REI Cooperative Action Fund

What REI Cooperative Action Fund does

REI Cooperative Action Fund is a 501(c)(3) public charity headquartered in Sumner, Washington, launched in October 2021 by Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) to channel philanthropic capital toward outdoor equity. The Fund's core product is a multi-year, predominantly unrestricted grantmaking program organized around three branded initiatives — Connecting People Outside, Creating Space Outside, and Centering Health Outside — supported by a searchable grantee database and a donation portal at reifund.org. Since launch, the Fund has distributed approximately $39 million across more than 550 nonprofit grantees, with annual grant cycles (spring and fall) scaling from a $1 million inaugural investment in 2021 to over $16 million deployed across multiple cycles in 2025.

The business model is a community-driven donation funnel rather than a commercial revenue model. The Fund receives one-time and recurring donations from individuals (REI customers, members, and employees), corporate partners (most notably REI Co-op, which matches donations up to $1 million during the annual #OptOutside event), and foundation/program grants (e.g., Sol Systems). A secondary mailing address in Los Angeles supports check donations. Marketing channels are concentrated in REI's own infrastructure — newsroom press releases, email, social media, and the #OptOutside event — providing low-cost donor acquisition that few peer outdoor-equity funders can match.

The Fund serves two counterparties: donors (individuals and corporate partners seeking a tax-deductible, brand-aligned vehicle for outdoor-equity philanthropy) and grantee nonprofits (organizations working to reduce barriers to nature for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, adaptive, and other historically excluded communities). Notable grantees include Blue Star Families, Tennessee RiverLine, Brave Trails, STRIDE Adaptive Sports, Mass Audubon, and Here Montana. The Fund has no paid technology stack of consequence; its platform is a conventional donation website and grantee database, and the organization operates with minimal disclosed headcount beyond Managing Director Kristen Ragain and board oversight under parent REI Co-op.

Name

REI Cooperative Action Fund

Legal name

REI Cooperative Action Fund

Website

https://reifund.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Short description

REI Cooperative Action Fund is a 501(c)(3) public charity, launched in October 2021 by REI Co-op, that distributes unrestricted multi-year grants to U.S. nonprofits promoting outdoor equity for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, adaptive, and historically excluded communities, funding 550+ grantees with ~$39M since inception.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Grantmaking Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

Keywords

• Outdoor equity grants
• Nonprofit grantmaking
• Charitable donation fund
• Community foundation giving
• Outdoor access funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Sumner

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Donations from Individuals: The Fund receives donations from individual donors, REI Co-op members, and community members who support outdoor equity initiatives. Donors can make one-time or recurring monthly donations.
2. Corporate Partner Contributions: Corporate partners contribute to the Fund, with REI Co-op providing significant support including matching programs during events like #OptOutside.
3. Foundation and Program Grants: Partnerships with foundations like Sol Systems for specific programs such as climate resilience education initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

REI Cooperative Action Fund is a community-driven 501(c)(3) public charity that solicits tax-deductible donations from individuals and corporate partners and distributes unrestricted, multi-year grants to nonprofits working to make the outdoors more accessible and inclusive. The Fund operates three grantmaking initiatives—Connecting People Outside, Creating Space Outside, and Centering Health Outside—and maintains a public grantee database and donor self-service portal at reifund.org. Since launch in October 2021 it has directed roughly $39 million in grants to 550+ nonprofit grantees from approximately $4.9 million in donations received.

Product overview

REI Cooperative Action Fund is a community-driven nonprofit grantmaking organization operating as a single unified platform focused on giving grants to nonprofits that make the outdoors more accessible and inclusive. The organization operates its primary website as a donation and grant management portal, featuring a donor self-service portal for managing contributions, a searchable grantee database organized by three strategic initiatives (Connecting People Outside, Creating Space Outside, Centering Health Outside), and a Community Impact Program for climate education. The organization has distributed approximately $39 million in grants to over 550 grantees since launching in October 2021.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• REI Cooperative Action Fund Website The Fund's primary digital platform (reifund.org) serving as the donation and grantmaking portal where individual donors and corporate partners make tax-deductible contributions and where the public can access the grantee database and impact information.
• Donor Self-Service Portal Online portal allowing donors to manage their contributions, change recurring donation settings, update contact information, and modify email subscriptions.
• Grantee Database Searchable database of current and past grantee organizations organized by the Fund's three initiatives (Connecting People Outside, Creating Space Outside, Centering Health Outside) and filterable by state.

