Blank Donates $15M to Expand Outward Bound

Outward Bound USA is the recipient of a $15 million grant from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. The donation, the largest single gift in the organization’s 63-year history, will be used to expand its Advancing Access to the Outdoors Initiative that combines outdoor education programs with character building skills particularly for a diverse population of students across the country.

It will also be used to develop a new Center of Excellence that will further develop programs in all nine regional Outward Bound centers and expand the five- to seven-day immersive programs that the organization uses to develop leadership and self-reliance at 20 outdoor sites. It will also expand its less intensive one-day programs for schools and community organizations. The organization hopes to reach 75,000 young people each year and boost its nationwide alumni base to 275,000 students by 2029.

It would be a big jump in participation and financial resources for the organization which in recent years has had an annual budget of around $10 million.

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In announcing the gift, Arthur Blank, chairman of his family foundation and the co-founder of The Home Depot, praised the organization for the contributions it has made.

“Outward Bound has had a profound impact on my life, teaching me the invaluable lesson that we are all capable of far more than we realize. Outward Bound USA has consistently demonstrated excellence in fostering the courageous leaders of tomorrow through the transformative power of outdoor education.”

Arthur Blank credits Outward Bound with being among the most important experiences of his life.

By its support for the new Center of Excellence and expanding its programs in local communities, the organization hopes to increase participation by minorities and others who have had limited access to its outdoor program. The organization, in acknowledging the gift, mentioned that it comes at a critical time for making sure there is fair access to its programs that help young people to build their future life.

The CEO of the organization, Ginger Naylor, said the grant will particularly help those who have not had the financial resources to pay for its programs or limited opportunities to fully experience an Outward Bound adventure.

“This grant directly enhances our ability to expand our programs into communities across America,” Naylor emphasized, “empowering more youth — especially the 90 percent of families currently unable to afford an experience like Outward Bound — to build confidence and reconnect them to themselves, others, and with the natural world.”

Outward Bound is an international organization that, in addition to its programs in this country, has programs in 34 other countries with a total participation of a quarter of a million people annually.

It was founded 83 years ago in Scotland during World War II on principles developed by Kurt Hahn. He was a German Jewish educational innovator who left Germany in 1933 when the Nazis came to power.

Originally, Outward Bound was started during World War II to sharpen the survival skills of young merchant seamen who might be cast adrift in the open ocean after their cargo ships were torpedoed. “Outward bound” is a nautical term for a ship leaving port for what may become a voyage with an unknown destination.

One of its early leaders was a sailor whose leadership skills and resourcefulness managed to keep his crew alive and intact until they were rescued after 35 days in their lifeboat.

Today, in addition to its short programs, the organization offers what they call an Expedition, a program of 30 days or more that focuses on developing within students’ confidence and commitment in their life.

Blank’s $15 million gift aims to expand Outward Bound programs, particularly for minorities living in urban areas.

Blank first encountered the organization early in the history of The Home Depot as he was grappling with many of the issues that the rapidly evolving organization presented. He was invited by Marjorie Buckley, who, with her husband, was an early investor in the company.

She invited him to participate in the North Carolina Outward Bound School that was based at Table Rock Mountain in the Pisgah National Forest. He credits the experience with helping him to develop the personal philosophy, with co-founder Bernie Marcus, that was instrumental in providing the corporate values upon which The Home Depot thrived.

“Of all the organizations I’ve been connected to, Outward Bound has had the most significant impact on my life,” Blank acknowledges. “How do we integrate that philosophy? To serve, to strive, and not to yield is very much a part of everything we did at Home Depot.”

Blank carried over these values when he retired in 2003 to found the AMB Group, which owns the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United soccer team, and PGA Golf Superstores. It also manages and was instrumental in developing the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, one of the world’s leading sports and entertainment venues.