Free Forest School

What Free Forest School does

Free Forest School is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2015 in Austin, Texas and currently headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota (EIN 82-1636859). The organization operates a global network of volunteer-led, in-person nature play groups serving children from birth to age 8 alongside their parents, caregivers, educators, and childcare providers. Its functional focus is facilitating unstructured, child-led outdoor play and supporting caregivers with training, resources, and local community connections, rather than delivering formal academic curricula. The stated outcome areas include improved mental and physical health, intergenerational environmental stewardship, and stronger caregiver-child and community bonds.

The organization's core product is "Our Outdoors," a virtual community hub launched in May 2021 and built on the Crew Platform (crew2030.org). Our Outdoors provides local group directories, self-paced learning modules branded as Explorations, a community events calendar with RSVP and waitlist capabilities, and a shared resource library covering outdoor play fundamentals, emergent learning, and DEIJ (diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice) materials. The platform supports a distributed network of 200+ chapters that had previously grown across the United States, with stated community scale of more than 50,000 parents and caregivers in the US and Canada. A separate Emergent Learning Training course, supported by the VELA Education Fund, adds curriculum content on child-led learning approaches, while a Google Drive-based Shared Resource Folder supplies downloadable guides.

Free Forest School is entirely volunteer-run with no paid staff. Revenue is generated through a sliding-scale annual membership contribution model ranging from $0 (households under $30,000 income) to $50+ (households above $150,000 income), supplemented by grants (notably a $30,000 VELA Education Fund bridge grant in October 2021) and in-kind professional services such as tax preparation and bookkeeping donated by Zhou Agency. Annual operating expenses were approximately $5,616 as of the most recent disclosure, covering only essentials such as website hosting, communications, insurance, and nonprofit registration fees. Distribution is community-led: any member can post events after completing orientation, volunteer Group Host Teams moderate local groups, and growth is driven by word-of-mouth, earned media coverage in outlets such as Outside Online and the Seattle Times, and local chapter formation rather than paid marketing.

Name

Free Forest School

Legal name

Free Forest School

Website

https://freeforestschool.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Free Forest School is a volunteer-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a global network of local nature play groups for children and caregivers, supported by its Our Outdoors virtual community platform built on the Crew Platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Outdoor Nature Play Community and Early Childhood Education

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Nature-Based / Forest School Early Learning Programs (EDACADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Outdoor / Nature-Based Nursery & Forest Playgroups (EDACACAH), Outdoor & Wilderness Education Schools (Field-Based Learning) (THAAAOAA)

Keywords

• Outdoor nature play
• Nature-based education
• Community-led programming
• Emergent learning training
• Caregiver outdoor resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership Contributions: Primary revenue stream through a sliding scale annual membership model where participants contribute based on household income. No one is turned away for inability to pay. Donations fund organizational operations including technology, staff (when hired), and mission-related initiatives.
2. Grants: Free Forest School receives grant funding from organizations including VELA Education Fund which supported Emergent Learning training development. Also received a competitive national bridge grant (selected from 162 applicants) to expand outdoor learning curriculum.
3. In-Kind Donations: Professional services donated to the organization, such as tax preparation and bookkeeping services provided by Zhou Agency, covering significant operational expenses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Free Forest School operates a global community-led network of regional nature play chapters and the Our Outdoors virtual platform that connects parents, caregivers, and educators of young children (birth to age 8) for unstructured outdoor nature play. The organization provides free educational resources, self-paced Emergent Learning training modules, and community-organized local gatherings, funded through donations, sliding-scale memberships, and grants.

