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Enablers of Outdoor Recreation Grant

The Enablers Grant is a merit-based, unrestricted grant intended to stimulate emerging outdoor businesses, brands and projects with funds for immediate business and/or project development needs.

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Eligibility

The following criteria must be met by the applicant to be eligible for the Enablers Grant award. More information about eligibility, the scoring rubric, application fees, and the origin of the Enablers Grant can be found by downloading the document below.

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Must represent a Texas-based business or entity.
Must be, at a minimum, a
1. TxORA Outdoor Industry Member with Engaged Membership Tier, or
2. TxORA Outdoor Network Member with current membership.
Must be in good financial standing with any TxORA obligations.
Must fit the definition of an Enabler of Outdoor Recreation.

"Enablers" are those who provide the means to participate in outdoor recreation or facilitate activities that constitute outdoor recreation. Enablers make up the vast majority of the industry side of the outdoor recreation ecosystem. May be represented by a variety of business types, organizations or special projects.

Examples include (but not limited to):
• Pre-revenue Businesses and Individuals
• Startups and small outdoor businesses
• Brands and gear innovators
• Outfitters & Retailers
• Guides & Service Providers
• Manufacturers & Distributors
• Outdoor Infrastructure professionals
• Specialty Outdoor Accommodations
• Projects that promote and create opportunities for outdoor recreation

Instructions & Timeline

Applications Open: 7/30/2024 (after 12PM CST)
Optional Q&A Session #1: Mon, August 5th @ 7:00 PM
Optional Q&A Session #2: Wed, August 7th @ 8:00 AM
TxORA Membership Dues in No Later Than: 8/26/2024
Applications Close: 8/29/2024
Awardee Notified: 9/3/2024
Awardee Announced: 9/10 or 9/17

Q&A sessions will be held virtually on two occasions listed above. Meeting invites will be made available to all members. If you do not receive the Q&A invitation but want to attend, please reach out to trailblaze@txora.org.

Award Cycles & Details

The Enablers Grant cycle will recur on a quarterly basis throughout the calendar year.

Quarter 1: January – March
Quarter 2: April – June
Quarter 3: July – September
Quarter 4: October – December

Award Amount
As of July 2024, the amount for an individual Enablers Grant award is $500.00. The Enablers Grant award is anticipated to remain at $500.00 for the remainder of 2024 and throughout 2025, but this is subject to change based on the availability of funding.

The Enabler Award size is based on the availability of funding and projected fundraising potential remaining for the calendar year. Adjustments to future award sizes will be announced prior to an application cycle opening.

Grant Application

July – Sept | 2024

July – Sept 2024

Part I. Applicant and General Information

Are you currently a TxORA member?

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

Business or Project Name

Please define your role in the business or project involvement.

EIN (also known as Federal Employer Identification Number)

Please describe your business or project. (150 words or less)

How long as your business or project concept been in the works?

How would you describe the phase that your business or project is currently in? (100 words or less)

Please indicate how many employees work for the applying business or project, if any.

Part II. Prompts for Video Responses

Please submit a video response that answers the five (5) prompts below. Applicants must clearly provide responses to all five (5) prompts for applications to be considered complete.

Tell us about your outdoor business, product or project. (2 minute max)
What inspired you to take on your outdoor related mission? (2 minute max)
In your own words, based on the background information above, who or what is an enabler of outdoor recreation? (2 minute max)
Tell us how your business/product/project enables outdoor recreation experiences that promote continued or increased participation in outdoor activities across the state. (2 minute max)
What has been the greatest challenge for you and/or your team? (2 minute max)

Content Guidelines & File Format:

Responses to the five (5) prompts must be developed and delivered by the applicant
Responses must be delivered by spoken language in English or Español
Applicants are highly encouraged to be creative with their video responses
Content should remain professional in nature
Content appropriateness should remain relevant to the business, brand or project
The submission should be a direct link to a shared file
TxORA evaluators must be able to use play and pause functions to fully evaluate the responses
Each answer should be recorded and submitted as one link/video

Please submit a video response that answers the five (5) prompts below. Applicants must clearly provide responses to all five (5) prompts for applications to be considered complete.

Tell us about your outdoor business, product or project. (2 minute max)
What inspired you to take on your outdoor related mission? (2 minute max)
In your own words, based on the background information above, who or what is an enabler of outdoor recreation? (2 minute max)
Tell us how your business/product/project enables outdoor recreation experiences that promote continued or increased participation in outdoor activities across the state. (2 minute max)
What has been the greatest challenge for you and/or your team? (2 minute max)

Content Guidelines & File Format:

Responses to the five (5) prompts must be developed and delivered by the applicant
Responses must be delivered by spoken language in English or Español
Applicants are highly encouraged to be creative with their video responses
Content should remain professional in nature
Content appropriateness should remain relevant to the business, brand or project
The submission should be a direct link to a shared file
TxORA evaluators must be able to use play and pause functions to fully evaluate the responses
Each answer should be recorded and submitted as one link/video

Please provide a shared link to your video response.

We’re excited about the possibility of showcasing your content as part of our upcoming marketing efforts. To make this happen, we kindly request your permission to use your video in our future marketing campaigns for TxORA. This may include, but is not limited to, social media, email newsletters, our website, and other promotional materials. If you agree to this, please click the indicate below.

Questions? We're Here To Help

For anything related to the Enablers Grant or Sponsoring the initiative, please contact Alex Brown, PMP | Director at trailblaze@TxORA.org, and for anything related to TxORA Memberships please contact Lindsey Brown, Outreach Director at Lbrown@TxORA.org.