River City Outdoors Awards $20,000 to Eight Organizations

In November, River City Outdoors awarded $20,000 in grants to eight community organizations working to expand access and equity in the St. Louis outdoors.

That’s a big leap from the three grants totaling $6,000 the nonprofit distributed just a year earlier.

“You can’t really call them ‘micro-grants’ anymore — they’re just grants,” says Roo Yawitz, President of River City Outdoors, which, in addition to providing programming, education, and partnerships to build a strong St. Louis outdoor ecosystem, also publishes Terrain Magazine and operates Big Muddy Adventures.

From environmental science programs and trail improvements to climbing routes, paddling instruction, and adaptive cycling equipment, this year’s grantees are opening doors for thousands of people across the region.

“River City Outdoors is honored to support the work of these organizations and excited to see the impact these projects will bring to our outdoor spaces in the coming year and beyond,” says Yawitz.

Here’s a look at the eight recipients of “Outdoors for All” grants from River City Outdoors in 2025.

ShowMe Hikes

Award: $1,000
Project: ShowMe Hikes is a volunteer-driven group dedicated to connecting people with Missouri’s natural features through free guided hikes.

In just two years, the group has led 18 hikes covering 90 miles and engaging more than 115 participants of all ages.

The outings blend botany, geology, ecology, and regional history to foster a sense of place and environmental stewardship.

The Outdoors for All grant will help ShowMe Hikes expand its educational materials, grow outreach, and cover essential expenses — keeping hikes free and strengthening the organization’s role as a welcoming entry point into outdoor recreation around St. Louis.

 

St. Louis Canoe & Kayak Club

Award: $1,250
Project: St. Louis Canoe & Kayak Club has long championed safe paddling, environmental stewardship, and inclusive access to regional waterways.

Its volunteer-led trips and trainings support paddlers of all skill levels.

The club will use its grant to launch a women’s paddling class on the Missouri River to prepare participants for the MR340 — one of the world’s longest nonstop river races.

By offering high-quality instruction and race-specific training, the club aims to boost female representation in the MR340 and build community for women paddlers.

 

Audubon Center at Riverlands

Award: $1,500
Project: Located within the 3,700-acre Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, the Audubon Center at Riverlands serves as a hub for nature-based education in the St. Louis bi-state region.

Partnering with the Ferguson-Florissant School District and Little Creek Nature Area, the Center provides place-based learning for more than 1,000 students and community members annually.

This year’s grant will help create a Community Birding Library stocked with binoculars, field guides, and other resources for public visitors and programs like First Saturday birding events and the Field Biology Rivervision project.

The library will greatly expand access to nature education, especially for families and students in north St. Louis County.

 

Sk8 Liborius

Award: $2,250
Project: Sk8 Liborius is working to preserve and repurpose the historic St. Liborius Church and Rectory in north St. Louis, transforming it into a unique arts and recreation campus.

After a 2023 fire destroyed the original indoor skatepark, the organization has focused on reactivating the space and reconnecting with the community.

Grant funding will support the creation of an outdoor sport-climbing route on the remaining exterior masonry walls — a new recreational feature designed to bring people back to the site and move the project closer to reopening as a skatepark and climbing gym. (See the rendering above.)

 

Earth’s Classroom

Award: $2,500
Project: Founded in 1999, Earth’s Classroom offers immersive, experiential education rooted in ecology, cultural history, and conservation.

Educators Bill and Jody Miles have transformed a 179-acre property near Rosebud, Missouri, into a vibrant outdoor learning environment.

The grant will help expand the Field Science Career Experience — a tuition-free, 90-hour field science certification program for high school students across eastern and central Missouri.

Participants gain hands-on experience in wildlife and stewardship while developing leadership skills and meaningful connections to the outdoors.

 

Salam Scouts

Award: $2,500
Project: Salam Scouts, a national Muslim scouting organization based in St. Louis, empowers youth through outdoor adventure, service, leadership, and community.

Its culturally inclusive, faith-based approach supports confidence-building and deepened connections with nature.

The grant will help launch the group’s new Quest Badges program, an outdoor-adventure curriculum that teaches skill-building, self-reliance, conservation, and safe recreation.

Serving more than 100 youth annually, the program will expand accessible and enriching outdoor experiences across the region.

 

Clifftop NFP

Award: $4,000
Project: Clifftop (Conserving Lands In Farm, Forest, Talus, Or Prairie) is a volunteer-run nonprofit devoted to protecting the Mississippi River bluff corridor in Monroe, Randolph, and St. Clair counties in Illinois.

The group serves as a clearinghouse connecting landowners, residents, and agencies to vital conservation resources.

Its grant will fund trail improvements at White Rock Nature Preserve in Monroe County.

Planned upgrades — including water bars and creek rock installations — will reduce erosion, improve safety, and protect access to the preserve’s four public trails for years to come.

 

Ride to Unite

Award: $5,000
Project: Ride to Unite, a program of the Recreation Council of Greater St. Louis, expands access to cycling for individuals of all ages and abilities.

Its mission is rooted in inclusion, independence, and the belief that everyone deserves the joy of movement.

The grant will fund a new recumbent bicycle — retrofitted for immediate use in weekly adaptive rides.

It can also be paired with another recumbent to create a tandem option, further increasing accessibility for riders who need support.

This investment strengthens the region’s adaptive cycling resources and helps more people experience the freedom of movement on two (or three) wheels.

To learn more about River City Outdoors and the Outdoors for All grant program, go here.

Authors: Matt Green is the executive director of River City Outdoors. Brad Kovach is deputy director of River City Outdoors and the publisher of Terrain.

Top image: Chris Geden of River City Outdoors hands out a grant to Jessie Donovan of ShowMe Hikes. (Alex Noguera)