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Choose Outdoors Inc at a glanceAlso receives grants: funding profile →

· Public charity

Choose Outdoors Inc

To promote outdoor recreation and active lifestyles through support for public lands and waters; recreation infrastructure; and programs connecting americans to the outdoors.

$353k
Granted FY2024still arriving
15
Grants FY2024still arriving
7
States reached
$64k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its fieldRead
04Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
01FY2024 · 15 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 15 grants below total $339,896, the rows itemized in this filing. The $352,860 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $12,964 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2024

  • $10k–50k14 grants · $276k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $64k
$20,000
Median grant
7
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
CONIFER ROTARY FOUNDATION$64,300
MOUNTAIN STUDIES INSTITUTE$25,000
PHILMONT SCOUT RANCH$25,000
ADVENTURE WEST COUNCIL$25,000
ENVIRONMENTAL LEARNING FOR KIDS$25,000
WILDERNESS RESTORATION VOLUNTEERS$25,000
VENTURA BOTANICAL GARDENS$22,000
ALDO LEOPOLD FOUNDATION$20,000
THE FOREST STEWARDS GUILD$20,000
ECO FORESTERS$19,996
TRAILS GROUP$15,000
SOCIETY OF AMERICAN FORESTERS$15,000
THE WRIGHT OPERA HOUSE$15,000
FRIENDS OF MOUNT EVANS AND LOST$12,000
FIRE ADAPTED BAILEY$11,600
02The need
02

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY24–24) land where the poverty rate runs at 10%, against an area that typically sits at 9%. 54% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants spread fairly evenly across need levels.

area typical 9%PHILMONT SCOUT RANCH: $25k → 14%THE FOREST STEWARDS GUILD: $20k → 12%SOCIETY OF AMERICAN FORESTERS: $15k → 14%ALDO LEOPOLD FOUNDATION: $20k → 9%TRAILS GROUP: $15k → 7%CONIFER ROTARY FOUNDATION: $64k → 7%FIRE ADAPTED BAILEY: $12k → 8%ADVENTURE WEST COUNCIL: $25k → 9%MOUNTAIN STUDIES INSTITUTE: $25k → 12%WILDERNESS RESTORATION VOLUNTEERS: $25k → 12%ENVIRONMENTAL LEARNING FOR KIDS: $25k → 12%THE WRIGHT OPERA HOUSE: $15k → 7%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Poudre Wilderness Volunteers

Poudre Wilderness Volunteers (PWV) is a Larimer County, Colorado, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1996. The mission of PWV is to assist the Canyon Lakes Ranger District of the United States Forest Service in managing and…

Environment
2
Rocky Mountain Wild

Rocky mountain wild works to protect, connect, and restore wildlife and wild lands in the southern rocky mountain region. we work to secure the biodiversity of the mountains, plains, and desert ecosystems of colorado, wyoming, utah, and…

Environment
3
Boulder Watershed Collective

The Boulder Watershed Collective is a 501c3 non-profit stakeholder-driven organization established to address forested watershed health,resiliency and stewardship. We have three program areas: ClimateAdaptation and Resilience Watershed…

Environment
4
Aspen Valley Land Trust

Protecting the open land and special places of the roaring fork and middle colorado river valleys for wildlife, agriculture, and community forever.

Environment
5
Wild Rockies Field Institute Inc

To broaden the nature of a liberal arts education; teach critical thinking about social & environmental issues; foster understanding of & respect for natural & human communities; & cultivate a sense of place that encourages personal,…

Education
6
Wyoming Outdoor Council

The wyoming outdoor council's mission is to protect wyoming's environment and quality of life now and for future generations.

Environment
7
Rocky Mountain Field Institute Inc

Rocky Mountain Field Institute conserves and protects public lands in Southern Colorado through volunteer-based trail and restoration projects, environmental education, and restoration research.

—
8
Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers

To Promote Stewardship of our public lands by engaging the community in education, conservation and restoration projects.

—
9
Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado

Motivate and enable people to be active stewards of colorado's natural resources.

