REI Action Fund to Donate Nearly $2M to Promote Equity in the Outdoors
The REI Cooperative Action Fund said Monday it will donate another $1.98 million to 34 nonprofit organizations that promote justice, equity and belonging in the outdoors. Earlier this year, it invested $1.5 million in 23 nonprofit organizations, bringing its total donations to more than $3.4 million for 2022.
The REI Cooperative Action Fund launched in 2021 and so far, it has received more than 200,000 donations from REI customers, members and employees, as well as corporate partners and foundations.
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“Thanks to the generosity of the co-op community, we’ve been able to scale our impact, providing even more support to organizations leading this important work in their communities,” said Kristen Ragain, managing director of the fund. “Our approach centers trust, power sharing and mutually accountable relationships with our partners. We look forward to continuing to accelerate the movement towards a more equitable, accessible and inclusive outdoor culture.”
The fund provides funding to a network of nonprofit companies focused on connecting people, creating space or centering health outside. That includes All Out Adventures, Boyz N the Wood, Brown Folks Fishing, Catalyst Sports, the Cheyenne River Youth Project and a number of other organizations.
The fund is part of REI’s broader efforts to advance racial equity, diversity and inclusion. The company encourages its 21.5 million members and more than 16,000 employees to to participate by donating to the fund, supporting legislation that impacts the outdoors through the Cooperative Action Network and reducing their carbon footprint by purchasing and trading in used product. The fund is an independent, 501(c)(3) organization.
