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Illinois · Private foundation

National Recreation Foundation Incorporated

Its FY2025 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$2.4M
Granted FY2025(still arriving)
75
Grants FY2025
90
Organizations funded FY2024
52%
First-time grantees FY2024
Read the full brief
Median grant, FY2025
$20,000
Largest grant, FY2025
$160,000
Organizations funded a year
42 to 93
FY2018 to FY2024
States reached, FY2025
27
Total assets, FY2025
$56M
Applications
Preselected organizations only
Per its most recent filing; check its own site

How open it is to new grantees

In FY2024, 52% of the organizations National Recreation Foundation Incorporated funded were first-time grantees, receiving 46% of its grant dollars.

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 54% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $1.2M went to new ones.

50%100%’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
Youth DevelopmentEnvironmentRecreation & SportsEducationHuman ServicesArts & CultureOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.
The numbers by year
Fiscal yearOrganizations fundedTo those organizationsFirst-time grantees
FY2025still arriving74$2.4M32%
FY202490$2.7M52%
FY202387$2.0M53%
FY202293$2.4M71%
FY202158$2.2M52%
FY202042$1.6M55%
FY201953$2.2M57%
FY201844$1.8M61%
100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Youth Development$5.8MRecreation & Sports$3.8MEnvironment$2.9MHuman Services$1.3MArts & Culture$1.2MCommunity Improvement$792kEducation$700kScience & Tech$588kOther$0

Where its grants go

Grant dollars by states, across the years we hold.

Which US states its grants reach

AK
ME
VT
WA
ID
MT
ND
MN
IL
MI
NY
MA
OR
NV
WY
SD
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
UT
CO
MO
VA
MD
AZ
NM
AR
TN
NC
SC
DC
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
TX
FL

Top grantees

Largest recipients by total granted, FY2017 to FY2025, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.

