Access Fund is excited to announce that it will increase its Climbing Conservation Grant Program again this year, and is now awarding $60,000 a year to aid local climbing advocacy and conservation efforts. In 2019, Access Fund began increasing the grant fund from $40,000 to meet the growing need for climbing area conservation and local climbing advocacy.

“In recent years, the growing requests for conservation grants have exceeded available funds, requiring our grants committee to make some tough choices,” says Joe Sambataro, Access Director. “We are committed to supporting local climbing organizations, advocates, and land managers with the resources they need to restore our climbing areas.”

Each year Access Fund puts money back into local climbing communities across the country through the Climbing Conservation Grant Program, awarding funds to projects that preserve or enhance climbing access and conserve the climbing environment across the United States. The program funds a range of projects, including climbing area stewardship, climber education, acquisition of new climbing areas, research projects, and the organization and capacity-building of local climbing organizations.

The Climbing Conservation Grant Program has been in place since the organization’s inception in 1991. Over the last 29 years, the program has awarded over $1.2 million to 380 projects that have helped local climbing communities and land managers protect and improve climbing areas. Access Fund members help make this grant program possible through their generous donations, and members have the opportunity to review and rate grant projects each year.

Thanks to a generous commitment from First Ascent Charitable Foundation, Access Fund has increased the grant fund by $20,000 over the last two years to bolster support for local climbing conservation and advocacy projects.

“We are incredibly grateful to First Ascent Charitable Foundation for its continued support in helping Access Fund meet the growing need for climbing conservation,” says Chris Winter, Executive Director at Access Fund. “These additional funds will put more resources into our local climbing communities to help restore and improve our beloved climbing areas.”