Alpine Club Climbing Fund Grants
The Alpine Club (AC) offers both the Montane Alpine Club Climbing Fund (MACCF) and the Alpine Club Climbing Fund (ACCF). These two grants are aimed to support different styles of expeditions in different ways; however, the application process is the same for both.
Grants are available twice a year for both official Alpine Club expeditions and independent private expeditions involving members of the AC. