Access Fund’s Climbing Conservation Grant Program funds projects that preserve or enhance climbing access and opportunities and conserve the climbing environment throughout the US.
Donor Name: Access Fund
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 08/01/2024
Size of the Grant: Not Available
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
Eligibility Criteria
Access Fund welcomes applications from local climbing organizations, government agencies, conservation organizations, land trusts, grassroots organizations, community organizations, and individuals. Tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status is not a prerequisite but please reach out before applying to discuss circumstances.
Grant Criteria
Access Fund is looking for projects that:
- Are action-oriented.
- Encourage access or enhance opportunities for climbing.
- Are forward-looking and consider long-term impact.
- Reduce climber impacts on natural and cultural resources within the climbing environment.
- Increase the scientific understanding of climbing impact, climbing behavior, and economic impact to further improve best practices for climbing management. All research projects must have a clear plan for distributing and communicating the results.
- Develop knowledge about natural and cultural resource values, where the information is used to open climbing areas or mitigate climbing impacts.
- Raise awareness about climber responsibility toward conserving the climbing environment.
- Consider how the improvement will fit into the climbing resource as a whole and affect all users.
- Have proven support from a local climbing organization and/or climbing community.
- Demonstrate inclusive and nondiscriminatory access to the climbing area and incorporates JEDI principles when executing projects.
- Incorporate a degree of volunteer labor.
- Use matching agency and local funds, as well as in-kind support and pro bono services (maximum consideration will be given to projects where matching funds total at least 50% of the entire budget).
- Are strategic in their targeting and goals.
- Accomplish specific goals and objectives that can be effectively measured.
- Funding for indirect and overhead costs is at the discretion of the grant committee but usually will not exceed 10% of total awarded from Access Fund. These costs include items not directly related to the project such as organization overhead or management costs.
- Take place in the United States.
Funded projects generally fall into one of these categories:
- Educational Outreach: Signs/Kiosks,
- Brochures, Multilingual Integration, etc.
- Climbing Area Facilities/Improvements, Stewardship
- Local Support and Mobilization (e.g., Local Climbing Organization start-up costs, capacity building, strategic planning)
- Land Acquisition, Easements, Access Agreements
- Research
- Policy/Advocacy (climbing management planning, outreach).
Ineligibility
- fixed anchors, bolts, bolt installation, etc.
- outdoor programs or guiding (e.g., taking groups climbing, except programs that incorporate stewardship).
- climbing equipment.
- marketing or membership recruitment.
- indoor climbing walls or artificial climbing facilities.
- political campaigns.
- projects that do not benefit a technical climbing area—such as rock, ice, and alpine routes where climbers commonly rope up—or bouldering areas.
- funds for paid professional services and travel stipends are limited and at the discretion of the grant committee (e.g., professional trail crews).
For more information, visit Access Fund.