Quantifiable outcome

• $39M in grantmaking to 550+ nonprofits since October 2021
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• SaveUSFS.org Coalition (Our Parks)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 April 2026REI joined the SaveUSFS.org effort alongside Patagonia, Columbia Sportswear, Black Diamond, Orvis, and Osprey to oppose the Trump administration's restructuring of the U.S. Forest Service. The Conservation Alliance is also backing the effort.
• Sol SystemscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 October 2025Sol Systems partnered with REI Co-op and Florida Atlantic University's Pine Jog Center to expand climate resilience and environmental education for high school students in Palm Beach County through a Community Impact Program involving renewable energy certificates.
• Florida Atlantic University's Pine Jog CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 October 2025Pine Jog Center serves as the implementation partner for the climate resilience education program, reaching over 2,000 peers and neighbors in Palm Beach County.
• Smart Freight CentreminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 August 2024REI Co-op is a member of the GMA Trucking buyers' alliance led by the Center for Green Market Activation, working to drive decarbonization of heavy-duty trucking using a book-and-claim system. The alliance includes PepsiCo, Meta, eBay, and Green Worldwide Shipping.
• Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerREI is part of the ORR coalition working to position outdoor recreation as a cornerstone of U.S. health infrastructure. ORR launched the Rural Outdoor Recreation and Health Catalyst Grant Program backed by multiple foundations.
• AmbercycleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerREI has a circular textile partnership with Ambercycle for textile recycling initiatives.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit creating and protecting parks and green space in urban and underserved communities. Direct overlap with REI Fund's "Creating Space Outside" initiative but operates at significantly larger scale across policy, land acquisition, and programming.
• National Park Foundation: Official nonprofit of the U.S. National Park Service, funding park access, youth engagement, and equity programs across 400+ national parks. Much larger scale than REI Fund but shares mission of expanding outdoor access to underrepresented communities.

Direct peers

• The VF Foundation: Corporate foundation of VF Corporation (parent of The North Face, Timberland, etc.) supporting active-outdoor community programs and outdoor-access initiatives. Direct corporate-affiliated peer; co-funder of ORR Rural Outdoor Recreation Catalyst alongside REI Fund.
• Yvon Chouinard / Holdfast Collective: Patagonia founder's family foundation funding environmental justice, land conservation, and community outdoor access. Direct overlap with REI Fund on BIPOC and historically-excluded community outdoor access, and on unrestricted-grant philosophy.
• The Conservation Alliance: Outdoor-industry coalition of ~270 companies funding grassroots conservation organizations; REI Co-op is a member. Direct overlap in funder base, grantee ecosystem (outdoor equity and access), and policy advocacy around public lands.
• Outdoor Foundation: Nonprofit arm of the Outdoor Industry Association focused on connecting youth to outdoor experiences through grants and research. Shares target demographic (youth outdoor access), grantmaking model, and outdoor-industry funding ecosystem.
• The North Face Explore Fund: Corporate-affiliated outdoor-equity grantmaking program of The North Face (VF Corporation), funding nonprofits that connect youth and communities to the outdoors. Direct parallel to REI Fund's mission, target beneficiary populations, and corporate-parent funding model.
• Patagonia Environmental Grant Program: Patagonia funds grassroots environmental and outdoor-equity organizations globally through 1% for the Planet. Closest peer in mission (outdoor access, environmental justice) and unrestricted-grant approach, with comparable brand-driven donor pipeline.
• LOR Foundation: Place-based foundation investing in rural Western communities through outdoor recreation, conservation, and economic development grants. Co-funder of ORR's Rural Outdoor Recreation and Health Catalyst Grant Program with REI Fund; comparable place-based, unrestricted-grant approach.

Emerging players

• American Hiking Society: National nonprofit advocating for trails and hikers, with grant programs like Trails for All supporting trail access and equity. Smaller-scope peer intersecting REI Fund's trail-access and outdoor-equity grantees (e.g., Trail Access Project).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments46 records

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

Frequently asked questions about REI Cooperative Action Fund