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Lake in a forst

Outdoor Journey Fund

Our core belief is simple: the outdoors is for everyone. AMC offers thousands of outdoor activities each year, thanks to the efforts of our skilled staff and volunteers. We have long worked with a wide range of nonprofit organizations across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic to create meaningful outdoor experiences that meet their goals. Our aim is to reach even more people, and it is in the spirit of partnership that AMC created a tool to enable more nonprofits to bring groups of their constituents outdoors.

This is the Outdoor Journey Fund. Supported by gifts from generous corporate and individual donors, the Fund removes financial barriers from the trip-planning equation. Through the Fund, AMC can offer transformative outdoor experiences to nonprofit groups at free or greatly reduced prices. These experiences are customized to match the group’s goals and needs—whether that be comfortable accommodations, equipment rentals, or guided experiences—to bring the outdoors within reach for audiences across a spectrum of identities and abilities. We respect our partners' deep relationships within their community and their knowledge about what outdoor experience will work best for them.

Here is a sample of the groups that have experienced the restorative power of the outdoors through the Outdoor Journey Fund:

  • Building Community in New Hampshire
  • Camping to Connect
  • Girls Inc of New Hampshire
  • Greengard Center for Autism
  • New England Ski for Light
  • Project U.S.E.
  • Project Healing Waters

Donate to the Outdoor Journey Fund

“Our group consisted of individuals with intellectual disabilities and blind clients in wheelchairs. The AMC went above and beyond by booking a cozy cottage that catered to the specific needs of our clients. The accommodations were exceptional and created a welcoming environment for everyone.” —Lok Gurung, North Suffolk Community Service

North Suffolk Community Service Crop
Hikers atop Mount Washington summit

“For most of the kids, it was their first hike, and they just loved it. We were finally able to relax and kind of forget about everything that’s happening now.” —Building Community in New Hampshire

“There seemed to be a shift in the mountains—phones lost their charge, new friends, laughs, and games ensued. At one point one of the students, hanging off a bunk and laughing so hard he could barely talk, declared, ‘who needs the internet, when you have this.’” —Amye Follett, Project U.S.E.

Young hikers on mountain trail

How to Apply for Funding through the Outdoor Journey Fund

If you are a nonprofit seeking to bring a group into the outdoors, you may be eligible to receive funding from the Outdoor Journey Fund. Fill out the form here with details about your request, and someone from AMC will be in touch with more information. Please note that AMC cannot honor all requests; the Outdoor Journey Fund is limited by the funds we receive, and we hope to increase the Fund’s capacity in the years to come.

 

LL Bean logo

The Outdoor Journey Fund was seeded with generous support from L.L. Bean. If your company or organization would like to ensure that the Outdoor Journey Fund remains a resource for years to come, please email Jennifer Norris, Chief Development Officer at [email protected].