Our Journey

Movement leaders and funders began collaborating in March 2024 to explore how collective philanthropic investments could amplify and accelerate federal-level advocacy for environmental learning and equitable access to the outdoors for young people, especially youth and children of color.

This engagement led movement leaders to reach consensus in December 2024 to initiate a National Advocacy Hub (working title through June 2026) that would support building the field infrastructure needed to accelerate and expand movement-wide advocacy that leads to federal systems change.

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We’ve engaged over 50 separate organizations representing grassroots, grasstops, funders, think tanks, government, and education fields through in-person and virtual gatherings.

To date, over $4 million has been invested in this initiative. This includes compensation for movement leaders who have been directly involved in the design and launch of the initiative and will continue to fund ROOT Hub initiatives and strategies.

Learnings from Field Research

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Since its early stages, developing and implementing an equitable process to engage and listen to movement leaders – necessary time to foster relationships, trust, community, and accountability – has been at the core.

Creating listening spaces, dedicated field research and learning, and engagement in those early months was essential to identify how to strengthen and build the “infrastructure” to support movement-wide efforts that can lead to effective federal-level advocacy and support for advocates.

Movement leaders agree that movement-building and shared advocacy are critical to support successful systems change that brings equity to the forefront of the field. Leaders agree this work needs specific resources to support collective action and develop shared strategies that can lead to an equitable policy agenda.

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Areas identified for potential investment and capacity include:

  • Collective advocacy

  • Partnership development

  • Shared resources and training

  • Grow community spaces and community building

  • Technical assistance

  • Communications and field narrative change

  • Professional development

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Milestones

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  • Seeding Circle launches a national advocacy hub as ROOT Hub and defines initial strategic direction

    1. Movement leaders solidify consensus to establish a national advocacy hub

    2. Seeding Circle is selected by an Advisory Group of their peers

    1. Movement-wide research is conducted for movement leader engagement

    2. Field Listening: First in-person convening of movement leaders

    3. Field Listening: Virtual listening sessions and second in-person convening of movement leaders

  • Strategies to guide inclusive and equitable field listening research, guidance, and development take shape

  • An informal collective of Blue Sky Funder Forum members comes together to identify how their mutual grantmaking can amplify and accelerate collective action or priorities.

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Get Involved!

It's going to take continuous field-wide collaboration to ensure ROOT Hub accelerates a movement for youth outdoor access and learning.

Sign up for updates and learn how to become a part of ROOT Hub.

Get involved!
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