Gateway to the Great Outdoors

What Gateway to the Great Outdoors does

Gateway to the Great Outdoors (GGO), founded in 2017 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois (3650 N. Magnolia Ave), is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 81-5044989) that delivers outdoor and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, math) education to students at Title I public schools in Chicago, Illinois and St. Louis, Missouri. Its core program combines three integrated components: weekly classroom lessons delivered by college-student mentors, monthly outdoor adventures, and overnight camping trips each semester, with continuous year-round mentorship. The organization partners directly with schools such as Langston Elementary, Buder Elementary (both in St. Louis), and Fiske Elementary (Chicago), targeting low-income students with limited access to experiential learning and outdoor spaces. The operating model is hands-on and in-person, with documented peer-reviewed research collaborations with Columbia, Washington University, and Emory providing an evidence base around health-related quality of life, nature exposure, and STEM capacity outcomes.

GGO's revenue model is a diversified nonprofit funding stack anchored in corporate and foundation grants — REI Cooperative Action Fund ($20,000), Dana Brown Charitable Trust ($15,000), NBCUniversal Local Impact Grant, AT&T, Boeing Employees Community Fund, National Environmental Education Foundation, and Glenn W. Bailey Foundation — supplemented by individual donations processed via PayPal Giving Fund, Venmo, and Stripe, plus a structural partnership with AmeriCorps VISTA that supplies community research fellows and grant writing capacity. Sponsorship is tiered at Timber ($10,000+), Kindling ($5,000-$9,999), and Tinder ($1,000-$4,900). The go-to-market is community-led direct engagement: rather than charging schools or students (the program is free), GGO cultivates Title I school partnerships and university research collaborations. Headcount is reported at 1-10 core staff plus approximately 20+ AmeriCorps members across multiple locations, and 2025 brought public reporting of a major grant loss that materially compressed the operating budget — a key risk factor alongside the organization's narrow two-metro geographic concentration. Sub-brands include Climate and Canvas (a climate/environmental art initiative) and a Redbubble merchandise storefront, with GGO Camp Night launched as a fundraising event in 2026.

Name

Gateway to the Great Outdoors

Legal name

Gateway to the Great Outdoors

Website

https://gatewayoutdoors.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Gateway to the Great Outdoors (GGO) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2017 that pairs Title I public school students in Chicago and St. Louis with college-student mentors for weekly STEAM lessons, monthly outdoor adventures, and overnight camping trips.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Outdoor Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Life Skills & SEL Camps (Confidence, Executive Function, Social Skills) (EDAMALAO)

Keywords

• Youth outdoor education
• STEAM mentorship program
• Title I school partnerships
• Nature-based learning
• Experiential education nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Corporate and Foundation Grants: Major funding from corporate sponsors and private foundations including REI Cooperative Action Fund ($20k), Dana Brown Charitable Trust ($15k), AT&T, Boeing, NBCUniversal Local Impact Grant, and others. Tiered sponsorship levels: Timber ($10,000+), Kindling ($5,000-$9,999), Tinder ($1,000-$4,900).
2. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals via PayPal Giving Fund, Venmo, and credit card (Stripe). Organization is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit.
3. AmeriCorps Partnership: Partnership with AmeriCorps to place Community Research & Evaluation Fellows supporting collaborative research initiatives with academic partners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Gateway to the Great Outdoors is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers a free year-round outdoor education and mentorship program to students at Title I public schools in Chicago, IL and St. Louis, MO. College student mentors lead weekly in-class STEAM lessons, monthly outdoor excursions, and semester-based overnight camping trips, with additional fundraising events, a paid summer research fellowship, and donor-funded programming.

Product overview

Gateway to the Great Outdoors operates as a single unified nonprofit educational program rather than a platform architecture. The core GGO Program consists of integrated components: weekly classroom STEAM lessons, monthly outdoor adventures, overnight camping trips each semester, and continuous year-round mentorship from college student mentors. Additional offerings include the Community Research & Evaluation Fellowship (paid summer positions in partnership with Harvard), monthly electronic newsletters, community events (Recycle Retail, GGO Camp Night fundraiser), and a merchandise store through Redbubble. The organization focuses on serving Title I public schools in Chicago and St. Louis, providing experiential outdoor learning to students with limited access to nature and experiential education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Climate and Canvas: A climate and environmental art initiative featured in the Harvard Chan NIEHS Center Environmental Health Newsletter
• St. Louis Recycle Retail
• GGO Camp Night

Products and services

• GGO Core Program Year-round youth mentorship and outdoor education program combining weekly classroom STEAM lessons, monthly outdoor adventures, overnight camping trips each semester, and continuous mentorship from college students, delivered free to students at Title I public schools in Chicago and St. Louis.
• Community Research & Evaluation Fellowship Paid summer fellowship supporting collaborative community-engaged research in partnership with Harvard University, examining city responses to summer heat and extreme weather; includes approximately 18 summer intern positions across Chicago, St. Louis, Boston, Los Angeles, Houston, Phoenix, New Orleans, and Seattle.
• GGO Store (Redbubble Merchandise) Online merchandise storefront selling GGO-branded apparel and accessories through the Redbubble marketplace, generating ancillary support for the nonprofit's programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Students who participated in GGO's in-person intervention reported higher post-intervention levels of nature exposure, perceived neighborhood safety, self-confidence, and self-efficacy than children who participated in virtual programming
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 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 core and minor.

• AmeriCorps VISTAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to place VISTA members as community engaged researchers and grant writers supporting GGO operations.
• Harvard UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership examining city responses to summer heat and extreme weather and exploring how GGO can support communities in navigating these challenges. GGO seeking paid summer Community Research & Evaluation Fellows for this collaborative, community-engaged research initiative.
• Emory University (Dr. Christine Ekenga)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner with Dr. Christine Ekenga, Assistant Professor at Emory University, whose research focuses on environmental health and epidemiology of chronic diseases.
• Camp ManitowaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization providing camp facilities for GGO programs.
• Blitz ConsultingminorOthersConsulting partner listed in the partners section.
• The Nomis GroupminorOthersConsulting partner listed in the partners section.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Gatewaytothegreatoutdoors

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Gateway to the Great Outdoors