NOLS Founders Day 2025

Honoring the Past. Celebrating the Present. Inspiring the Future.

On June 8, 1965, students gathered near Lander, Wyoming, to embark on a 30-day adventure into the Wind River Mountains. This trip marked the founding of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) with a simple but bold idea: that wilderness is the best classroom for leadership.

Today, 60 years later, that vision still drives us.

Since 1965, NOLS has stayed true to its DNA—wilderness, leadership, and risk management. In a world that often feels divided and uncertain, these core elements are more relevant than ever. We believe leadership rooted in nature is leadership that lasts.

Now, we’re proud to launch our third annual Founders Day Campaign—an ambitious effort to fuel the future of NOLS. We invite you to celebrate 60 years of impact—and invest in the next 60—with a gift to the NOLS Fund.

Our goal is simple: to give more students—from every background and every corner of the globe—the chance to experience the wilderness, gain life-saving skills, rise to the challenge, and discover the leader within.

And there’s never been a better time to donate. To give this Campaign the early momentum it needs to reach our goal of $200,000 and 350 donors, a generous Board of Trustees member has offered to match all gifts made by June 7th two dollars to one—tripling your impact.

Join us in honoring #NolsFoundersDay.

Make a gift. Share your NOLS story. Help us write the next chapter.