We get kids outside & protect and preserve our local environment.
How it All Started
Imagine growing up surrounded by beautiful, vast salt marshes yet never having the chance to touch or explore them. That reality led to the founding of The Outside Foundation in 2014, with a simple mission: to get kids outside & to protect and preserve our local environment.
At the time, children were spending more than seven hours each day on screens, and access to local water experiences was limited. In fact, tourists were more likely to get out on the water than local kids.
We set out to change that.
Our Vision
A world where children of all ages are equipped with the knowledge and passion to explore, appreciate and protect the great outdoors.
Our Goals
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Our work is guided by principles rooted in community and firsthand experience of the Lowcountry’s natural environment, with the goal of fostering environmental stewardship.
These principles shape how we design our programs, engage volunteers, and partner to create opportunities for deeper connection. Experience awakens appreciation and inspires protection. -
Passing a love of the outdoors to the next generation is essential to protecting the Lowcountry. Through Kids in Kayaks and other youth engagement initiatives, we are committed to ensuring every student in Beaufort County has the opportunity to experience the local outdoor environment firsthand. We know that no one can protect what they don’t understand!
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At The Outside Foundation we are committed to collaboration, diversity, excellence, leadership, passion, and stewardship. And we seek to lead by example as we create community opportunities focused on access, education, engagement and empowerment.
Our Programs
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Our signature program, Kids in Kayaks, strives to get every 7th grade student in Beaufort County out on the water, kayaking and exploring the local salt marsh as part of the regular school day and their environmental science curriculum.
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To benefit this key part of our local ecosystem, the community-based oyster recycling program creates new reefs out of old shell, ensuring a vibrant oyster fishery in the future.
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Throughout each year and across the Lowcountry, we coordinate community events around litter sweeps and waterway clean-ups. These events include Pick up and Jog events, kayak-based clean-ups and beach sweeps.
