10 Years. $100,000. The Next Decade Starts Now.
Since 2016, Groundswell Community Project has delivered free, trauma-informed surf therapy to thousands of people across San Diego and trained practitioners who are now doing this work in 20+ countries. We are turning 10 this year and launching our most ambitious campaign yet: raising $100,000 to fund the next decade of Groundswell.
$0 raised · Goal: $100,000
Healing Out Loud
Here is what $100,000 does.
$40,000
Free Programs
Funds a full year of free surf therapy programming in San Diego. Clinician-led, gear included, always free to participants.
$25,000
Equitable Ocean Access
Funds the policy work, permits, transportation, and advocacy that opens San Diego’s coastline to communities who have historically been excluded from it.
$35,000
Training the Next Generation
Funds our intern and associate program, bringing the next generation of therapists into the field of surf therapy and alternative healing.
What we are building. Together.
When we train a surf therapy practitioner, they go home and serve their community. When their community heals, more people know the ocean is for them. When more people know the ocean is for them, the evidence base grows. And when the evidence base grows, surf therapy gets closer to being recognized as the medicine it is. This is the virtuous cycle we have been building for ten years. This is what your gift accelerates.
Cycle
PILLAR 01
Surf Therapy as Medicine
The ocean has always been medicine. Our job is to make the system recognize it. We are building the clinical infrastructure, training programs, and research partnerships that will one day make surf therapy as recognized and reimbursable as equine therapy or occupational therapy. A covered modality that any clinician can recommend and any patient can access regardless of income.
Peer-reviewed research from Queen Margaret University documents a 68% reduction in PTSD symptoms and 73% improvement in mental wellbeing among our participants. We are CAMFT-accredited. We are building the evidence base that will take surf therapy mainstream.
WHERE WE WANT TO BE IN 2036
Surf therapy is a recognized clinical modality, covered by insurance carriers, embedded in treatment centers, and taught in graduate programs across California and beyond.
PILLAR 02
Training the Next Generation of Practitioners
Every practitioner we train is a multiplier. They take the Groundswell Surf Therapy model back to their community, their practice, their clients. We have trained 500+ practitioners in 20+ countries.
In San Diego, our intern and associate program gives emerging clinicians working toward their licensure the opportunity to integrate surf therapy and alternative modalities into their clinical training. They earn hours. They gain skills. They become the next generation of therapists who know how to use the ocean as a therapeutic tool.
WHERE WE WANT TO BE IN 2036
A global pipeline of trained, credentialed surf therapy practitioners in every city with an ocean and a community that needs healing.
PILLAR 03
Equitable Ocean Access in San Diego
All Groundswell programs are free. Always. But free programs are only possible if we can get to the beach, and that is harder than it sounds.
We are actively fighting for equitable beach access policies in San Diego that open the coastline to nonprofits serving underserved communities. We believe every San Diegan, regardless of income or background, deserves access to the ocean as a healing resource.
And as ocean stewards, we have a responsibility not only to bring people to the water but to protect it for the next generation. The ocean is changing. The communities that depend on it most are often the ones least equipped to advocate for it. Groundswell sits at that intersection and takes it seriously.
WHERE WE WANT TO BE IN 2036
A San Diego where every community has equitable access to the ocean and where the organizations fighting for that access have the policy support they need to stay.
Research conducted in partnership with Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh.
Every wave starts somewhere.
Fund a full 8-week surf therapy program for a San Diego community, up to 24 hours of free, clinician-led ocean healing.
Fund a full day of surf therapy for 10 participants, gear, facilitators, and all.
Fund one participant through a complete 4-week introductory surf therapy program.
Fund a free Sand & Sea community event, open ocean healing for anyone who shows up.
There are more ways to help than writing a check.
Many employers match charitable donations, meaning your gift could be worth twice as much at no extra cost to you. Check with your HR team or send us your company name and we will look it up for you.
Email us your company name →The campaign grows when the community grows it. Forward this page to one person who believes the ocean heals. Post it. Text it. Tell the story.
Whether you are a company looking to sponsor a surf therapy experience for your team, or a community organization wanting to bring surf therapy to the people you serve, we would love to hear from you.
Get in touch →