Discover Funding Opportunities

Arctic Club Award

The Arctic Club Award seeks to promote and support interesting, innovative and adventurous expeditions in the Arctic, particularly for young people. Awards are made annually from the Arctic Club Award Fund, held within the Gino Watkins Memorial Fund (Charity 208791), and administered by Members of the Gino Watkins Memorial Committee (which includes Arctic Club members). Each year, one or more expeditions are given an Arctic Club Award. Applicants may receive a combined award from both the Gino Watkins Memorial Fund and the Arctic Club Award Fund. Members of these expeditions are invited as guests to the Arctic Club Dinner. The Arctic Club also makes small awards to individuals for training purposes such as expedition training, polar bear safety, and ice safety.

The Next Challenge Expedition Grant

The Next Challenge Grant is an annual bursary for adventures that was started in 2015 and has funded over 70 different adventures. The money comes from Tim Moss (founder), small crowdfunded donations, and contributions from other adventurers. The grant was created to give back to the adventure community, as the founder received many expedition grants when younger that helped him undertake fantastic adventures. In 2015, the website earned £200 in advertising revenue which was offered as a grant, and when announced, many other adventurers and 100 members of the public matched the pledge, raising £1,600. This process now happens every year, typically raising around £2,000. The money is distributed between winning applicants, each receiving between £100 and £800 plus equipment. The grant is primarily aimed at beginners and those who have not done lots of expeditions before. Winners also receive equipment available to borrow and email support from Tim Moss. The grant is open to all people, of all ages, and of any nationality.

The Julie Tullis Memorial Award

The Julie Tullis Memorial Award is a small grant to assist deserving female mountaineers or any disabled climbers or mountaineers, both male and female, to achieve their climbing or mountaineering ambitions. Named after Julie Tullis, the first British woman to climb an 8,000m peak who died on K2 in 1986, the award was initiated by the Sandstone Climbing Club as a permanent memorial to her life and achievements. The fund and its associated campground at Harrisons Rocks have been handed over to the British Mountaineering Council for administration. The grant is awarded on an annual basis, with applications reviewed by the BMC International Committee with input from two representatives of the Sandstone Climbing Club, including Chris Tullis, Julie's son.

The Jack Bloor Fund

The Jack Bloor Fund was established in 1985 to commemorate the life of Jack Bloor, a Yorkshire legend and pioneering fell runner, climber, orienteer, caver and cyclist. The Fund continues Jack's enthusiasm for encouraging young people to enjoy the outdoors whilst always aiming to fulfil their potential. The Fund provides grants to young people under 26 years who live or are based in Yorkshire to improve their physical and/or technical skills in any recognised outdoor adventure sport. Applications are welcome all year round and are reviewed individually by the Jack Bloor Trustees. The Fund supports activities including fell running, cycling, mountaineering, outdoor first aid courses, independent expeditions, orienteering, athletics, sailing, biathlon, canoeing/kayaking, climbing, and various qualifications. Successful applicants are asked to provide a short report and photographs detailing what the grant has helped them achieve. Money for the Fund is raised through donations and the annual Jack Bloor Races held on Ilkley Moor each May.

BMC Expedition Grant

The British Mountaineering Council provides grants for international mountaineering expeditions through two separate funding streams. The first stream supports British people from under-represented groups going on mountaineering expeditions, including students and younger BMC members under 35, women, people from diverse ethnic communities, trans & non-binary people, people from LGBTQ+ community, people with a disability, and people with mental health conditions. The second stream supports British people going on innovative high-level mountaineering expeditions with significant, cutting edge and innovative ascents as their main objectives. The BMC recognizes the climate emergency and will only support expeditions in remote environments when applicants can demonstrate commitment to minimizing environmental impact, have a plan to offset carbon emissions, leave no trace behind, and respect local populations. Grant support is given to those who have considered the environmental impact including carbon emissions and sustainability initiatives. Expedition members must be BMC members, and grants are awarded with consideration to team composition and prior grant history. Recipients must submit a summary report within 4 weeks of return and a final report in due course, waiving copyright for publication. They must also contribute to BMC lecturer events if required. Grants are not available for commercial expeditions or fee-paying client situations.

