Bay Area Wilderness Training

What Bay Area Wilderness Training does

Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1999 and headquartered in Oakland, California, operating as a project of Outdoors Empowered Network (OEN). Its mission is to cultivate equitable access to outdoor experiences for Bay Area communities through outdoor leadership training and a free gear lending library. BAWT serves K-12 educators, youth workers, after-school program leaders, and the Bay Area youth they support, with a particular focus on underserved communities. Its programs have supported over 100,000 youth with outdoor gear and trained more than 3,700 adult educators to lead outdoor adventures since inception.

BAWT's core product portfolio comprises five signature outdoor leadership courses: Hiking Leadership Training (HLT, 1-day), Frontcountry Leadership Training (FLT, 2-day car camping), Wilderness Leadership Training (WLT, 5-day backpacking with a new 3-day variant), Snowshoe Leadership Training (SLT, 1-day), and Wilderness First Aid (WFA, 16-hour certification delivered by Outerlands Medics & Rescue). Courses are bundled with a complementary service, the Gear Library, which holds 9,000+ pieces of camping and hiking equipment and is accessible exclusively to course graduates through the third-party myTurn lending platform. Add-on offerings include a University Credit Program (graduate-level semester units via Courses4Teachers/University of the Pacific at $99 per unit), post-course toolkits, private/partnership programs for organizations, and monthly Discovery Sessions. The organization has no proprietary technology platform; its operational tech stack is limited to myTurn for gear reservations and standard nonprofit/email tooling.

BAWT generates revenue through three streams: course fees, donations and grants, and university credit fees. Course fees use a 4-tier equity-based pricing model (Solidarity, Subsidized, Standard, Supporter) with course prices ranging from $100 to $3,200 depending on tier and length, plus group pricing up to $38,000 per cohort. Donations and grants include tax-deductible individual gifts, employer matching gifts, stock donations, and recurring gifts, with the San Francisco Foundation's Youth Access to Nature Fund as a named institutional funder. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: BAWT recruits via monthly Discovery Sessions, a Community Engagement Committee, and partnerships with school districts (OUSD, SFUSD) and nonprofit coalitions (OAKLAND GOES OUTDOORS, OEN, Richmond Outdoors Coalition). Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Bay Area Wilderness Training

Legal name

Bay Area Wilderness Training

Website

https://bawt.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bay Area Wilderness Training is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1999 that trains K-12 educators and youth workers in outdoor leadership and provides free gear loans to course graduates, serving Bay Area communities with a focus on expanding youth access to nature.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Outdoor Education and Leadership Training Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Outdoor & Wilderness Education Schools (Field-Based Learning) (THAAAOAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Outdoor Recreation & Adventure Programs (Trips, Climbing, Rentals) (EDALAIAG), Outdoor Education & Adventure Programs (School-Run) (EDAJAJAJ)

Keywords

• Outdoor leadership training
• Wilderness education courses
• Gear lending library
• Youth outdoor programming
• Experiential educator training

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Course Fees: Revenue generated from outdoor leadership training courses (HLT, FLT, WLT, SLT, WFA) with a 4-tier equity-based pricing model (Solidarity, Subsidized, Standard, Supporter). Fees range from $100-$3,200 depending on course and tier.
2. Donations and Grants: Tax-deductible donations from individuals, employers (matching gifts), and grant funding. BAWT is a project of Outdoors Empowered Network (501c3). Accepts stock donations, checks, and recurring gifts. Youth Access to Nature Fund at San Francisco Foundation provides funding.
3. University Credit Fees: Graduate-level university credit available through partnership with Courses4Teachers/University of the Pacific at $99 per unit, in addition to course fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bay Area Wilderness Training provides outdoor leadership training courses (HLT, FLT, WLT, SLT, WFA) that equip educators and youth workers to lead Bay Area youth on hiking, camping, backpacking, snowshoeing, and wilderness first aid excursions. Course graduates gain free access to a 9,000+ piece Gear Library of camping and hiking equipment, removing financial barriers to outdoor experiences for underserved Bay Area communities.