Show all 275 grantees
All grantees of National Recreation Foundation Incorporated by total granted
GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
Muddy Sneakers Inc$408,35868%
Laureus Sport for Good Foundation USA$400,00043%
Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles$375,00060%
Jubilee Consortium$340,000524%
Children & Nature Network$330,000213%
The Young Men's Christian Association of Greater Seattle (6871)$317,00040%
Jackie Joyner Kersee Foundation$310,00046%
Camping and Education Foundation$305,30053%
Sos Outreach$295,00048%
Mannie Jackson Center for the Humanities Foundation$288,142425%
Harlem Grown Inc$285,00052%
Grand Canyon Youth Inc$235,00055%
Sail Maine$229,34064%
Latino Theater Company$215,00037%
The Trust for Public Land$195,00020%
Gardeneers$195,00052%
Santa Catalina Island Conservancy$191,00040%
Detroit Horse Power$190,00044%
Beyond the Ball Nfp$175,00027%
Refugee Education and Adventure Challenge (REACH)$175,000244%
Grow Home Inc$172,500226%
Rippleffect Inc$170,00045%
Youth Outdoor Experience$162,000417%
Detroit Police Athletic League Incorporated$160,00033%
Friends of Momentum Bike Clubs$160,000428%
Mercy Neighborhood Ministries Inc$157,5004n/a
Cheyenne River Youth Project Inc$155,00043%
Environmental Law and Policy Center of the Midwest$150,00031%
Chicago Training Center$145,00048%
Para la Naturaleza Inc$140,00011%
TFK Chicago Voyagers$135,00049%
Detroit Hives Inc$133,000531%
Georgia First Robotics Inc$130,000210%
Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation dba River LA$130,00026%
Chicago Youth Centers$130,00021%
Community Initiatives$120,00020%
Elevate New England Inc$115,080212%
Elevate USA$110,00029%
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Cincinnati$105,00023%
Soul Trak Outdoors$100,000321%
New York City Outward Bound Center Inc Dba NYC Outward Bound Schools$100,00012%
The Aspen Institute Inc$100,00040%
Backyard Basecamp Inc$95,00035%
Philadelphia Youth Orchestra$95,00032%
Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center$95,00031%
Wilderness Youth Project Inc$91,00031%
City Kids to Wilderness Project Inc$90,00032%
SHAPE Community Center$90,000319%
Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington Inc$90,00031%
West Atlanta Watershed Alliance$90,00033%
Working Bikes$87,50023%
West End Neighborhood Association Inc$81,8833n/a
Colorado Uplift Inc$80,00012%
Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods$80,00022%
Field Institute of Taos$71,10044%
Chesapeake Arts Center Inc$70,00016%
Walter Anderson Museum of Art Inc$70,00023%
Coaching Corps$66,00021%
Street2feet$65,000325%
Stepping Stones Inc$65,00021%
Wilderness Inquiry Inc$65,00031%
Kids in Focus$65,00037%
Boys & Girls Clubs of America$65,00040%
Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida I$60,50030%
Cultivate Collective Inc$60,000213%
Rising Leaders of North Florida Inc$60,00022%
Conservation Legacy$60,00030%
Heritage Conservancy Inc$60,00021%
Chicago Parks Golf Alliance$60,000215%
Haven for Hope of Bexar County$60,00020%
Seriousfun Children's Network$60,00020%
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula$60,00020%
Justice Outside$60,00024%
The Susan L Curtis Foundation$60,00024%
Association of the Graduates of the United States Military Academy$60,00020%
TheGifted Arts Inc$50,000214%
Peter Westbrook Foundation Inc$50,000112%
Christodora Inc$50,00012%
SheJumps$50,00023%
Abc Park Seminoles Sports Agency$50,0001n/a
Breakthrough Urban Ministries Inc$50,00030%
Urban Learning and Teaching Center$50,00029%
Artwell Collaborative Inc$50,00018%
