We support youth mental health
Run Far Foundation funds youth-led volunteer projects in all 50 states
to enable meaningful community service and help young people find purpose, have fun, and stay healthy.
Run Far start-up grants
Aiming to improve your school or community?
Apply for $100, $200, or $500 to launch your new project!
Sample start-up projects include: hosting a schoolyard concert or picnic, roadside litter cleanup, fun run, art walk, hiking excursion, group yoga or meditation circle, launching a mentoring program, growing a community garden, or painting a mural.
Use your imagination — we want to provide the funding for your big idea!
Our Process
Apply
Tell us about your project idea and how it will improve your community by submitting an application.
Pro tip: share a post intro'ing your idea and tag @RunFarFoundation
#YouthMentalHealth on IG/TikTok for bonus points.
Get Funded
Selection Panel picks strongest applicants, announces recipients, and transfers funds.
We make it easy so you can get started fast.
Prepare
Pick a launch date, create an action plan, recruit friends, spread the word!
Youth Leaders receive the Run Far Leadership Playbook for helpful guidance from idea to execution.
Make it Happen
Time to shine — it'll take hard work and team work to make the dream work!
There is magic in momentum so have fun and soak up these first steps with a smile :-)
Amplify the Impact
Submit a quick Lessons Learned + Impact Report so we can share best practices and improve together.
Share pictures of your team in action and tag @RunFarFoundation to help us build the nationwide movement for #YouthMentalHealth
Project Ideas
Get inspired with these project ideas —
or craft your own to boost youth mental health!
Paint a Mural
Bring a colorful, uplifting message to your school or town square.
Litter Cleanup
Roll up your sleeves and pick up garbage to restore your community's beauty.
Community Garden
Grow fresh vegetables for a pre-school or a nursing home in your community.
State Fair
Build an exhibit promoting mental health awareness and action at the state fair.
Use your imagination!
What's your idea to improve your community?
Apply for funding to make it happen!
Running Across America
to spark a nationwide movement for youth mental health
Why I Run Far
My name is Greg Nance. Overwhelmed by depression after my Grandpa Charlie's debilitating stroke, I turned to alcohol and painkillers at age 16. I cut classes, got into fistfights, and was suspended from the tennis team.
The free-fall only stopped with the help of a daily running ritual and the meaningful community I found working on Moneythink, a youth-led volunteer project. Running and volunteering helped me overcome depression and alcohol abuse to finally get sober on December 29, 2011.
In the years since, I've kept running, kept volunteering, and kept smiling too.
I'm running across America to pay it forward with Run Far Foundation. The money we raise together will provide youth with grassroots funding for impactful volunteer service and community-building opportunities.
Together, let's turn the tide on America's mental illness and addiction epidemics.
We can help youth find purpose, have fun, and stay healthy.
Follow the Run Across America
Run Across America kicked off April 25, 2022 on Long Island, NY where Greg is running 47 miles per day and will end after 65 days in Ocean Shores, WA.
Greg started with a foot in the Atlantic and is running 3,071 miles across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Washington to the Pacific.
Here's our route and day-by-day itinerary. Join us and run/bike a few miles or share a meal!
You can follow @RunFarFoundation on Instagram for live-tracking and updates from the road — We're excited to introduce you to the amazing youth leaders we meet during the run!
Become a Founding Donor!
We are a non-profit and our team is all-volunteer.
All donations directly support our mission. We are powered by grassroots donors like you!
About Us
Contact Us
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© 2022 Run Far Foundation is a registered Washington Nonprofit Corporation. EIN #88-1201993