The Access Fund Climbing Conservation Loan Program's first pilot project was a $10,000 bridge loan to secure an option agreement for the acquisition of the Lower Index Town Wall in Washington. The Access Fund partnered with the Washington Climbers Coalition (WCC) to save this popular Seattle-area cliff from being lost to a quarrying operation.

The option agreement gives the WCC the sole right to purchase the 20-acre parcel that holds the cliff for long-term management or assign the property to Washington State Parks. “The Access Fund stepped in with a Climbing Conservation Loan at just the right time to loan WCC the funds necessary to secure this option,” says WCC Secretary Matt Perkins. The Access Fund also loaned the WCC an additional $5,000 to help fund the title work at Index and kick-start fundraising operations for the remainder of the project.