Small grassroots organizations and individuals are the ones on the ground doing the hard work to create safe and educational spaces in nature for Black, Indigenous and people of color. What does it mean to have big dreams for our communities and NOT have to give them up because of barriers to funding? Philanthropy and distribution of money is gate kept by wealthy white people who are the ones to decide who is and isn't "worthy" of funding. The same money gets passed around at the top while those grassroots organizations are struggling to enact the change we need for our communities because we can't afford to put on the  type of programming we want and that our communities deserve.

Today, I speak with Chandrika Francis who is the Founder and Facilitator of Oshun Swim School based in Seattle, WA, Lydia Parker who is a Co-Founder and Executive Director of Hunters of Color based in Portland, OR and Alex Troutman, Hunters of Color Mentee and Wildlife Biologist based in Austell, GA. We all do different work, but we are connected by our missions to create safe, healing and educational spaces for Black, Indigenous and people of color outside as well as the grant that is enabling us to aggressively pursue our dreams for a different future. We speak in depth and detail about the Liberated Paths Grantmaking Program through Justice Outside, why it is so important and how it is going to help us to lead our communities into collective liberation outside.

Wether you are a birder, hunter, grad student, biologist, nature lover or starting up your own small organization, this episode will help you understand the disparities of philanthropy and distribution of funding and teach you how it can and is being done differently.  

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Oshun Swim School - http://www.oshunswimschool.com

Donate : https://www.patreon.com/oshunswimschool

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Hunters of Color - https://www.huntersofcolor.org

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Donate : https://www.patreon.com/huntersofcolor

Alex Troutman - https://alexktroutman.wixsite.com/n8tureal/about

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Donate : Paypal N8ture_Al

Justice Outside - https://justiceoutside.org

Follow on IG : https://www.instagram.com/we_are_justice_outside/

"What is the Liberated Paths approach?

With the Liberated Paths Grantmaking Program, we are working to create a more just and sustainable outdoor and environmental movement. The Liberated Paths Grantmaking Program aims to shift resources to and build power with Black, Indigenous, and Communities of Color. 

To build a more just and sustainable outdoor and environmental movement, the Liberated Paths Grantmaking Program supports outdoor initiatives and organizations that cultivate and celebrate the contributions of Black, Indigenous, and Communities of Color and affirm the many experiences and identities our communities hold. Liberated Paths currently supports recreation, marine and coastal conservation, and land conservation initiatives in Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington and California. As we shift resources and build power with these programs, we hope to expand Liberated Paths nationally.

Why did Justice Outside create this program? 

Now more than ever, our communities’ health and wellbeing depend on having access to the outdoors and a voice in how our land and water are used. But for decades, systemic racism has determined who is welcome in outdoor spaces and whose experiences and voices are valued. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color-led organizations are on the frontlines of the grassroots work being done to build a better planet but our work is chronically overlooked and underfunded. 

We know that when our voices are left out, our communities suffer, and our planet does too. With the Liberated Paths Grantmaking Program, we envision a way to bridge that gap."

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