Product overview

Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT) operates as a nonprofit offering a portfolio of outdoor leadership training courses and a gear lending library. The core product portfolio includes five signature courses: Hiking Leadership Training (HLT, 1-day), Frontcountry Leadership Training (FLT, 2-day car camping), Wilderness Leadership Training (WLT, 5-day or new 3-day backpacking), Snowshoe Leadership Training (SLT, 1-day), and Wilderness First Aid (WFA, 16-hour certification course). These courses share a 'Train-the-Trainer' experiential learning model focused on equipping youth workers and educators to lead outdoor experiences for Bay Area youth. The Gear Library is a complementary service providing 9,000+ pieces of free outdoor equipment exclusively to course graduates, removing financial barriers to participation. Add-on offerings include a University Credit Program (partnership with Courses4Teachers/University of the Pacific for graduate credits), Post-Course Toolkits, Private/Partnership Programs for organizations, and monthly Discovery Sessions. BAWT serves educators and youth workers with an equity-based 4-tier pricing model (Solidarity, Subsidized, Standard, Supporter) to ensure financial accessibility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hiking Leadership Training (HLT)

Quantifiable outcome

• 100,000+ youth supported with outdoor gear since 1999
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• Outdoors Empowered Network (OEN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOEN is BAWT's fiscal sponsor and parent organization. BAWT is a project of OEN, a 501(c)(3) corporation (Tax ID: 46-4947644). OEN provides administrative infrastructure including donation processing, HR, and organizational support. BAWT's Curriculum Specialist is an OEN staff role.
• Oakland Goes Outdoors (OGO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration between San Francisco Foundation, BAWT, OUSD Middle School Network, OUSD Expanded Learning After-School Programs, and Oakland Public Education Fund. Goal is to increase outdoor opportunities for Oakland middle school students. Provides funding for trips, training, trip planning support, and free gear loans.
• San Francisco FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-funder of Oakland Goes Outdoors initiative through the Youth Access to Nature Fund. Provides grant funding to support BAWT's outdoor equity work.
• Richmond Outdoors Coalition (ROC)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization focused on outdoor access for Richmond youth. Listed as a related partner organization on BAWT's partnerships page.
• Courses4Teachers / University of the PacificsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEducational partner providing graduate-level university credit for BAWT course completion. Credit can be used for professional development, salary advancement, and credential renewal.
• Outerlands Medics & RescuesupportingTechnology or IntegrationExternal instructor provider for Wilderness First Aid (WFA) courses. Provides 16-hour industry-standard wilderness first aid training and certification.
• OUSD Middle School NetworkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Oakland Goes Outdoors initiative providing outdoor experiences for Oakland middle school students.
• Oakland Public Education FundmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Oakland Goes Outdoors initiative supporting Oakland middle school students' access to outdoor experiences.
• myTurncoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party lending platform used by BAWT for gear library reservations. Course graduates create accounts to reserve equipment.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• GirlVentures: Bay Area nonprofit delivering outdoor leadership and backpacking programs for girls and gender-expansive youth; comparable youth-focused outdoor leadership training in the same geography.
• The Mountaineers: Pacific Northwest nonprofit providing outdoor education courses (hiking, backpacking, scrambling, wilderness travel) and club-based trip leadership; a comparable train-the-leader model with structured course ladder and gear support.
• Outdoor Afro: National nonprofit connecting Black communities to outdoor recreation and leadership opportunities; shares BAWT's culturally responsive outdoor education lens and youth-worker network approach.
• Richmond Outdoors Coalition: Bay Area nonprofit focused on connecting Richmond youth to the outdoors; listed as a related partner on BAWT's site and shares the regional outdoor-equity mission and youth-worker training approach.
• Outdoors Empowered Network: National network of community-based outdoor gear libraries and training programs; BAWT's parent/fiscal sponsor. Operates the same gear-library-plus-training model across multiple U.S. cities and is the most directly comparable organization.

Broad incumbents

• REI Cooperative Actions Fund: REI's grantmaking arm funding outdoor equity nonprofits; both a potential funder and a broader-incumbent ecosystem player shaping the outdoor equity funding pool BAWT draws from.
• Student Conservation Association: National nonprofit providing outdoor service, conservation, and youth leadership programs; overlaps with BAWT on youth outdoor access and workforce-development-style training pipelines.
• YMCA of the East Bay: Regional YMCA offering youth programs including outdoor and camping experiences; a broader community-youth organization that competes for the same school and after-school partnerships in the Bay Area.
• National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS): Established national wilderness education provider offering multi-day backpacking, leadership, and risk-management courses; a much larger, fee-based incumbent in outdoor leadership training with overlapping WFA, backpacking, and instructor credentials.

Others

• Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics: National nonprofit providing outdoor ethics curriculum and training that BAWT explicitly incorporates in its courses; an adjacent, enabling organization rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bawtoakland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Bay Area Wilderness Training