Forza Sport Academies$50,00038%
Brick City Rowing$50,000133%
Dine We Can$50,000222%
Brothers on the Rise$50,000221%
Laru Beya Collective Incorporated$50,000213%
Families in Nature$50,000110%
Youth Seen$50,00022%
Zuni Youth Enrichment Project$50,00041%
Young Masterminds Initiative Inc$50,000117%
The Center for Recreation Education Arts Technology & Enterprise Inc$45,0002n/a
Miami Valley Christian Academy$45,00021%
Center of Southwest Culture Inc$45,00030%
Directed Initiatives for Youth Inc Excite All Stars$42,50033%
The Classical Theatre of Harlem Inc$40,00021%
Loop Nola$40,00029%
Saved by Nature$40,000210%
Environmental Learning for Kids$40,00022%
See You At The Top$40,00027%
Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project$40,00023%
Atabey Outdoors$40,000123%
West End Neighborhood Association$39,7982n/a
Cobscook Community Learning Center$37,50022%
The Catamount Institute$36,00023%
Miles4mentors$35,0002n/a
Solar Youth Inc$35,00033%
Emanuel Community Center DBA Cincinnati Squash Academy$35,00025%
Lake Forest Open Lands Association$35,00020%
Brown Girls Climb Inc$35,000213%
Urban Word NYC Inc$35,00023%
Weve Got Friends Inc$35,000310%
Watersmith Guild Inc$31,000222%
Forefront$30,90880%
Orchards Children's Services Inc$30,00010%
Wild Diversity$30,00015%
Youth Opportunities Unlimited Inc$30,00014%
Outward Bound Adventures$30,00013%
Cultureseed Inc$30,00014%
Sherwood Forest Camp Inc$30,00011%
YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit$30,00010%
Gateway to the Great Outdoors$30,000113%
Red Tail Scholarship Foundation$30,00013%
Cultivating Community$30,00013%
Openlands$30,00020%
Gtg Outdoors$30,000154%
Western National Parks Association$30,00010%
Washtenaw Promise Inc$30,00012%
Courage Ranch$30,00036%
Elevate New York Inc$30,0001n/a
Youth Enrichment Services Inc$30,00011%
Catrock Ventures Inc$30,00016%
National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy Dba Federal Hall Conservancy$30,00013%
River Newe Inc$30,000159%
Colorado Springs Child Nursery Centers Inc$30,00010%
Purgatoire Watershed Partnership Inc$30,00025%
Sea Research Foundation Inc$30,00010%
Friends of Anacostia Park$30,00013%
Trekkers Inc$30,00012%
Through These Doors$30,0001n/a
Friends of Carroll Park Inc$30,0001n/a
Vive$30,00010%
Black Kids Adventures Inc$30,0002n/a
Brooklyn Charter School$30,00011%
Park Pride Inc$30,00021%
New Treks Inc$30,000135%
Rocking the Boat Inc$30,00011%
La Semilla Food Center$30,00030%
Heart of the City$30,00021%
Outdoor Outreach$30,00011%
Community Nature Connection$30,00012%
Natureconnect Central Oregon$30,00016%
Mama's House Ministries Fka Heartbeat at 22$30,00012%
Playgrand Adventures$30,0001n/a
The Doug Coombs Foundation$30,00012%
New Sun Rising$30,00011%
Flint River Watershed Coalition$30,00015%
Bridger Ski Foundation$30,00021%
Rios to Rivers$30,00015%
Austin Explore Inc$30,00011%
Khmer Community of Seattle King County$30,00012%
Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition - TAG$30,00012%
Chill Foundation$30,00011%
Adventure Crew$30,0001n/a
Friends of the Dps Hub Farm Ltd$30,000167%
Heart of Los Angeles Youth Inc$30,00020%
Black Outside Inc$30,00015%
Shred Foundation$30,0001n/a
Connecticut Institute for Communities Inc$30,00010%
Farestart$30,00010%
Girlventures$30,00014%
Diving With a Purpose and Development Group Inc$30,000115%
Chesapeake Center for Youth Develop$30,0001n/a
The Night Ministry$30,00010%
Wild Earth Wilderness School$30,00011%
Bronx Children's Museum$30,0001n/a
Sierra Nevada Journeys$30,00011%
Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston Inc$30,00010%
