We’re proud to announce that Outdoor Promise, in collaboration with Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Malcolm Gordon Charitable Fund, administered by the Open Space Institute. This funding will support immersive sailing and shoreline programs for residents of Newburgh, building environmental awareness through hands-on experiences on and along the Hudson River.
In 2023 and 2024, Outdoor Promise received support from the Malcolm Gordon Charitable Fund to launch our Rep Nature Leadership Program, an initiative focused on cultivating youth environmental leaders from historically marginalized communities. That program laid the groundwork for this year’s collaboration. In 2025, we’re excited to deepen that impact by working alongside Clearwater to offer two Sailing Classroom experiences and two Tideline shoreline programs, reaching up to 100 participants free of charge.
This partnership is rooted in shared values and a growing relationship. In recent years, we’ve worked together to offer public sails to Newburgh families—bringing our community onto the river to explore, reflect, and reconnect. Those sails were more than symbolic; they were transformational. We’ve seen firsthand how standing at the helm of a historic sloop, casting a net into the Hudson, or pausing for a moment of silence on open water can awaken a lifelong sense of stewardship.
That’s why it was such a meaningful moment in 2023 when Clearwater honored our Executive Director, Ronald Zorrilla, with their Spirit of the Hudson Award. The recognition reflected Ronald’s leadership and the work Outdoor Promise continues to do to make outdoor spaces—and environmental leadership—more inclusive, accessible, and deeply rooted in the community.
With the support of this new grant, we’re bringing that spirit back to the water. And we’re just getting started.
To learn more about the 2025 Gordon Awards, visit:
https://www.openspaceinstitute.org/news/2025-gordon-awards
