Outdoor Afro
“Celebrate and inspire Black connections and leadership in nature.”
The work
What they do
Network of outdoor leaders connecting Black communities with nature. Organizes outings on public lands and advocates for equitable access to national parks and forests.
Every year they sign one sentence and file it with the federal government: “OUTDOOR AFRO CELEBRATES AND INSPIRES BLACK CONNECTIONS AND LEADERSHIP IN NATURE.”
Where the money went, FY2025
The work, and what it cost
Bringing people into the fight
$2.1MOUTDOOR AFRO IS A NATIONAL NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO CELEBRATING AND INSPIRING BLACK CONNECTIONS AND LEADERSHIP IN NATURE. THROUGH A NETWORK OF MORE THAN 100 CERTIFIED VOLUNTEER LEADERS SERVING 70 U.S.
Including $1,275 granted onward.
Read it as they filed it
OUTDOOR AFRO IS A NATIONAL NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO CELEBRATING AND INSPIRING BLACK CONNECTIONS AND LEADERSHIP IN NATURE. THROUGH A NETWORK OF MORE THAN 100 CERTIFIED VOLUNTEER LEADERS SERVING 70 U.S. MARKETS, OUTDOOR AFRO PROVIDES OUTDOOR TRIPS, EDUCATION, AND COMMUNITY EXPERIENCES REACHING UP TO 24,000 PARTICIPANTS ANNUALLY, WITH AN ADDITIONAL 200,000+ INDIVIDUALS ENGAGING THROUGH DIGITAL CONTENT AND ONLINE PLATFORMS, INCLUDING 15,000+ APP USERS. SINCE 2019, ITS SIGNATURE MAKING WAVES PROGRAM HAS SUPPORTED MORE THAN 7,000 NEW SWIMMERS THROUGH SWIM SCHOLARSHIPS PROVIDED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CERTIFIED INSTRUCTORS TO ADDRESS DISPARITIES IN WATER SAFETY. NINETY-NINE PERCENT OF TRIP PARTICIPANTS REPORT INCREASED INTENT TO RECREATE OUTDOORS, ADVOCATE FOR OUTDOOR SPACES, AND RECOMMEND PARTICIPATION TO OTHERS, DEMONSTRATING MEASURABLE IMPACT IN EXPANDING ACCESS AND ENGAGEMENT IN THE OUTDOORS.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.
Follow the dollar
65 cents of every dollar goes to the work
Read it as a snapshot, not a scorecard. Splits move year to year with grants and campaigns, and healthy shops live all across this range.
Backed on the record by William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, Resources Legacy Fund, Wilderness Society and 1 other, latest filing FY24.
$2,113,992 programs, $761,782 management, $373,042 fundraising. Form 990, FY2025.
The people
Who does the work
Honesty note: leadership comes from each year’s federal filing, so it can run a year behind. Orgs that claim their page can update it same-day. Work at Outdoor Afro? Claim this page.
Those 100 volunteers are people who decided this ground was theirs to defend. If Outdoor Afro is fighting for your place too, the matchmaker will find your way in.
Make it 101The filings
10 years of filings
10 years of filings
Total revenue by fiscal year, as filed. Point at the line for any year.
| Year | Revenue |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $110,657 |
| 2016 | $398,711 |
| 2017 | $578,161 |
| 2018 | $591,285 |
| 2019 | $675,094 |
| 2020 | $3,198,226 |
| 2021 | $2,930,278 |
| 2022 | $5,065,559 |
| 2023 | $1,892,340 |
| 2025 | $1,800,327 |
From $111K in 2015 to $1.8M in FY25, across 10 public filings. The 2022 peak of $5.1M reads like one-time gifts, so trust the line, not the peak.
The record
On the Hill
Outdoor Afro has hired federal lobbyists: 3 filings in 2024. The filings, at the Senate.
Most filed on natural resources.
Ways in
How to help
65 cents of your dollar goes straight to the work above.
Give on their site ↗Show upVolunteer with themFind their volunteer door on their own site.
Find it on their site ↗SpeakComment and callOpen comment windows and call scripts for fights like these, ready to send.
Public Lands Action NetworkFollowWatch the mapEvery threatened place in the country, tracked, with who stands for each.
Threatened Lands MapStand with Outdoor Afro
17 years on the ground, 100 volunteers, 65 cents of every dollar on the line. That is who is holding it. There is room for one more.