The American Alpine Club has inspired and supported cutting-edge climbing achievements for more than 100 years.  From funding the first ascent of Mt. Logan in 1925, the exploration of the Karakoram in 1938, the 2019 first ascent of Link Sar in the Central Pakistani Karakoram, and the countless expeditions in between, the AAC has encouraged climbers to push their physical and mental limits, by supporting their pursuits and celebrating their accomplishments.
 

The Cutting Edge Grant continues this tradition, supporting 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 ranges.
 

AWARDS
Cutting Edge Grant awards are intended to significantly contribute towards total expedition costs. Awards typically fall in the $3,000 to $7,000 range, however award amounts will vary based on project and budget.
 

CRITERIA
Proposals will be evaluated upon:

• Goal. The Cutting Edge Grant seeks to fund individuals planning expeditions to remote areas featuring unexplored mountain ranges, unclimbed peaks, difficult new routes, first free ascents, or similar world-class pursuits. Objectives featuring a low-impact style and leave-no-trace mentality will be looked upon with favor. Previously climbed routes and guided expeditions will not be considered.
• Experience. Applicants should possess a strong resume of past climbing achievements and/or experiences that illustrate their ability to have a reasonable potential for success. They must demonstrate that they are an advanced and capable climber. Experience must be in keeping with the difficulty of the stated objective.
• Eligibility. Individuals who are U.S. citizens and members of the American Alpine Club are eligible to apply. The Cutting Edge Grant is open to all climbing athletes, including those receiving financial support or in-kind support from corporate sponsors, however the level of sponsorship must be disclosed. Other team members need not be U.S. citizens.

The AAC encourages all capable athletes seeking worthy objectives to apply. If you have a question or a doubt regarding your project goal, experience level, or eligibility, please reach out to the AAC Climbing Grants Director.

With the untimely death of Sue Nott and her partner Karen McNeill on Mt. Foraker in 2006, The AAC 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 adventurous mountaineering objectives. These elements are more important than the technical rating of the climbing objective.

Two or three grants totaling $5,000 will be awarded annually to amateur teams that best meet the criteria for pursuing an exploratory objective. 

Proposals are evaluated on the following criteria: 

• The remoteness and exploratory nature of the objective;  
• The planned climbing style (lightweight teams preferred); 
• Whether you have the experience needed for your objective.
• Membership in The American Alpine Club is required

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 are looked upon with favor.

SELECTION CRITERIA:

• Only U.S. citizens 25 years of age or younger may apply (applicant should be no older than 25 at the time of the application deadline.)
• Grants are awarded based on the proposed project’s excellence and evidence of appropriate mountaineering experience.
• Membership in The American Alpine Club is required. 
• Members of a single expedition may apply individually (organized groups/expeditions are ineligible).
• Grants are not available for the purpose of climbing instruction.

The Zack Martin Breaking Barriers (ZMBB) Grant was created in memory of Zack Martin, an avid climber and humanitarian who died just before his 25th birthday. Concerned about the failure to ‘pay it forward’ and help those in the places he climbed, Zack committed himself to perform humanitarian services in the local communities in which he explored. His efforts were supported through multiple grants including ones from the American Alpine Club (AAC) and the Anatoli Boukreev Grant. Zack championed “breaking barriers” in the alpine environment, and “breaking barriers” in the heart of man.

This grant seeks to fund expeditions that focus, primarily, on humanitarian efforts and, secondly, on an objective involving alpinism, mountaineering, rock/ice climbing and bouldering. Exploration in other areas such as ski mountaineering, river exploration etc. that lead to a greater understanding and improvement of the alpine environment could be considered for the grant.  Successful candidates will demonstrate how their expedition fully encompasses both tenets of this grant.

CRITERIA / GUIDELINES
 

Humanitarian Objective
The Humanitarian Objective must have immediate human impact, and be both feasible and sustainable. It must ensure continuity to provide benefits to local people after initial implementation. Ideally, objectives will teach locals “how to,” enable infrastructure, and provide some level of continued support and funding. Recipients are evaluated on overall impact, with a high expectation of service to that local community.

Examples of acceptable objectives have included: Composting toilets in Huascaran National Park in Peru, building and teaching locals gravity-fed water filtration systems in Ecuador, combined medical clinic and schoolhouse construction with solar power and ongoing support for local villages.

Alpine Objective 

The Alpine Objective must focus on alpine related adventure and/or discovery in the natural environment. A non-alpine adventure or exploration activity could be considered if the non-alpine objective leads to enhancement of the alpine/climbing/mountaineering environment.  

Note: The Zack Martin Grant does not fund: 1. Research of any kind, 2. Most education efforts, like teaching locals how to climb 3. Promotion of ecotourism, climate change projects, etc. 