Des Rubens and Bill Wallace Grant

The John Muir Trust offers this Grant to give people the opportunity to seek out life-changing experiences in wild places of the world in ways which will benefit both the person, and the wild places themselves. The grant commemorates two former presidents of the Scottish Mountaineering Club who each led inspiring and adventurous lives. The Grant wishes to support projects which reflect the ethos of both men and give others an opportunity to follow in their footsteps. A grant of £500 - £2,000 will be made on merit to a person who wishes to experience wild places in the spirit of Des Rubens and Bill Wallace. The project should involve travel to wild places, must be adventurous, have an educational or scientific component – and be a life-changing experience leading to a commitment to practical action to conserve wild places. The Grant committee favours independent self-led experiences over commercial expeditions, or pre-paid/charity trips. Priority is given to individuals whose financial need is greatest and grant recipients are required to provide a short project report following their return. Applicants must have a Scottish interest/link. In the decade since its inception the Grant has made over 40 awards to a wide variety of recipients, supporting adventures from studying Panamanian rainforests to circumnavigating the Isle of Skye in a kayak.

Zack Martin Breaking Barriers Grant

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. 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. Successful candidates must demonstrate how their expedition fully encompasses both tenets of this grant. The humanitarian objective must have immediate impact, be sustainable, feasible and assure 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. The alpine objective must focus on alpine related adventure and/or discovery in the natural environment. Exploration in other areas such as ski mountaineering or river exploration that lead to a greater understanding and improvement of the alpine environment could also be considered.

Mountaineering Fellowship Fund Grant

Started in 1966, the Mountaineering Fellowship Fund Grant has 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. The review committee encourages applications from teams emphasizing the fellowship component of their objective. Grants are awarded based on the proposed project's excellence and evidence of appropriate mountaineering experience. Recipients are expected to act as American Alpine Club ambassadors to the domestic and international climbing communities, practice environmentally low impact and leave no trace ethics, and submit expedition reports upon return.

McNeill-Nott Award

The McNeill-Nott Award was established by the American Alpine Club in partnership with Mountain Hardwear in memory of Sue Nott and Karen McNeill, who died on Mt. Foraker in 2006. This award preserves the spirit of these two talented and courageous climbers by providing grants to amateur female climbers exploring new routes or unclimbed peaks with small and lightweight teams. The award focuses on projects with strong exploratory and adventuresome mountaineering objectives, with these elements being more important than the technical rating of the climbing objective. Two or three grants between $700 and $4,000 are awarded annually to amateur teams that best meet the criteria for pursuing an exploratory objective. The program is only open to female-led teams, with preference given to teams composed entirely of female or female-identifying members. Teams must climb with the highest ethical standards using a minimum of fixed ropes, camps, personnel, and equipment. Commercial, professional, and principally cause-related expeditions are ineligible.

Cutting Edge Grant

The American Alpine Club has inspired and supported cutting-edge climbing achievements for over 100 years. The Cutting Edge Grant, presented by Black Diamond, continues this tradition, aiming to fund advanced climbing athletes in pursuit of world-class climbing and mountaineering objectives. The 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 are looked upon with favor. Cutting Edge Grant awards significantly contribute towards total expedition costs, typically falling in the $4,000 to $10,000 range, though award amounts vary based on project and budget. Recipients are expected to provide comprehensive documentation including trip reports, photography, articles for the American Alpine Journal, and may be asked to give presentations at AAC events.

The Alison Chadwick Memorial Grant

The Alison Chadwick Memorial Grant was established in 1978 in memory of Alison Chadwick, a leading British mountaineer who died close to the summit of Annapurna whilst participating in the American Women's Annapurna Expedition. The Memorial Fund was instituted to provide grants to further British and Polish women's mountaineering in the world's greater ranges. In 1991, administration of the fund was transferred to the Mount Everest Foundation. The Award can be made to expeditions with mainly female climbers, or to individuals taking part in mixed expeditions. Applicants should use the standard MEF application form, and their eligibility will be considered automatically during the screening process. This grant specifically supports women's mountaineering expeditions to major mountain ranges around the world. It honors the legacy of Alison Chadwick by enabling female mountaineers from Britain and Poland to pursue ambitious climbing objectives in remote and challenging environments.