We make time outside possible for people the outdoors has too often left out. Not by income, not by age, not by who felt welcome first.
We Outside builds the culture through experiences people choose. The Foundation carries that same spirit into free and low-cost programming, funded by grants, donations, and community. Two parts of one ecosystem, moving together.
OUR MISSION
We are the bridge into a lasting life outdoors. Our focus is young adults leaving youth programs with real skills and nowhere to take them next. We meet them right there, and we keep the door open for adults, elders, and anyone who never got a first chance.
OUR VISION
We envision communities long kept from the outdoors leading the way back to it — for their own health, joy, livelihoods, and the future of the land. In that world, time in nature is a birthright rather than a privilege, and the people closest to a place help decide its future.
Featured · the raffle is live
Featured · the raffle is live
One midweek night in the Pirate Ship Treehouse in Red River Gorge, a one-of-one treetop stay that sleeps up to 8, donated by Red River Gorgeous and Canopy Crew. Every ticket sends someone outside.
For a lot of people, getting outside is not about interest. It is about everything in the way. Cost, a ride that does not exist, time off that no one can afford, whether a place feels safe, and whether the outdoors ever looked like it was meant for you.
There is a second barrier that is easy to miss. Cincinnati has good programs that get young people outside. When those programs end, there is rarely anywhere to go, and the skills and the spark a young person built can just stop. We exist to catch people at that moment, and to build what comes next. Our work is free or low cost, built on relationships, and rooted in care instead of extraction.
Everything we do lives in three stages.
Lead is the heart of our work. It is the bridge for young adults coming out of youth programs, with mentorship, stipends, certifications, and a path into outdoor and environmental leadership, stewardship, and careers.
Learn is the front door. Welcoming first experiences for adults, elders, and newcomers, with the cost, gear, and transportation handled so showing up is actually possible.
Heal is the connective tissue. Time outdoors for rest, movement, and healing, and the place where young people, adults, and elders share the same space and belong together.
We hold every part of this to one standard. The outdoors should be safe, welcoming, affordable, and reachable, and the people closest to a place should help shape what happens there. We also hold occasional space for K-12, as our capacity and funding allow.
*We Outside and the We Outside Foundation work in close alignment, but they are separate organizations. We Outside is a for-profit LLC. The We Outside Foundation is its own 501(c)(3) nonprofit, with its own funds, its own board, and its own books.
Revenue from the business steadies the ecosystem. Support for the Foundation lets the work go deeper. Neither replaces the other.*
The Foundation is early. Right now we are building strong partnerships, thoughtful programs, and the capacity to do this well for the long haul. We are growing at a pace that keeps care, sustainability, and accountability at the center.
If you want to partner with us early or support the work as it takes shape, we would love to talk. Donors, funders, and partners all help open the outdoors to more people through community supported programming.
