Started in 1966, Mountaineering Fellowship Grants have long encouraged American climbers age 25 years and younger to go into remote areas and seek out climbs more difficult than they might ordinarily be able to do. Unexplored mountain ranges, unclimbed peaks, and difficult new routes will be looked upon with favor.
The grants are made available through the Boyd N. Everett, Jr. Memorial Fund, the John R. Hudson Memorial Fund, the Rick L. Mosher Memorial Fund, Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI Challenge Fund), and from annual contributions from the public.
Grants… [view grant]
Ultra-light folks cut the handles off their toothbrushes. Cutting Edge Alpinisits scoff at toothbrushes... and everything else that might slow them down, like sleeping bags or food. The Lyman Spitzer Cutting Edge Award is for climbers that are pushing limits with the bare essentials.
Through the generous contribution of Lyman Spitzer, Jr., a long-time American Alpine Club member and lover of the mountains, the AAC initiated the Lyman Spitzer Climbing Grants Program. This program promotes state-of-the-art, cutting-edge climbing through financial support of small, lightweight climbing teams attempting bold first ascents or difficult repeats of the most challenging routes in the world's great mountain… [view grant]
While climbing is awesome and all, helping people is even better. The Zack Martin Breaking Barriers Grant (ZMBB) is a dual-purpose grant fund that focuses primarily on a humanitarian objective. The secondary objective involves alpinism, ice climbing, rock climbing, bouldering or simply adventure & discovery in the natural environment.
Applicants need to meet both objectives and are strongly encouraged to obtain additional funding and sponsors.
Humanitarian efforts should be sustainable, feasible, and continue to provide benefits to local people after initial implementation. Ideally, objectives will teach locals "how to" and provide some level of continued support and funding. For examples, check out the humanitarian objectives of previous ZMBB recipients [link or… [view grant]
The American Alpine Club's Cornerstone Conservation Grant funds essential infrastructure at climbing areas. Individuals or communities that see a need for local infrastructure can propose projects that will improve, conserve, and protect their climbing resources for years to come.This year, $25,000 in grants will go toward local projects. Previously, the Club has funded projects like:
- Fixed anchor improvement
- New trails
- Human… [view grant]
Climbing isn't just about finding the perfect line, it's also about protecting the mountains we love. Lara-Karena Kellogg embodied this spirit throughout her life. When she died during an attempt on the North Buttress of Mount Wake in the Alaska Range in April 2007, this grant was established in her name to help other climbers carry on her mission of conservation. It funds expeditions that support and improve the health of mountain environments and habitats.
Lara was a climber, a scientist, and a conservationist. She was always searching for the most beautiful line in climbing and in life. Learning new skill sets, seeking a new challenges, yearning for deeper knowledge. When… [view grant]
The American Alpine Club established the Scott Fischer Memorial Conservation Fund in memory of Scott Fischer, who lost his life on Mount Everest in May 1996. The goal is to help fund environmentally proactive expeditions to mountain regions throughout the world.
To qualify, expeditions should meet the following criteria:Propose a well-planned mountain conservation projects. Projects attempting to remove past expeditions' garbage and equipment or similar projects are given priority. Expeditions must exceed normal expedition clean-up procedures as outlined by the host country or land manager.
Awards are typically around $300.
Application Deadlines:
Your application must be submitted by March 1.
How Do I Apply?
It's easy, just fill out the attached… [view grant]
High alpine environments are early indicators of climate change and climbers are needed to help understand these changes—in many instances, climbers are the only direct observers of these environments. In order to document the impacts of global warming on these fragile ecosystems, Nikwax is helping to provide $3,000 annually—divided between two or three recipients.
Grantees will visit alpine regions to observe and photograph changes in glacier recession, upward plant migration, animal sightings, and other indicators of global warming. The Club provides Grantee data to climate experts, who can then detail methods for mitigating the impacts of global warming in fragile environments.
Applicants are selected based on the following:OriginalityPlanned documentation (photo and… [view grant]
The Research Committee of The American Alpine Club administers funds from three endowments: The Arthur K. Gilkey Memorial Research Fund, the R L Putnam Research Fund, and the Bedayn Research Fund. Through these funds, the AAC is able to support modest requests to assist scientific research projects within the scope of the AAC's charter.
The application deadline for an AAC Research Grant is March 1. Late applications will not be accepted. Applications must be submitted electronically via an emailed Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat (.PDF) attachment. A valid scanned signature into the document in the appropriate section is required. If an electronic signature is not… [view grant]
Jonny Copp and Micah Dash were two of America’s leading alpine climbers, adventuring to the farthest corners of the world in search of first ascents in the purest of style. It was on just such a mission in May 2009, in western China's Sichuan province, that Jonny and Micah were killed in an avalanche along with filmmaker Wade Johnson. With Jonny and Micah’s deaths we lost two of the great alpinists, characters, and storytellers the North American climbing world has recently known.
Jonny and Micah believed the summit meant something, but style was everything. They pursued climbing in the same manner they lived—with vigor and passion, and with a strong desire… [view grant]
With the untimely death of Sue Nott and her partner Karen McNeill on Mt. Foraker in 2006, The Club partnered with Mountain Hardwear to establish the McNeill-Nott Award in their memory.
The McNeill-Nott Award seeks to preserve the spirit of these two talented and courageous climbers by giving grants to amateur climbers exploring new routes or unclimbed peaks with small and lightweight teams. The Award focuses on projects that have strong exploratory and adventuresome mountaineering objectives. These elements are more important than the technical rating of the climbing objective.
Two or three grants totaling $7,000 are awarded annually to amateur teams that best meet the criteria for pursuing an exploratory objective.
… [view grant]The Rowell Award for the Art of Adventure
The Rowell Award for the Art of Adventure honors that adventurer whose artistic passion illuminates the wild places of the world, and whose accomplishments significantly benefit both the environment and the peoples who inhabit these lands and regions.
The 2011 Rowell Award nomination period is open from August 1, 2011 to October 31, 2011. The Rowell Award recipient will be notified by November 30, 2011. If you know an individual that would make a great Rowell Award candidate, please review the nomination form below.
You can download the 2011 nomination form in Microsoft Word or PDF format or email us for an application. In your request, please include your full name, address,… [view grant]