Kate Svitek Memorial Foundation

Our Vision

To help others better understand and appreciate our natural world through interacting with the environment.

Our Mission

The Kate Svitek Memorial Foundation provides financial support to individuals, groups, and various institutions whose interests and goals align with our vision. The Foundation’s primary focus is to promote and help underwrite a range of activities and educational opportunities principally related to outdoor and wilderness exploration, study, observation, preservation, improvement, expansion, and enhancement related to land, water, or atmosphere.

The Kate Svitek Memorial Foundation may provide support in the form of scholarships and/or grants to:

  1. Local, public, private, or religious schools & universities.
  2. Organizations that promote the exploration, study, use, and enjoyment of outdoors and wilderness, such as but not limited to: 
         - Outward Bound 
         - NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) 
  3. Community or civic organizations and programs, parks, or commissions, etc., that help promote or support learning projects or programs for preserving, maintaining, or improving the environment.

Education and adventure through activities in the outdoors are emphasized by the foundation. Funding may be provided for guided trips to both known landmarks as well as remote and unexplored destinations. Activities may include hiking, backpacking, camping, scuba diving, water activities, as well as exploration, mountaineering, and related activities.

Support may be provided for speakers and seminars related to the outdoors, adventure, ecology, and the environment.

Our Accomplishments

In 20 years, the Foundation has been able to provide:

  • Annual scholarships to students at UVM to be used for summer internships
  • 35 scholarships to NOLS
  • 177 scholarships to NCOB
  • Yearly grants to Wissahickon Charter School
  • Grants to 91 different organizations in 32 states
  • Total amount of grants awarded: $1,589,487

Grants to:

100 Elk Outdoor Center
Achieve Tahoe
Adventure Works
Baltimore Yearly Mtg - Philly Stride
Boys and Girls Club of Phila.
Boys Latin
Brewster-Pierce Memorial School
Bucks Cty Audubon Society
Camp Attaway
Camp Kesem
Camp Kesem
Camp Rainbow
Camp Thunderbird
Community Academy of Phila
Center for Aquatic Sciences
Central PA Conservancy
Chicago Voyagers
Chipping Hill
College Settlement
Des Moines Cty. Cons. Partners
Dragonfly Forest Camp
Exploration Academy
Exploring New Horizons Outdoor Schools
Fellowship Farm
First Descents
First Waves
Franklin School of Innovation
Gateway to the Great Outdoors (GGO)
Get Outside
Grassy Waters
Green Fest
Green Valleys
Grow Portland
Harris Center for Conservation Educ.
l-Lead Charter School
Johns Hopkins Outdoors Club
Lacawac
Laketrails Base Camp
Lee G Simmons Cons. Park & Wildlife Safari
Life Expanding Adventure Prog (LEAP)
Linn County Conservation
Living Tree Alliance
Localogy-Roots and Wings School
Los Angeles Waterkeeper
Macrieb Consultants
Monarch Academy
Neighborhood Bike Works
New England Sci. & Sailing Found. (NESS)
New Heights Academy Charter School
No Barriers
NOLS
North Carolina Outward Bound
North Cascades Institute
Northwest Outward Bound
Paddle Without Pollution
Pajarito Environmental Education Center
Paradox Sports
Parkway Northwest High School
Peak 7 Adventures
Phipps Conservatory Botanical Gardens
Prince William Sound Science Center
Project U.S.E.
ReSource
Riverbend
Riversport
Roanoke Outside Foundation
Robbins Park
Rocky Mountain Institute
Russell Byers Charter School
Saddle of Love
San Diego Coast Keepers
Sauvie Island Schuylkill Center
Second Chance Outreach
Something Good in the World
Strayer Middle School
Tahoe Rim Trail Assoc.
The Franklin School of Innovation
The Great Schools Partnership
The LIFE School of Atlanta
Trips for Kids - Denver/Lucky to Ride
Urban Blazers
Urban Green Partnership
UVM
Vamos Outdoors Project
Venture Outdoors
Volunteers at Sippican El. (VASE)
West Virginia University
Wissahickon Charter
Wrangell Inst for Science Ed (WISE)
YES - Phila. Horticultural Society
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