National Recreation Foundation

What National Recreation Foundation does

The National Recreation Foundation (NRF), founded in 1965 and headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois, is a private grant-making foundation dedicated to increasing access and opportunities for young people—particularly those from under-resourced, LGBTQ+, refugee, and Indigenous communities—to play, explore, learn, and grow in the outdoors. Operationally, NRF runs a small lean team (1–10 employees) and channels philanthropic capital into three competitive grant programs: Outdoor Grants (37 grants totaling $700,000 awarded in the 2025-2026 cycle), Special Grants, and Field-Building Grants. In its most recent year, NRF deployed approximately $2.41M across 96 grants, reaching 34,500+ youth, and has cumulatively invested $19.4M into 270+ organizations across 37 U.S. states over the past decade.

NRF supplements its grantmaking with two adjacent programs: the Robert W. Crawford Achievement Prize, awarded annually since 2002 to honor extraordinary leadership in advancing recreation for under-resourced youth; and the "Get Into Nature" initiative, a partnership launched in 2020 with Tom's of Maine to expand funding access for small community-based organizations. The foundation also funds evaluation work through university collaborators, including Northern Arizona University (with Grand Canyon Youth) and Georgia College & State University (with CREATE), and disseminates research via its blog, newsletter, and Vimeo presence. NRF holds no disclosed technology product or proprietary platform.

NRF's business model is a non-commercial grant distribution model. Funds originate from an endowment and philanthropic contributions; outflows are governed by grant programs rather than pricing. Distribution is community-led: NRF identifies and funds youth-serving nonprofit organizations through competitive applications. Marketing and outreach rely on the foundation's website, blog articles, and email newsletter, with no consumer-facing monetization. Unlike operating foundations or impact-investing vehicles, NRF derives no operating revenue from its grantmaking; its "scale" is measured in beneficiaries served, dollars disbursed, and grantees funded rather than revenue or ARR.

Name

National Recreation Foundation

Legal name

National Recreation Foundation

Website

https://nationalrecreationfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The National Recreation Foundation is a private foundation that grants funds to 270+ U.S. nonprofits, channeling approximately $2.41M annually into outdoor recreation programs that reach 34,500+ under-resourced, LGBTQ+, refugee, and Indigenous youth.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Recreation Philanthropy / Private Foundation Grantmaking

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

Keywords

• Youth outdoor recreation grants
• Nonprofit foundation grantmaking
• Outdoor education funding
• Youth development philanthropy
• Recreation access programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Lake Forest

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Operations, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Foundation Endowment and Philanthropic Funding: NRF operates as a private foundation funded by endowments and philanthropic contributions. The foundation distributes grants to youth outdoor recreation organizations across the United States, with recent annual giving of approximately $2.41M invested in youth recreation programs and 96 grants made.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

National Recreation Foundation is a private foundation that awards competitive grants to nonprofit organizations providing outdoor recreation and education experiences for young people from under-resourced communities. Its grant portfolio includes Outdoor Grants (37 grants totaling $700,000 in 2025-2026), Special Grants, and Field-Building Grants, alongside the annual Robert W. Crawford Achievement Prize recognizing leaders in the field. The foundation is supported by an endowment and philanthropic contributions and runs the Get Into Nature initiative with Tom's of Maine.

Product overview

National Recreation Foundation is a private foundation offering grant programs for youth outdoor recreation. The core offerings include Outdoor Grants, Special Grants, and Field-Building Grants that fund organizations providing outdoor experiences for young people. The foundation also awards the Robert W. Crawford Achievement Prize annually to recognize outstanding leaders in youth recreation. A notable initiative is the Get Into Nature partnership with Tom's of Maine, focused on expanding nature access for underserved youth. The foundation does not offer a technology product or platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Crawford Prize: Robert W. Crawford Achievement Prize - presented annually since 2002 recognizing extraordinary leadership in advancing opportunities for recreation and building life skills in youth from under-resourced communities.
• Get Into Nature Initiative

Products and services

• Outdoor Grants Competitive grant program funding outdoor recreation and education organizations that serve youth across the United States. In 2025-2026, 37 Outdoor Grants were awarded totaling $700,000.
• Special Grants Special grant program for targeted initiatives supporting youth outdoor recreation.
• Field-Building Grants Grant program supporting capacity building and field development in the youth recreation sector.
• Robert W. Crawford Achievement Prize (Crawford Prize) Annual award presented since 2002 recognizing a living person who has made an extraordinary contribution to advancing opportunities for recreation and building life skills in youth from under-resourced communities.
• Get Into Nature Initiative Collaborative initiative with Tom's of Maine since 2020 that increases access to nature for youth across the United States by funding small organizations focused on outdoor recreation access.

Quantifiable outcome

• 34,500+ youth served annually through funded programs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tom's of MainecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Collaboration since 2020 on the Get Into Nature initiative to increase access to nature for youth across the United States. The initiative has allowed NRF to reach small organizations with philanthropic funding focused on outdoor recreation access.
• Georgia College & State University (GCSU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGCSU helps CREATE provide CPR, First Aid, and Wilderness First Aid certifications to youth cycling program participants. Also collaborating on research to understand effects of cycling programs on middle and high school students, especially those with ADHD.
• Northern Arizona UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnering with Grand Canyon Youth (GCY) for evaluation efforts to better understand the impact of immersive nature experiences and phone-free environments on young people.
• Wallace FoundationminorOthersNRF references Wallace Foundation reports and research on out-of-school-time programming and youth development as part of its knowledge-building approach.
• National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and MedicineminorOthersNRF references research from the National Academies on out-of-school-time and informal learning sector to inform its grantmaking approach.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/1227416117282572
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-recreation-foundation-inc

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Recreation Foundation