Funding Supports Youth Outdoor Education, Trail Stewardship, and Responsible Motorized Recreation
How to Apply to Yamaha OAI
MARIETTA, Ga., Aug. 25, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Yamaha Motor Corp.,USA, awarded more than $225,000 in second-quarter funding through the Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative (Yamaha OAI), supporting seven organizations working to expand responsible access to outdoor and motorized recreation through youth education, trail stewardship, ride area safety improvements, and enhanced access opportunities.
The latest grants fund projects ranging from youth boating, fishing, and bicycling education to trail rehabilitation, new trail development, improved wayfinding, and track and riding-area safety. The quarter also brings together Yamaha OAI and Yamaha Rightwaters to help expand outdoor recreation opportunities for young people through boating and fishing programs on California’s Catalina Island.
“This quarter’s recipients demonstrate the many ways responsible recreation and long-term outdoor access go hand-in-hand, from introducing young people to lifelong outdoor activities to maintaining the trails and riding areas enthusiasts depend on,” said Steve Nessl, Yamaha Motorsports marketing director. “We’re also proud to continue our support of All Kids Bike for a fifth year, helping give kindergarteners at more than 50 elementary schools nationwide the opportunity to learn how to ride a bike through their physical education programs.”
Q2 2026 Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative Grant Recipients
Yamaha OAI awarded grants to the following organizations during the second-quarter funding cycle:
- Catalina Outdoor Adventure Club (RJ Nautical, Avalon, Calif.) received funding, along with a 40-horsepower outboard motor contributed by Yamaha Rightwaters, to expand youth boating and fishing programs on Catalina Island.
- GARTRA – Georgia Recreational Trail Riders Association (Nelson Powersports, Blue Ridge, Ga.) received funding to support trail maintenance at seven OHV areas throughout Georgia.
- Quad Cities ATV Club (Five Seasons Sports, Eveleth, Minn.) will rehabilitate two heavily used trails that connect riders to a regional trail system in northern Minnesota.
- San Luis Valley Great Outdoors (Peak Motor Sports, Alamosa, Colo.) will develop a new connector trail and improve wayfinding signage in Colorado’s San Luis Valley.
- Strider Education Foundation / All Kids Bike will expand its Kindergarten PE Learn-to-Ride Program to 12 additional schools nationwide, continuing a partnership with Yamaha OAI that began in 2021.
- Summit County Off-Road Riders (SCORR) (Silverthorne Powersports, Silverthorne, Colo.) will make track maintenance and safety improvements at its motocross facility in Dillon, Colorado.
- West Central Montana Avalanche Foundation (Five Valley Honda Yamaha, Missoula, Mont.) will support backcountry trail maintenance and safety education for motorized recreation in the Seeley Lake region.
Yamaha OAI accepts applications year-round and awards grants quarterly to eligible organizations working to improve access to outdoor recreation. The program prioritizes projects that promote safe and responsible motorized recreation, maintain and improve trails and riding areas, and help protect sustainable access to public lands.
The application deadline for Q3 2026 grants is September 30, 2026. Public land managers, riding clubs, land stewardship organizations, and outdoor recreation groups are encouraged to learn more and apply at YamahaOAI.com.
Follow Yamaha Outdoors on social media at @YamahaOutdoors and share your adventures using #Yamaha, #YamahaOAI, #REALizeYourAdventure, and #ProvenOffRoad.
About the Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative
Since 2008, the Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative has led the powersports industry in supporting responsible access to our nation’s public lands for outdoor enthusiasts. With more than $8 million contributed to over 575 projects across the country, Yamaha has directly and indirectly supported thousands of miles of motorized recreation trails, maintained and rehabilitated riding and hunting areas, improved staging areas, supplied organizations with essential OHV safety education, built bridges over fish-bearing streams, helped children learn to ride bicycles, and partnered with local outdoor enthusiast communities to improve access to public lands. Each quarter, Yamaha accepts applications from nonprofit or tax-exempt organizations, including OHV riding and cycling clubs and associations, national, state, and local public land-use agencies, outdoor enthusiast associations, and land conservation groups with an interest in protecting, improving, expanding, and/or maintaining access for safe, responsible, and sustainable public use.
For updated guidelines, the application form, and the latest Outdoor Access Initiative news, please visit YamahaOAI.com. If you have specific inquiries about the Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative, you can reach the dedicated hotline at 1-877-OHV-TRAIL (877-648-8724), email [email protected], or send correspondence to:
Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative
3065 Chastain Meadows Parkway, Bldg. 100
Marietta, GA 30066
About Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA
Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA (YMUS), is a recognized leader in the outdoor recreation industry. The company’s product offerings include Motorcycles and Scooters, ATV and Side-by-Side vehicles, Personal Watercraft, Boats, Outboard Motors, Golf Cars [sold, serviced, and distributed by Yamaha Golf-Car Company], Surface Mount Technology and Robotic Machines, Unmanned Helicopters, Accessories, Apparel, Yamalube products, and much more. YMUS products are sold through a nationwide network of distributors and dealers in the United States.
YMUS has a corporate office in California, four corporate offices in Georgia, as well as facilities in Wisconsin, Alabama, and Florida. YMUS subsidiaries Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America (YMMC), based in Georgia, and Yamaha Jet Boat Manufacturing USA (YJBM) based in Tennessee, each assemble and manufacture selected Yamaha brand products. YMUS owns Skeeter Boats [Texas] with its division G3 Boats [Missouri]. Additional U.S.-based subsidiaries include Yamaha Marine Systems Company, Inc. (YMSC) with subsidiaries Siren Marine [Rhode Island] and Torqeedo Inc. [Illinois] and divisions Bennett Marine [Florida], Yamaha Marine Rotational Molders [Wisconsin] and Yamaha Precision Propeller Inc. [Indiana].
Yamaha Motor Finance Corporation, USA, dba Yamaha Financial Services, is an affiliate of Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA offering financing solutions to support Yamaha Dealers and loyal Yamaha Customers nationwide.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Scott Newby
Yamaha Motor Corp., USA
770-420-6078
[email protected]
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