KEEN Effect Grant Program Accepts Nominations to Promote the Outdoors

KEEN Footwear, an outdoor retailer, accepts nominations for its KEEN Effect grant program, which supports organizations that promote and provide responsible outdoor participation to help preserve the places we all play.

The KEEN Effect encourages KEEN customers and the general public to nominate nonprofit organizations that are aligned with the company’s core, outdoor-focused values. In 2014, the program's first year, KEEN awarded $100,000 in grants to twenty-five nonprofits in sixteen states and seven countries. This year, the program plans to award ten grants of $10,000. KEEN provides a list of criteria:

• Projects must increase responsible outdoor participation as a way to work towards building a strong community.
• Projects should be innovative and creative.
• Projects should have clear goals and measurable objectives.
• Projects that introduce new audiences to the outdoors through responsible outdoor participation will receive special consideration.
• Project leads must be willing to interact with KEEN online and should leverage social media technology as appropriate.
• Project leads should be capable of working collaboratively with KEEN throughout the program process and project reports must include a minimum of five high resolution photos.

Nominations received by March 1, 2015, will be considered for the first round of grantee winners announced on Earth Day, April 22, 2015. Applications filed between March 1 and August 1, 2015, will be considered for the final round of winners, to be announced on National Public Lands Day, September 26, 2015. Applications are accepted year-round. Visit the website to learn more or apply.