Our Mission:

Austin Outside champions vibrant and thriving outdoor places for all in Greater Austin.

Greater Austin will be known for its healthy outdoor culture and vibrant public places. We envision a future where everyone lives within a 10 minute walk of a high-quality outdoor park, greenspace, or natural area and that these green jewels are connected by a safe and comfortable network of trails, bikeways, and sidewalks.

Our Values

1. Austin Outside believes that serving as a collective voice for our outdoor places will make Greater Austin more safe, equitable, healthy, resilient, and friendly for all.

2. Austin Outside believes that opportunities for more public places and connections to nature must be created equitably and that new investments must compensate for patterns of historical disinvestment in marginalized groups, specifically communities of color, low-income communities, and individuals and communities with disabilities. 

3. Austin Outside believes that public places and connection to nature should be equitable to all regardless of race, ethnicity, age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, ability, or economic status.

4. Austin Outside believes that greater access to a vibrant, robust, community-wide network of parks, trails, bike lanes, sidewalks, open space, and protected areas is essential to the social, mental, physical, ecological, and economic health of Greater Austin.

5. Austin Outside believes that the protection and celebration of our wild places and preserves, along with appropriate public access, is essential to the well-being of our community and responsible stewardship of our ecosystem.

Our 2024 Priorities

Each year, the AO membership reviews the Strategic Plan to set the policy and project priorities we hope to advocate for as a coalition.

*Priorities will adapt and respond as new opportunities arise.

• Monitor 2023 Travis County and Williamson County Parks and Mobility bond project implementation, & 2020 Safe Mobility for All funding and project implementation.

• Coordinate with local government partners to identify and pursue federal funding.

• Build capacity of AO (staff, board and financial).

• Launch The New Philanthropist’s First Look Assessment Program for our members, which seeks to address inequities in bringing people of color into nonprofit green space leadership through a board diversity and inclusion assessment.

• Grow and diversify AO Membership.

• Grow existing committees and formation of proposed committees.