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Connect Grants partner Leave No Trace with culturally diverse communities to promote responsible recreation and environmental stewardship through educational resources, training and scholarships. Click here to apply online.
The Connect Grant program is made possible through generous support from REI.
Connect Grants are intended to provide Leave No Trace education and outreach to diverse communities. The Center is committed to diversifying educational efforts through the Connect program, which is made possible through support from our partners:
Preference is given to educators and community leaders working with culturally diverse populations. Organizations, agencies and schools actively serving these communities are also encouraged to apply.
1) Individual tuition for a Leave No Trace Master Educator Course (not including travel costs).
2) Materials/training costs to organize a Leave No Trace Master Educator Course, Trainer Course or Awareness Workshop for your community.
3) Teaching materials for Leave No Trace education/outreach within culturally diverse communities.
Deadlines: April 1, August 1, 2011
1) Submit a proposal via the Center's official grant applicationdescribing:
Applicants will be notified regarding the status of their proposal within six weeks of the deadline. The Center is unable to award cash grants or international grants at this time. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns!
For questions, email: grants@LNT.org
The Connect Grant program is made possible through generous support from REI.
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Is your organization interested in providing support for the 2010 Connect Grant Program? (+) Learn more
"With all other trainings and certification programs I’ve been a part of over the last five years none have affected my overall outlook concerning my actions in the backcountry than my recent Leave No Trace Master Educator Course. After years of training and recertification’s I have come to know the outstanding sense of community that Leave No Trace builds within a person. I began the training course in the same “learn-and-remember-in-order-to-teach-better” mind frame that I approach all other training outings. I was expecting to come away with nothing more than a heightened appreciation of the ethics of Leave No Trace.
Although it took me a few days to realize it, I became a part of Leave No Trace rather than Leave No Trace becoming just another “They” in my effort to teach others. So, now when I teach my Wilderness and Environmental Ethics Class I proudly use the word “We” when I teach the principles of Leave No Trace. In explaining to the class why it’s better to use a mound fire rather than a build a fire ring it always feels great to begin my answer the class with a resounding “Because We believe…..”.
- Connect Grant recipient
Check out our new Connect Grant Recipient Guide, with tips from previous Connect Grant recipients. Find out how to make the Leave No Trace program relevant for your community.
Over 70 Connect Grants have been awarded since 2007, reaching over 75,000 individuals.
View the slideshow below for photos of Connect Grants in action, as well as the description of three previous recipients.
For nearly nine years, cityWILD has provided tuition-free, comprehensive experiential education programs to youth from low income, culturally diverse communities in northeast Denver.
cityWILD reaches 100 core students a year through its after-school program and another 1500+ through its Ventures rafting company, which employs cityWILD students as guides and educators. cityWILD's Connect Grant provides the organizations with bilingual Leave No Trace materials for their outdoor programs.
The Coconino and Kaibab National Forests of northern Arizona recently adopted a Civil Rights Tactical Plan to outreach to culturally diverse communities.
Connect Grant funds go towards purchasing Leave No Trace educational materials for the Puente de Hozho School. Puente de Hozho is a trilingual school, offering instruction in English, Spanish and Navajo. After learning about Leave No Trace, students will work with local Master Educators to create and post Leave No Trace signs in the National Forest in all three languages
The grant provided educational materials to Eddie Hill, Ph. D, for his work with the Southside Boys and Girls Club (SSBGC) in Norfolk, VA. The Club serves predominately African American underserved youth. In 2006, ODU implemented an outdoor adventure component (rock climbing, hiking, mountain biking and kayaking) to the existing day camp at SSBGC as a means to study the role outdoor recreation plays in fostering positive socio-economic success.
