Partnership to Reach and Engage Underrepresented Audiences in a “Fit-for-Purpose” Outdoor Recreation Effort (US)

Objectives

• They know that not all visitors feel welcome or connected to the great outdoors. Projects need to be a “shared stewardship” approach with mutual benefits to the partner and USDA Forest Service units and be proposed and implemented in coordination and cooperation from local communities. USDA Forest Service, through collaboration, would have the ultimate say as to where a project would be implemented and the standards that would need to be met. USDA Forest Service would provide project oversight and facilitate coordination with other relevant partners and to other program areas as needed. Although one partner may not fully encompass or have experience in all areas outlined below, partners should consider the unique qualities they would bring to a partnership that may have been previously overlooked. They are looking for partner(s) who recognize the need for and can facilitate an equitable outdoor environment, bringing about change from the inside-out.
• Deliverables may include but are not limited to:
  • Providing relevant and useable resources for inclusion in the outdoors, such as toolkits, educational resources, audio and video resources, and linguistic translations.
  • Outdoor recreation-related programming, events, and leadership development initiatives that benefit racial equity and support for underserved communities.
  • Providing subject matter experts (SME) (otherwise known as diverse outdoor enthusiasts) in inclusive space design, barriers to access, and strategies to expand welcoming and belonging for users who have traditionally been excluded or underrepresented.
  • Provide outdoor equipment and entry level experiences for underrepresented individuals.
  • Develop or utilize known marketing-driven efforts to increase diversity in local outdoor opportunities by making it easier and more interesting to participate in outdoor activities.
  • Identify local opportunities to deliver authentic connections between agency staff and underrepresented individuals and organizations.
  • Work with Indigenous groups, historians, and diverse local entities to tell previously untold stories and histories of public lands and highlight contributions made by Indigenous and people of color in cultivating, protecting, and promoting the outdoors.
  • Work with local, regional, and national forests and grasslands to build goodwill with diverse groups by considering adjustments and changes to rules that will better serve the interests of those visitors.
  • Help local, regional, and national forest recreation staff recruit and retain diverse talent through more inclusive job advertising, marketing campaigns, and retention tools such as recreation-related trainings and mentoring guidelines.
  • Be a thought partner and convener on initiatives and approaches that could provide low-cost transport options to help low-income families get to national forests and grasslands.
  • Develop opportunities to foster up and coming photojournalism, marketing, and other arts students to develop signage and ads for open spaces that include diverse images and messages that these spaces and activities are inclusive.
  • Develop innovative and comprehensive courses that will help forest and grassland staff advance the knowledge and skills they need to create lasting change in better reflecting the diversity of the US population in all aspects of national forest recreation and related work.

Duration

• Awards under this announcement are typically 1 to 5 years in length. Projects of greater complexity may be awarded for a longer period, not to exceed 5 years.

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligible applicants include for profit; non-profits; institutions of higher education; federal, state, local, and Native American tribal governments; foreign governments and organizations and special purpose districts (public utility districts, fire districts, conservation districts, school districts, and ports).

For more information, visit Grants.gov.