IDEA Public Schools$30,00010%
Elevate Phoenix$30,00012%
Indiana University School of Medicine$29,9951n/a
South Eastern Michigan Indians Inc$25,000211%
Latinos Progresando$25,00011%
The Silver Spur Therapeutic Riding Center$25,000121%
New England Science & Sailing Foundation Inc$25,00011%
Dakota Wicohan$22,50021%
Greater Newark Conservancy Inc$22,50021%
Gallatin Gateway Youth Group$20,0002n/a
Outdoor Inclusion Coalition$20,0001n/a
The Semilla Project$20,00020%
Elevate St Louis$20,000110%
Wozu Inc$20,0001n/a
Sitka Trail Works Inc$20,00021%
Blackpackers$20,000211%
Wasatch Mountain Institute$20,000117%
Museum of the Rockies Inc$20,0001n/a
YES Nature to Neighborhoods$20,00011%
Thunder Valley Community Development Cor$20,0001n/a
Greening Youth Foundation Inc$20,0002n/a
Soul River Inc$20,00024%
Mountain Dreamers$20,00012%
Bike Works Seattle$20,00020%
Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratories Inc$20,00021%
Environmental Grantmakers Association$20,00030%
Colorado Outward Bound School$20,00010%
Springfield Rotary Foundation$20,000133%
Red Cloud Renewable$20,00021%
Montezuma Land Conservancy$20,00011%
Sicangu Community Development Corporation$20,00021%
Together We Rise$20,00010%
Tree Street Youth Inc$20,00012%
Homegrown Lacrosse$20,00011%
Elevate Indianapolis Inc$20,00012%
Oaye Luta Okolakiciye$20,00012%
Elevate Youth Inc$20,00016%
The Freedom Bound Center$15,00011%
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Foundation$15,00010%
Camp Phoenix$15,0001n/a
La Puente Home Inc$15,00010%
Sloane Stephens Foundation Inc$15,0001n/a
Minnesota Zoo Foundation$15,00010%
Oyate Teca Project Inc$15,00011%
Outdoors Empowered Network$15,00016%
Lifes Kitchen Inc$15,00012%
Unlimited Potential Inc$15,00018%
Liberty's Kitchen Inc$15,00011%
Concrete Couch$15,00016%
Compass Rose Education Inc$15,00010%
Vibe Tribe Adventures$15,00016%
Junior Achievement of Southern California Inc$15,00010%
Empower Dance Foundation$15,000122%
Tiny Hope Village$15,000116%
Learning Outside Inc$15,00013%
Walltown Childrens Theatre$15,00015%
Lucky Bikes$15,00013%
Lower Brule Sioux Tribe$15,0001n/a
Grow Dat Youth Farm$15,00011%
Arizona Trail Association$15,0001n/a
American Youthworks$15,00010%
Jefferson County Youth Council$15,0001n/a
Denver City Lax$15,00012%
Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center$15,00011%
The Notah Begay III Foundation Inc$15,00010%
Soccer In the Streets Inc$10,00011%
Glacier Peak Institute$10,00013%
A Warm Current$10,0001n/a
Eastern Sierra Conservation Corps$10,00011%
Colorado Youth Outdoors Charitable Trust$10,00011%
Exceptional Needs Network$10,000135%
Colorado Springs Youth Sports Complex Inc$10,00013%
Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado$10,00011%
Zia Youth Center Inc$10,0001n/a
Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan$10,00010%
Streetwaves Inc$10,00013%
Forest Preserve Foundation Inc$10,00011%
Vamos Outdoors Project$10,0001n/a
Wilderness Works$10,00012%
Wenatchee River Institute$10,0001n/a
Los Padres Forestwatch Inc$10,00011%
Pride Roc$10,00012%
Nature for All$10,00011%
Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum$10,00012%
Baltimore Heritage Incorporated$10,0001n/a
National Football League Alumni Inc$10,00011%
Lookout Mountain Conservancy$10,0001n/a
Localogy$10,00012%
Friends of Garden of the Gods Inc$5,00016%
The Heard Museum$5,00010%
Partners for Environmental Justice$5,00018%
The Bridge Teen Center Nfp$5,00011%
Row New York Inc$5,00010%
Native Americans in Philanthropy$1,50010%
OneGreenThing$1,00011%
Elawa Farm Foundation$1,00010%

