2024 Outdoor School Grant Program Update

We are now accepting request letters for our 2024 Outdoor School Grant Program. You can download our Outdoor School Request Letter Guidance – here.

In 2024, Gray Family Foundation is accepting three types of funding requests in support of outdoor school. Please note that Gray Family Foundation funding to support outdoor school programming is limited and we anticipate that 2024 will be the last year we will offer outdoor school program funding. We continue to encourage providers, schools, districts to engage with and leverage the funds and grants available via Measure 99 through OSU Extension Service Outdoor School.  If you are a private/independent school please review the guidance below around exploring accessing Measure 99 funds before submitting a request:

  • Planning grants for schools or districts. These grants will support the planning required to launch or revise an outdoor school program in geographic regions or amongst communities currently with limited or no outdoor school opportunities. Schools, districts or ESDs can submit a request for a planning grant to support launching an outdoor school program with the intention of applying for programmatic funding from OSU Extension Service Outdoor School in the future.
  • Planning grants for outdoor school program providers. Current or prospective outdoor school program providers may request funds to plan how to better serve all 5th and 6th grade Oregon students. Specifically, Gray FF seeks to increase the capacity of program providers to deliver high quality, culturally responsive programming to better serve all Oregon communities.
  • Program grants to schools or student groups currently ineligible to apply for OSU Extension Service Outdoor School funding. Gray FF acknowledges that there are limitations of how OSU Extension Service funds may be distributed which may exclude private, charter and home school students from eligibility. In the past several years there have be solutions developed in collaboration with ESDs and public schools that allow independent and charter schools to access Measure 99 funds. Gray FF will still accept requests for programmatic grants to help these students participate in the outdoor school experience but encourages schools to first explore alternative options with their local ESD or public school system.*

Download our request letter guidance for details on how to submit.

Grant Deadlines

Gray Family Foundation will be accepting funding request letters on a rolling basis throughout 2024. Letters and budgets can be emailed to grants@grayff.org.

Our Board of Directors meet four times annually to make decisions on Outdoor School grant requests. The following dates outline our quarterly deadlines for when requests will be reviewed and awards will be granted. If you have any questions about your request and award timing, please contact grants@grayff.org.

Requests received no later than…Will generally be considered in…
January 22Mid-February
May 6Late-May
August 9Early-September
October 18Mid-November

Launching Outdoor School Background

In November 2016, Oregon became the first state in the country to fund a full week of outdoor education with the passage of Measure 99. Measure 99 provided the funding for the Outdoor School law (SB439), which was passed by the Oregon Legislature in 2015. Oregon State University Extension (OSU-Extension) is tasked with allocating these secured funds to support this statewide program through grant awards to school districts and education service districts (ESDs).

To learn more about these programmatic funds, please visit OSU-Extension’s Outdoor School site at https://outdoorschool.oregonstate.edu/

Gray Family Foundation seeks to increase the capacity of schools and outdoor school providers to deliver high quality outdoor school experiences to all Oregon 5th or 6th grade students. Gray Family Foundation is collaborating directly with Friends of Outdoor School and OSU Extension’s Outdoor School Program to identify opportunities to complement the existing statewide funding, strengthen the outdoor school community, and ensure all 5th and 6th graders have the opportunity to have an outdoor school experience. We also recognize that the impact of COVID-19 will have unanticipated consequences and are working collaboratively with our partners, outdoor school providers, schools, districts, and others to play our part in ensuring students will continue to have the opportunity have a safe and meaningful outdoor school experiences. Please check back in 2022 for additional updates.

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