Access Fund is pleased to announce a brand new round of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Grantees. This grant is designed to promote and actuate JEDI principles related to access and stewardship within climbing and remove barriers to participation. Awardees will undertake projects that address physical, social, and cultural barriers to sustainable climbing access with an emphasis on work that incorporates elements of education or advocacy around sustainable access, conservation, and stewardship.

This year, we received nearly 40 applications serving a broad range of demographic groups and geographic locations. From among many wonderful proposals, Access Fund’s JEDI Committee—made up of staff and board members—selected five impactful projects. We are thrilled to award grants to the following organizations, which each serve different populations and areas of the country.

Blk Out Fest attendees. © Stephen Edwards.

1st Outdoor Company | Blk Out Collective: Give Blk Community Day

Chattanooga, TN

Each year, Blk Out Fest provides educational and entrepreneurial opportunities for the advancement of climbers of the African diaspora. As part of the festival, organizers partner with attendees on a community project. This year, Blk Out Collective plans to partner with Lookout Mountain Conservancy and WeClimb Chattanooga to advance a conservation project that will improve the Old Wauhatchie climbing area and connect local youth to climbers of color, as well as a project at Booker T. Washington State Park focused on mentorship in conservation careers.

One of the primary goals during the Blk Out Fest is for youth in the Chattanooga community to see and connect with climbers who look like them in their city, something that is not often witnessed. Festival organizers want them to be inspired and supported by the many climbers visiting their city and also to learn about the importance of conservation in the outdoors.

Rise Outside | Stewardship Festival For All

Peterskill State Park, NY

As part of its work to create access to outdoor adventure for all communities through inclusive and qualified mentorship, Rise Outside is hosting a Stewardship Festival For All at Peterskill at Minnewaska State Park. The area is a 3-mile cliff with top rope access that needs a lot of love. Rise Outside’s festival will teach folks to be better stewards while also helping them connect to the land to keep working on sustainable ways to continue caring about the area—all while helping the park complete stewardship projects that need outside support.

Rise Outside will focus on creating space to share information about stewardship and trail maintenance for all people, including BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, Women, People with Disabilities, and others to learn in a welcoming environment. Access Fund’s grant will allow festival organizers to compensate technical experts for leading workshops and support event logistics such as meals, lodging, and tools.

Red River Gorge, Kentucky. © Adaptive Climbers Festival.

Adaptive Climbers Festival | ACF Travel Scholarships

Muir Valley, KY

The Adaptive Climbers Festival (ACF) works to knock down accessibility barriers to outdoor climbing, advance accessible climbing education, and continue to grow and support the international paraclimbing community. ACF doesn’t believe in simply taking people with disabilities climbing; it turns people with disabilities into climbers. It envisions a climbing community that, at its core, is inclusive of all climbers with disabilities.

Founded in 2018, this annual, not-for-profit, event takes place in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge. It features climbing clinics hosted by the Muir Valley Nature Preserve, and base camp is hosted at Lago Linda Hideaway in Beattyville, Kentucky. In 2023, ACF hosted its largest festival yet, drawing 120 climbers with disabilities and over 80 caregivers and volunteers. Access Fund’s grant will provide travel scholarships to help participants attend ACF’s upcoming festival, which will integrate education on Leave No Trace principles and ways to get involved in stewardship.

Spirit of the Sun | Climbing Access for Native Youth

Denver, CO

Spirit of the Sun works in partnership with Native American communities in urban areas and on reservations to boost the resilience of Native people, especially youth and young adults. Their vision is that the Native youth of today become the next generation of Native leaders, entrepreneurs, and skilled professionals who will help guide their communities toward wellness, prosperity, and cultural revitalization.

Spirit of the Sun seeks to reconnect Native youth with their ancestral homelands and inspire them to care for it. To this end, it offers a variety of outdoor programs to give youth opportunities to explore and play on Native lands. Access Fund’s grant will provide funding for Spirit of the Sun to introduce climbing events for its middle and high school aged youth, providing scholarships for participants to continue to develop skills and explore climbing as a hobby.

Salt Lake Area Queer Climbers | Desert Crack Climbing: An Intro to Technique & Ethics

Indian Creek, UT

Salt Lake Area Queer Climbers (SLAQC) creates a supportive space for all queer people to enjoy climbing. Organizers host regular meetups, raise visibility by collaborating with brands who share their mission, advocate for increased access to climbing with gym partners, and promote queer stories and organizations. From its home base in Utah, SLAQC enjoys proximity to some of the premiere crack climbing in the entire world. But for many local queer climbers, it is extremely difficult to access and enjoy these areas.

SLAQC will use Access Fund’s grant to lead a trip to Indian Creek, Utah that will remove barriers to learning how to crack climb by providing free or low-cost entry. In addition to lessons on technique and equipment, trip attendees will learn about specific ethical considerations that go into climbing at Indian Creek, Bears Ears, and Castle Valley, including climbing on wet rock, raptors, and respect for Indigenous practices and peoples.