Fundraising and Grants

Finding grant opportunities

GrantStation is a database of grant opportunities. We have access via snpo.org; log in with member ID 103615 and a last name. 

Tracking grant applications

We track all the grant applications that we submit, and grants that we receive, in grantseeker.fluxx.io. All materials related to grant applications should be uploaded to that site. 

We prepare grant applications in google drive. 

(2025:) It would be good to have one place where we can see all grants that we have received. Presumably these are documented in our tax filings (not sure about that). From another source on 10/27/25, BB found a listing of grants from 2015 that we need to follow up to see if they really came in or if these were aspirational.

• 4500 NEOC. Leadership at that time: President: Jeff Saeger, 74 Richards St, Dedham MA, 781-326-0509, runwld2@juno.com Chairman: Pete Lane, pete.lane@comcast.net, 774-249-9649 Treasurer: Jim Crawford VP Administration & Clerk: Joanne Sankus, jsankuso@aol.com, 781-938-1740

  • I have a note: "Figure out how much has been spent of the NEOC grant that went to Cambridge, and invoice for the rest." from Nov 15 2015.

• $1000 CSU. Leadership at that time: President: Sara Mae Bermanl Treasurer: Geoffrey Kent; Secretary: Gail Breslow; 23 Fayette St, Cambridge MA 02139-1111; 617-868-7416; smlberman@verizon.net

• $2500 SOS Memorial Foundation; Sara Mae & Larry Berman, 23 Fayette St, Cambridge MA 02139-1111, 617-868-7416

Using grants

• We should always send a report back to the funder about how we used the money.

• We should always track grant income and expenses with our bookkeepers. Grant income is generally restricted income which can only be used for the purposes for which it was given. If we don't use it that way we must return it. In accounting and financial reports, we must be sure to show expenses that can be attributed to the purpose of the grant.

Materials useful for writing grants

• This is a link to examples of Navigation Games programs; it can be useful for telling funders what we do.

Evidence that orienteering is useful

We are often asked for peer-reviewed research that demonstrates the value of our orienteering program. This is a work in progress, but we have collected information in the following places:

• Orienteering research around the world - this is where we've compiled the most information.

• Blog post on our website from 2020: Research on children and maps

• Blog post 2024 on our webiste: The importance of navigation for our brains

• Orienteering in standards for PE

• Relevant research for orienteering navigation - tests that we might be able to apply to participants in our programs

• Ideas for further research we can do

Here is a generic summary that can be used in conference and grant applications. Feel free to update it!

• Many researchers believe that memory and navigation evolved together in the hippocampus to allow us to explore and memorize our environment, increasing survival chances (Buzsáki, G., & Memory, E. M. navigation and theta rhythm in the hippocampal-entorhinal system., 2013, 16. DOI: https://doi. org/10.1038/nn, 3304, 130-138.). 

• over the past century, people have had fewer and fewer opportunities to develop their navigational skills. This effect is most notable among children, as the “home range”, where they can freely roam, has fallen dramatically, largely thanks to busy streets children cannot cross without supervision. These effective barriers limiting the range within which a child can explore leads to a disjointed view of the world, where there are discrete places with no clear spatial connection to each other (Rissotto, A., & Tonucci, F., 2002,  "Freedom of movement and environmental knowledge in elementary school children". Journal of environmental Psychology, 22(1-2), 65-77.).

• Studies have shown that, when left to their own devices, children tend to explore significantly further than their parents expect, traveling sporadically from one point of interest to another (Bond, Michael Shaw. From Here to There: The Art and Science of Finding and Losing Our Way. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2021, pp. 22). Unfortunately, as streets have become busier, unstructured exploration feels more dangerous, and most parents keep their children close. Orienteering encourages this sort of point-of-interest based exploration while staying within safe boundaries.

• Navigation practice has been shown to slow hippocampal decay in people with Alzheimer's.

