar, shared experiences outside.

For more information about the Opening the Outdoors program, visit sdfoundation.org/Opening-the-Outdoors. To apply for one of the available grants, visit sdfoundation.org/Grants.

About The San Diego Foundation

The San Diego Foundation promotes and increases effective and responsible charitable giving to grow a vibrant region. The Foundation manages more than $629 million in assets, more than half of which reside in permanent endowment funds that extend the impact of today’s gifts to future generations. Since its inception, The Foundation has granted more than $964 million to the nonprofit community. For more information, visit our website, and consider a donation to the Fund for the Future Endowment which supports San Diego now and forever.

Contacts

Vince Heald, Beck Ellman Heald, 858-453-9600, vheald@behmedia.com
Justin Nunez, The San Diego Foundation, 619-235-2300, justin@sdfoundation.org