Recipient Responsibilities

• If for any reason the project is canceled or significantly changed, awarded funds must be returned to the American Alpine Club (AAC) in full. When you know your final travel dates, please let the Grants Director know.
• Funds must be used within one year of the grant award date. If, after a grant is awarded, additional funding is obtained and the grant funds are no longer needed, or if an expedition is “over funded,” the recipient is asked to return all surplus funds to the AAC.
• Upon returning, all Grant Recipients are required to submit to the AAC a written Trip Report that includes no less than five, high-quality and high-resolution photos. In general, Trip Reports should incorporate a brief written component (ideally 500–1,500 words) giving a general summary of the trip. Appropriate imagery that illustrates these components should also be included. The Trip Report is due within 90 days of trip completion.
• Grant Recipients may be asked to provide high-quality photography and/or videography illustrating the expedition, including imagery that exemplifies the AAC’s mission and promotes the AAC brand. Any photos/videos submitted with the Trip Report remain property of the grantees, but the AAC reserves the right to reproduce submitted photos/videos in any manner for marketing or promotional purposes. 
• Recipients are required to mention the Zack Martin Breaking Barriers Grant as well as their support from the AAC if speaking about the grant publicly.
• Awardees may be asked by the AAC to give a public presentation about their grant at Club events. It is expected that recipients participate in these events where possible and mention the support of the AAC when speaking about the expedition.
• Grant Recipients will act as AAC ambassadors to the domestic and international climbing communities and are expected to champion the mission, values, and support of the Club. Recipients should do their best to practice environmentally friendly and leave no trace ethics, and to act as mountain stewards.
• Failure to submit a Trip Report within the allotted time or failure to comply with any of the points listed here will result in the applicant being ineligible for future AAC grants.

Additional Information

• Proposals are accepted for expeditions occurring within one calendar year of the award date.
• Funding shall not be released to recipients until necessary permits and/or visas have been obtained.
• If for any reason the project is canceled or significantly altered, recipients must contact the AAC Grants Manager. If requested, all awarded funds must be returned to the AAC in full.

FEATURED PAST RECIPIENTS

Mighty Water

Mighty Water provides clean drinking water in rural areas through the use of a simple, two 5-gallon bucket filtration system that is low cost and easily maintained. The key innovation is the Safi Gravity Water Filter, a groundbreaking technology designed to provide a simple and affordable, yet efficient solution to water contamination. Safi utilizes advanced filtration techniques to remove harmful parasites and bacteria from water, making it safe for consumption. The Safi system is easy to build, easy to use, and requires minimal maintenance, making it ideal for communities with limited resources and infrastructure. In 5 years, clean and safe drinking water is being enjoyed by nearly 100,000 people for two and a half cents per household per day. Our filters are located in Africa, South America and Nepal. MIGHTY WATER | Help Uplift Communities with Clean and Safe Water

Lilliana Libecki

At 12, Lilliana Libecki has seen more of the world than most people will in their lifetimes. She has visited sixteen countries, all seven continents, and has summited Kilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain in the world. With a passion for adventure and humanitarian work, which she inherited from her parents, Lilliana continues to help the planet and its people. She has received the ZMBB Grant several times and has built combined clinics/schoolhouses in remote areas of those seven continents. The clinics/schoolhouses are solar powered, and they offer computer access, educational materials, and medical supplies. They also boast a long-term support mechanism to ensure functionality of the clinics/schoolhouses. 

This financial needs-based grant offers financial support for individuals pursuing therapeutic services based on being directly impacted by grief, loss, and/or trauma related to activities of climbing, ski mountaineering, or alpinism. The grant award is up to $599* and is intended to be used toward individual therapy or a professional program that engages a grief or trauma framework. 

Grant applications are reviewed based on the following criteria:

• Applicant is experiencing distress due to grief or trauma related to climbing, ski mountaineering, or alpinism
• Application contains an expressed plan to work with a specific professional or organization
• Applicant states financial need and describes barriers and how the grant will help reduce financial barriers
• Applicant has not previously received a Climbing Grief Fund grant
• Applicants who have not been able to access prior therapy or treatment shall be prioritized

You may apply for this grant at any time.  Please fill out our application and use our mental health directory to find a therapist or program of your choosing. Providers in the directory have agreed to provide 4-6 appointments for the maximum award amount ($599), though there may be some variability depending on the specific services provided. You may select a therapist or program that is not listed in our directory.

Please note that applications will only be considered after applicants have identified and contacted their chosen therapist or program organizer. Providers are often willing to work with individuals who have limited funds. We recommend discussing rates and availability with your provider ahead of time.

Please reach out to us at grieffund@americanalpineclub.org if there are questions concerning the application process (such as selecting a therapist or program).

All Grant applications will remain confidential. We will notify you of approval within 2 weeks of submission. If awarded, the AAC will send the recipient a check at the address associated with their application. AAC does not pay the therapy service provider. Instead, the recipient will pay the service provider once they receive the grant money.

Together, we are building a community that gets support and gives support.

*$599 is the maximum amount, as any income $600 or more is taxable income. We have made this adjustment to reduce any additional tax-based burden.