What it could do for these grantees

Plus 55 recipients with no EIN on record ($2.6M), not named here.

Where it is load-bearing

National Recreation Foundation Incorporated supplied at least a quarter of the budget for 11 of its grantees at some point. The chart plots its 200 largest grantees; load-bearing ones sit top left.

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetMuddy Sneakers Inc: $408,358 over 6y, 7.7% of budgetLaureus Sport for Good Foundation USA: $400,000 over 4y, 3.5% of budgetGirl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles: $375,000 over 6y, 0.4% of budgetJubilee Consortium: $340,000 over 5y, 24% of budgetChildren & Nature Network: $330,000 over 2y, 13% of budgetThe Young Men's Christian Association of Greater Seattle (6871): $317,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetJackie Joyner Kersee Foundation: $310,000 over 4y, 6.5% of budgetCamping and Education Foundation: $305,300 over 5y, 3.0% of budgetSos Outreach: $295,000 over 4y, 7.8% of budgetMannie Jackson Center for the Humanities Foundation: $288,142 over 4y, 25% of budgetHarlem Grown Inc: $285,000 over 5y, 2.3% of budgetGrand Canyon Youth Inc: $235,000 over 5y, 5.4% of budgetSail Maine: $229,340 over 6y, 4.3% of budgetLatino Theater Company: $215,000 over 3y, 7.2% of budgetThe Trust for Public Land: $195,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetGardeneers: $195,000 over 5y, 2.3% of budgetSanta Catalina Island Conservancy: $191,000 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetDetroit Horse Power: $190,000 over 4y, 4.0% of budgetBeyond the Ball Nfp: $175,000 over 2y, 7.2% of budgetRefugee Education and Adventure Challenge (REACH): $175,000 over 2y, 44% of budgetGrow Home Inc: $172,500 over 2y, 26% of budgetRippleffect Inc: $170,000 over 4y, 5.0% of budgetYouth Outdoor Experience: $162,000 over 4y, 17% of budgetDetroit Police Athletic League Incorporated: $160,000 over 3y, 3.4% of budgetFriends of Momentum Bike Clubs: $160,000 over 4y, 28% of budgetCheyenne River Youth Project Inc: $155,000 over 4y, 3.1% of budgetEnvironmental Law and Policy Center of the Midwest: $150,000 over 3y, 0.6% of budgetChicago Training Center: $145,000 over 4y, 8.3% of budgetPara la Naturaleza Inc: $140,000 over 1y, 1.0% of budgetTFK Chicago Voyagers: $135,000 over 4y, 8.8% of budgetDetroit Hives Inc: $133,000 over 5y, 31% of budgetGeorgia First Robotics Inc: $130,000 over 2y, 9.7% of budgetLos Angeles River Revitalization Corporation dba River LA: $130,000 over 2y, 6.1% of budgetChicago Youth Centers: $130,000 over 2y, 0.9% of budgetCommunity Initiatives: $120,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetElevate New England Inc: $115,080 over 2y, 12% of budgetElevate USA: $110,000 over 2y, 9.4% of budgetBoys & Girls Clubs of Greater Cincinnati: $105,000 over 2y, 2.6% of budgetSoul Trak Outdoors: $100,000 over 3y, 21% of budgetNew York City Outward Bound Center Inc Dba NYC Outward Bound Schools: $100,000 over 1y, 1.6% of budgetThe Aspen Institute Inc: $100,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetBackyard Basecamp Inc: $95,000 over 3y, 5.2% of budgetPhiladelphia Youth Orchestra: $95,000 over 3y, 2.1% of budgetWolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center: $95,000 over 3y, 1.3% of budgetWilderness Youth Project Inc: $91,000 over 3y, 0.9% of budgetCity Kids to Wilderness Project Inc: $90,000 over 3y, 1.7% of budgetSHAPE Community Center: $90,000 over 3y, 19% of budgetBoys and Girls Club of Bloomington Inc: $90,000 over 3y, 1.0% of budget

Tap a dot to name the grantee.

How this is measured
Share of budget is the funder’s grant in a year over the grantee’s total revenue that year, at its highest across the years we hold; revenue is from all sources. Only grantees confirmed against their own filings, whose grants do not exceed their revenue, are plotted: the largest 200.

Nonprofits that may fit its grantmaking

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.

Rei Cooperative Action FundWA65.3× affinity33 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Rei Cooperative Action Fund · National Park Foundation · Patagoniaorg · Turner Foundation Inc · Justice Outside · Clif Family Foundation · The Outdoor Foundation · The Schmidt Family Foundation · Laureus Sport for Good Foundation USA · Swantz Family Foundation · The Wilderness Society · Resources Legacy Fund

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.

Compare National Recreation Foundation Incorporated with peer funders

About National Recreation Foundation Incorporated

How much does National Recreation Foundation Incorporated give?
National Recreation Foundation Incorporated reported 75 grants totaling $2,422,500 in its FY2025 IRS filing. It funded between 42 and 93 organizations a year over FY2018 to FY2024.
What does National Recreation Foundation Incorporated fund?
By grant dollars over FY2017 to FY2025, its largest causes are Youth Development (31%), Recreation & Sports (21%), Environment (15%).
Who are National Recreation Foundation Incorporated's largest grantees?
By total granted over FY2017 to FY2025: Muddy Sneakers Inc ($408k), Laureus Sport for Good Foundation USA ($400k), Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles ($375k).
Does National Recreation Foundation Incorporated fund new organizations?
In FY2024, 52% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
Does National Recreation Foundation Incorporated accept unsolicited applications?
Its most recent filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and does not take unsolicited requests. Check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.
Which funders back the same organizations as National Recreation Foundation Incorporated?
Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include Rei Cooperative Action Fund, National Park Foundation, Patagoniaorg.
Where is National Recreation Foundation Incorporated based?
National Recreation Foundation Incorporated is based in IL.

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 333 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-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

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