The San Diego Foundation received a $750,000 grant Thursday to help underserved communities gain access to outdoor and natural spaces.
The goal of the Opening the Outdoors program is to engage youth in environmental programs while opening more natural habitats and trails throughout the San Diego area.
The program has enhanced, renovated and created more than 40,000 acres of natural habitats and green space, and engaged more than 13,000 youth and 20,000 local volunteers in the process.
“San Diego’s outdoor environment is widely cited as one of the top reasons residents love this region,” said Dr. Emily Young, vice president of community impact at the San Diego Foundation. “This grant will benefit the entire county through increased education, accessibility and connectedness of the outdoors.”
The new grant is part of a $3 million, three-year community partnership grant from the Seattle-based Satterberg Foundation to San Diego Grantmakers.
The allocation to the San Diego Foundation was specifically requested by the Seattle-based family foundation because the Opening the Outdoors program strongly aligns with Satterberg’s mission to promote a just society and a sustainable environment.