SUNY Chancellor King Announces Applications Open for Outdoors for All Grants

September 1, 2026

SUNY's Outdoors for All Program Designed to Engage Students and New Yorkers of All Ages with Nature and Outdoor Activities

Campuses Can Apply for Funding Through September 14

Albany, NY — State University Chancellor John B. King Jr. today announced the opening of applications for SUNY's Outdoors for All grant program. SUNY's Outdoors for All program is designed to empower more students, and New Yorkers of all ages and from all backgrounds, with opportunities to enjoy the state's natural beauty. Through the program, campuses can receive grants to support efforts to facilitate year-round outdoor opportunities and encourage ties between co-curricular activities and academic and career opportunities in sustainability.

"SUNY's Outdoors for All program has given our students, and their campus communities, the opportunity to connect with nature through inclusive and welcoming outdoor spaces that enhance student well-being and help our students thrive," said SUNY Chancellor King. "This program helps encourage SUNY students and all New Yorkers immerse themselves in nature and take advantage of all that our state has to offer. I look forward to seeing how our campuses use their grants to increase access to outdoor experiences."

The SUNY Board of Trustees said, "Through the support of Governor Hochul and the State Legislature, SUNY can invest in programs that allow our students, and all New Yorkers, the opportunity to engage with New York State s natural beauty. SUNY's Outdoors for All program has helped our campuses generate and execute plans to engage more New Yorkers with our state’s natural beauty."

Recipients of SUNY's Outdoors for All grants will use the funding to develop new outdoor programming, create new and improve existing outdoor spaces, provide for accessibility, and purchase equipment and supplies that can be used to engage more students with nature and improve participation in outdoor activities both on- and off-campus. Up to 13 campuses will be able to secure grants of $8,000 to invest in improvements or activities that promote inclusivity, sustainability, accessibility, wellness, and community development.

In 2025, during the inaugural year of the program, 13 SUNY campuses received Outdoors for All grants. The campuses who secured grants included:

  • SUNY Adirondack offered an all-year outdoor classroom and recreation space directly tied to academic coursework and with a focus on ADA compliance and accessibility. The space was designed as a hub for wellness programming, continuing education courses, and summer enrichment programming.
  • SUNY Canton addressed barriers to accessing outdoor spaces by providing equipment, training, and increased programming for the campus community. The campus offered student staff training, including wilderness first aid, beginner skills clinics, and provided winter gear and first aid kits for rental.
  • SUNY Corning improved the accessibility and exposure of the Spencer Crest Nature and Research Center, reintroducing it to the campus community with digital and physical accessible trail maps, new signage, and spaces for accessible outdoor seating. Additionally, as part of the funding, Empire State Service Corps Civics interns helped organize student events.
  • SUNY Farmingdale State College provided free "Ram Rides," a bike rental program, increasing student access to recreational activities that are sustainable, equitable, and outside. 
  • SUNY Fredonia established an accessible and sustainable sensory garden featuring New York native species, and purchased and strategically located ADA accessible benches.
  • SUNY Old Westbury incorporated the new Campus Environmental Education Center (CEEC) to expand on outdoor offerings through co-curricular programs and applied learning opportunities by integrating opportunities with the curriculum, improving trail information and targeted promotion. The funding also helped increase campus engagement with the formation of a Trail Club, and supported structured and unstructured opportunities for the campus community.
  • SUNY Oneonta utilized the Nature RX network to provide accessible wellness and skills-building activities, purchase essential outdoor equipment, and expand affinity-based outdoor programming throughout the academic year.
  • SUNY Orange used the grant funding to re-launch its "Step into Orange" walking club, aimed to increase participation and accessibility. As part of the funding, SUNY Orange covered the cost of transportation to regional outdoor spaces for students wishing to participate.
  • SUNY Oswego addressed key issues at the Rice Creek Field Station (located a mile away from campus) by resurfacing existing trails, replacing old features such as seating and railings with new accessible and/or ADA-compliant features, and providing new signage.  
  • SUNY Plattsburgh used its grant to improve the Rugar Woods Trail with new main entrance signage with additional information for guests, as well as improved signage and maps.
  • SUNY Polytechnic Institute improved and expanded its existing Greenhouse Garden to create a central Outdoor Sustainability & Wellness Hub, to include a disc golf course, and added accessible outdoor infrastructure in the form of seating, tables, and shade structures.
  • SUNY Ulster created a kid-friendly, family-friendly multi-use outdoor space, acknowledging adult learners and SUNY Reconnect students who are parents or caregivers and may need to bring family members onto campus.  

SUNY has worked to advance leadership in sustainability and climate solutions. In April, SUNY celebrated progress in achieving the goals of its inaugural Climate and Sustainability Action Plan, which was adopted at the beginning of 2025 and provides a framework for decarbonizing the SUNY System, and for creating the next generation of climate leaders through education, experiential learning, research, workforce development, and civic engagement. The plan includes 156 specific actions and strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, doubling climate research, strengthening climate education, increasing green workforce development, and expanding engagement and applied learning opportunities for students.

To further advance climate and sustainability, SUNY recently highlighted SUNY ESF's Timbuctoo Climate Science and Careers Summer Institute program for New York City high school students. In February, SUNY announced the recipients of the SUNY Sustainability Awards, which recognizes undergraduate students throughout the SUNY System for the work they have done to advance sustainability on their campuses in February. In April, ChancelIor King highlighted the efforts of students, faculty, and staff to promote sustainability as part of Earth Day observances. In September 2025, SUNY announced the inaugural class of SUNY's Sustainability Faculty Fellows to assist other faculty in incorporating climate and sustainability topics into existing courses and develop new applied learning opportunities.

About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state's only college of optometry, 12 Educational Opportunity Centers, over 30 ATTAIN digital literacy labs, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.7 million students across its portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2025, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and annually one in three New Yorkers who earn a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.

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