The Access Fund provided the Red River Gorge Climbers Coalition (RRGCC) with short-term financing to pay off its seller-financed loan at the Pendergrass-Murray Recreational Preserve in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge. Through aggressive fundraising and two grants from the Access Fund, the Red River Gorge Climbers’ Coalition had paid down a significant portion of the original loan.

The $65,000 provided by the Access Fund to refinance the remainder of the loan saved the RRGCC approximately $10,000 in interest and fees that can be invested in other projects that benefit the Red River Gorge climbing community. The refinance also eliminated the risk of losing the property to a private third-party, since a missed annual payment under the previous seller-financed loan would have returned the property to the seller and the funds raised by climbers would have been lost.