Recreation & Sports
10
Conservation Legacy

Conservation legacy engages future leaders who protect, restore, and enhance our nation's lands through community-based service.in 2024, conservation legacy engaged 2,524 participants who completed over 1.5 million service hours on public…

Youth Development
11
Santa Fe Forest Coalition

Educate the public on forest conservation issues in New Mexico

Environment
12
Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation

we ensure the availability of critical field data that accelerates conservation and climate solutions. we achieve our mission by mobilizing and training outdoor enthusiasts and local communities to collect high-quality scientific data that…

Environment
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Wildlands Restoration Volunteers; the most unlike its peers is Fire Adapted Bailey. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
03the grantee network

15 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
3
Early backer (in before they grew)
14/15
Grantees still filing
5/15
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

MOUNTAIN STUDIES INSTITUE: $25,000 · EnvironmentMOUNTAIN STUDIES INSTITUEWILDLANDS RESTORATION VOLUNTEERS: $25,000 · EnvironmentWILDLANDS RESTORATION VOLUNTEERSVENTURA BOTANICAL GARDENS INC: $22,000 · EnvironmentVENTURA BOTANICAL GARDENS INCEcoForesters: $19,996 · EnvironmentEcoForestersTRAIL GROUP INC: $15,000 · EnvironmentTRAIL GROUP INCFRIENDS OF MOUNT EVANS & LOST CREEK WILDERNESSES: $12,000 · EnvironmentFRIENDS OF MOUNT EVANS & LOST CREEK WIL…ENVIRONMENTAL LEARNING FOR KIDS: $25,000 · Youth DevelopmentENVIRONMENTAL LEARNING …BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA: $25,000 · Youth DevelopmentBOY SCOUTS OF AMERICATHE FOREST STEWARDS GUILD: $20,000 · Youth DevelopmentTHE FOREST STEWARDS GUI…Conifer Rotary Foundation: $64,300 · PhilanthropyConifer Rotary Founda…ADVENTURE WEST COUNCIL BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA: $25,000 · OtherADVENTURE WEST …ALDO LEOPOLD FOUNDATION INC: $20,000 · OtherALDO LEOPOLD FO…SOCIETY OF AMERICAN FORESTERS: $15,000 · EmploymentFRIENDS OF THE WRIGHT OPERA HOUSE INC: $15,000 · Arts & CultureFIRE ADAPTED BAILEY: $11,600 · Public Safety & Disaster
Environment$118,996Youth Development$70,000Philanthropy$64,300Other$45,000Employment$15,000Arts & Culture$15,000Public Safety & Disaster$11,600

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetMOUNTAIN STUDIES INSTITUE: $25,000 over 1y, 1.4% of budgetADVENTURE WEST COUNCIL BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA: $25,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetENVIRONMENTAL LEARNING FOR KIDS: $25,000 over 1y, 1.6% of budgetBOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWILDLANDS RESTORATION VOLUNTEERS: $25,000 over 1y, 1.2% of budgetVENTURA BOTANICAL GARDENS INC: $22,000 over 1y, 1.9% of budgetTHE FOREST STEWARDS GUILD: $20,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetALDO LEOPOLD FOUNDATION INC: $20,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetEcoForesters: $19,996 over 1y, 1.7% of budgetSOCIETY OF AMERICAN FORESTERS: $15,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetFRIENDS OF THE WRIGHT OPERA HOUSE INC: $15,000 over 1y, 3.3% of budgetTRAIL GROUP INC: $15,000 over 1y, 17% of budgetFIRE ADAPTED BAILEY: $11,600 over 1y, 15% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

The Nature ConservancyNational Fish and Wil…Colorado Gives Founda…Vanguard Charitable E…American Online Givin…Fidelity Investments …Donor Advised Charita…Amazonsmile Foundation
The Nature ConservancyVA13× affinity4 shared granteesties to 7 of 7Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Nature Conservancy · National Fish and Wildlife Foundation · Colorado Gives Foundation · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Amazonsmile Foundation

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization Choose Outdoors Inc funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Choose Outdoors Inc. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    2report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    typical government reliance, FY20–25
    How this is measured
    Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.
    04Through Plinth

    Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

    How do I get to Choose Outdoors Inc?

    Find your warmest path to Choose Outdoors Inc through trustees and officers whose names appear on both boards. Search for your organization and Plinth traces the shortest route it can evidence.

    Each link is a name appearing on two organizations’ public IRS 990 filings, matched on that name and, where the filings support it, on location. A same-state match has geographic support, which is a second matching feature rather than confirmation that the two are one person; a cross-state one is the likeliest to be two people who share a name. Every hop shows its tier, low-confidence and distant paths are held back rather than guessed, and it is worth confirming the person before you use the introduction.

    On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 15 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

    How this is measured
    Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

    Generated from the IRS Form 990 e-file return for fiscal year 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Choose Outdoors’ filings →

    More from the funding graph

    The unnamed billions
    grants reported with no recipient in the public record
    The regranting layer
    51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
    The DAF merry-go-round
    $9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
    The endowment market
    who holds foundation money, and what just moved
    The camps
    funders cluster by geography, not ideology
    By state
    where grant money is based, and what stays home