🌿 Help Us Keep Free Forest School Going

We have come to a critical, make-or-break moment in the life of our organization.

Without your urgent help we’ll no longer be able to operate and continue our mission of supporting kids and adults to learn and play together outdoors.

Since Free Forest School launched Our Outdoors in 2021, many new and returning members have used it to connect, get together, and learn more about child-led play in nature. Though we are thrilled to be transitioning to a new, more accessible system—one we believe will better serve families and allow us to reach even more people. But as with many transitions, it’s taken longer and been more complicated than we expected.

During this time, our usual avenues for donations have been paused. As a result, we haven’t been able to bring in our typical level of support, and our reserves are dwindling.

⏳ Where Things Stand

At our current pace, we will run out of funding by mid-August.

  • Our total annual expenses are just $5,616.35.

  • We’re aiming to raise $7,000 this year to fully cover our expenses and build in a small buffer for unexpected needs—or better yet, to reinvest in our mission.

  • We operate on a barebones budget, covering only essentials: website and hosting, email communications, QuickBooks, insurance, and nonprofit registration.

We are deeply grateful to the Zhou Agency, who have generously donated their services to cover our taxes and bookkeeping—two of our largest expenses.

⚠️ Immediate Need: $2,000 by September

Our insurance payment—one of our largest annual expenses—is due in September. We need to raise at least $2,000 by then to continue operating during this transition period.

🙏 How You Can Help

If you believe in the mission of Free Forest School and want to support this next chapter, we ask you to consider:

  • Setting up a recurring donation of $5–$20/month, and/or

  • Making a one-time donation to help us meet our urgent September goal

Your support means we can keep building a more accessible, connected, and sustainable Free Forest School community for everyone.