• Orienteering education is a type of adventure education. Research has shown that adventure education results in a greater increase of physical activity, increased self-concept, degreaxed depression and anxiety, improved group dynamics and cohesion, resilience and positive social and emotional learning outcomes (Lee & Zhang, 2019, "The impact of adventure education on students' learning outcomes in PE: A systematic review", 

• Orienteering has been shown to have positive effects on students with ADHD ("Examining the Effect of Orienteering on the Development of Attention, Metacognitive Awareness and Problem-Solving Skills of Primary School Students with ADHD", Uzuner and Sahin, J of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies) 

• For the general population, orienteering education has shown positive effects on academic achievement, map literacy, inhibitory control, executive function, and spatial perception skills. The practice and development of spatial visualization which comes naturally with orienteering, is important for math performance. 

• Outdoor education builds community, increases connection, and develops positive feelings and memories around school and the outdoors. 

• These days, American children spend only a few minutes a day on average in unstructured outdoor play, but many hours in front of a screen. There are many research articles showing the benefits of spending time outdoors, whether it is structure or unstructured. For example, see Strife & Downey, "Childhood development and access to nature: A new direction for environmental inequality research" 2009

Edited AI-generated summary of what we have written about evidence for value of orienteering

Orienteering provides a powerful way to connect children with nature while building essential cognitive and social skills. Decades of research show that outdoor learning improves concentration, reduces stress, and enhances academic performance (Faber Taylor & Kuo, 2006; Wells & Evans, 2003), yet American children now spend only 4–7 minutes a day in unstructured outdoor play compared to more than seven hours on screens (Cohen). Orienteering addresses this gap by combining structured exploration with navigation challenges that engage both body and mind. Neuroscience research shows that memory and navigation are linked in the hippocampus, meaning navigation practice strengthens brain systems critical for learning and healthy aging (Buzsáki & Moser, 2013). Studies also highlight how shrinking childhood “home ranges” limit opportunities for spatial learning, whereas orienteering encourages safe, point-of-interest exploration that fosters environmental knowledge (Rissotto & Tonucci, 2002). Peer-reviewed studies further demonstrate orienteering’s unique benefits: it improves attention and problem-solving for students with ADHD (Uzuner & Sahin 2021), supports executive function, inhibitory control, and spatial perception, and develops map literacy linked to mathematics achievement. As a form of adventure education, orienteering also boosts physical activity, resilience, self-concept, and group cohesion (Lee & Zhang, 2019). Together, this growing body of evidence confirms that orienteering not only gets children outdoors but also strengthens cognitive development, emotional well-being, and community connection—making it a vital tool for modern education. 

References:

• Faber Taylor A, Kuo FE. Is contact with nature important for healthy child development? State of the evidence. In: Spencer C, Blades M, editors. Children and their environments: Learning, using and designing spaces. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press; 2006. pp. 124–140. [Google Scholar] 

• Wells NM, Evans GW. Nearby nature: A buffer of life stress among rural children. Environment and Behavior. 2003;35:311–330. [Google Scholar]

• Cohen, "Why kids need to spend time in nature," Child Mind Institute

• Buzsáki & Moser, 2013, "Memory, navigation and theta rhythm in the hippocampal-entorhinal system," Nat Neurosci 16(2):130-8

• Rissotto, A., & Tonucci, F., 2002,  "Freedom of movement and environmental knowledge in elementary school children". Journal of environmental Psychology, 22(1-2), 65-77.

• Uzuner & Sahin, 2021, Journal of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, "Examining the effect of orienteering on the development of attention, metacognitive awareness and problem-solving skills of primary school students with ADHD"

• Lee & Zhang, 2019, "The impact of adventure education on students' learning outcomes in PE: A systematic review", JTRM in Kinesiology

Donations

• NG uses Donorbox to process on-line donations (accessed via the NG website) and to track all donations

• For on-line donations, Donorbox is updated with the donor information and donation amount automatically. A thank you letter is immediately sent to the donor.

• Off-line donations need to be entered manually and, when entering the donation, a thank-you letter can be sent to the donor, if desired.   

• In addition, there is a donor spreadsheet which should be updated: "All donations".

Race Sign Ups

Jan 2026 - We have applied to be an official charity for the Cambridge Half Marathon / 5km race which takes place in November 2026. The interface is:

RunSignup: https://runsignup.com/CharityMgmt/BasicInfo/4919

Login: admin@navigationgames.org

P/w: RunSignUp2026!!