Product overview

Free Forest School offers Our Outdoors, a unified virtual platform and community hub for nature play. The platform combines local groups for geographic community connections, Explorations (self-paced learning modules) on topics like outdoor play fundamentals and risk management, a community events calendar for organizing free outdoor play gatherings, and a shared resource library with tools for caregivers. Emergent Learning Training provides additional educational content on child-led learning approaches. All offerings support unstructured outdoor play for children and empower caregivers through community connection.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Our Outdoors Platform Virtual nature play hub and community platform that connects caregivers of young children for unstructured outdoor play. Provides local group coordination, interactive learning modules, a community events calendar with RSVP/waitlist, and a resource library. Members self-register, complete orientation, and can join or post community events.
• Local Nature Play Groups (Chapters) Community-led, in-person nature play chapters moderated by volunteer Group Host Teams. Groups hold free, open-to-the-public outdoor play gatherings in local parks and natural areas for children (typically birth to age 8) and their caregivers.
• Emergent Learning Training Free online training and educational materials on emergent learning, a child-led approach to learning driven by children's interests and discoveries. Includes video resources, slides, and learning modules on topics such as common play urges and fundamentals of outdoor learning, aimed at educators, caregivers, and homeschool families.
• Explorations (Self-Paced Learning Modules) Self-paced interactive learning modules available through the Our Outdoors platform that guide caregivers and educators through topics related to unstructured outdoor play, such as choosing a play location, navigating risk, and overcoming barriers to nature play.
• Shared Resource Folder A living, Google Drive-based collection of tools, ideas, and inspiration for parents, educators, and nature-play leaders, covering Basics of Outdoor Play, Raising Outdoor Kids, DEIJ Resources, and guides for starting local Free Forest School groups.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Crew PlatformcoreTechnology or Integration · 17 May 2021Our Outdoors is built on the Crew Platform, an online community platform serving more than 50 social movements and education programs. Crew enables collaborative tools that activate communities of change, including features for community connection, event scheduling, training modules, and resource sharing.
• Zhou AgencyminorOthersZhou Agency has generously donated their services to cover organizational taxes and bookkeeping—two of the largest annual expenses for Free Forest School. This in-kind donation enables the organization to operate on its barebones budget.
• University of MinnesotacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with University of Minnesota faculty and students including David DeLiema (Educational Psychology), Sheila Williams Ridge (Shirley G. Moore Lab School), Stephanie Carlson (Institute for Child Development), and doctoral students. Received SDG Rapid Response Grant to study parent-child discourse during outdoor play.
• ClUES (Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducted community workshop in partnership with CLUES for thirty Latinx caregivers in Minneapolis/St. Paul area, addressing barriers to outdoor play and developing culturally relevant solutions.
• Children & Nature NetworkminorOthersCommunity leader interview conducted as part of DEIJ visioning process. Discussed barriers and opportunities for reaching diverse communities with nature play opportunities.
• Natural Start AllianceminorOthersCommunity leader interview conducted as part of organizational DEIJ assessment and visioning process to understand best practices for early childhood nature education.
• Latino OutdoorsminorOthersCommunity leader interview conducted as part of DEIJ visioning process to understand outreach strategies for Latinx communities.
• Hmong Early Childhood CoalitionminorOthersCommunity leader interview conducted to understand barriers and needs for Hmong families regarding outdoor play and nature-based learning.
• In Solidarity Project (Outdoor CEO Diversity Pledge)minorOthersFree Forest School's Executive Director signed the Outdoor CEO Diversity Pledge, connecting with a network of outdoor brands and inclusion advocates working to advance representation for People of Color in the outdoor industry.
• Adaway GroupminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOrganization's Executive Director and Board completed the four-module 'Whiteness at Work' course led by the Adaway Group as part of internal DEIJ training and organizational development.
• Equity in the CenterminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBoard members signed up for additional DEIJ-related training led by Equity in the Center in 2021 as part of ongoing organizational learning and development.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tinkergarten: Tinkergarten offers facilitated outdoor play-based learning programs for children ages 0-8, led by trained community leaders — a directly comparable nature-play-as-service model targeting the same parent/caregiver segment.
• Cedarsong Nature School: Cedarsong is a pioneering forest kindergarten/nature preschool model with documented immersive outdoor programming — a direct philosophical and methodological peer in forest-school early childhood education.
• Earth Native Wilderness School: Earth Native offers nature-based education, camps, and survival skills programs for children and families in central Texas — comparable as a regional forest/nature school with similar curriculum philosophy.
• Wilderness Awareness School: Wilderness Awareness School delivers nature-based education and mentoring programs for children and families in the Pacific Northwest, sharing Free Forest School's outdoor-immersion pedagogy and family/child audience.
• TimberNook: TimberNook provides nature-based outdoor programming for young children through licensed providers in local communities, mirroring Free Forest School's outdoor-childhood curriculum focus and community-distributed delivery.

Emerging players

• Children & Nature Network: Children & Nature Network is a mission-aligned nonprofit connecting research, practice, and policy to increase children's equitable access to nature — overlaps with Free Forest School's audience and DEIJ positioning but operates as a network/advocate rather than direct program provider.
• Outdoor Afro: Outdoor Afro leads nature-based community programming with a focus on Black connection to the outdoors — overlaps with Free Forest School's DEIJ priorities and family/youth audience but with a distinct community focus.

Broad incumbents

• National Audubon Society: National Audubon Society operates nature education centers, camps, and youth programs across the US — a broad incumbent offering overlapping nature-education experiences for families and children at significantly larger scale.
• REI Co-op: REI operates outdoor education classes, co-op Journal content, and stewardship programs reaching families and youth — a broad incumbent in outdoor engagement that has featured Free Forest School and shares the same end audience.

Others

• Natural Start Alliance: Natural Start Alliance is a professional community advancing nature-based early childhood education — serves a similar educator and program-leader audience as Free Forest School but as an industry association, not a direct program operator.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/FreeForestSchool
• Facebookfacebook.com/freeforestschool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/free-forest-school

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Free Forest School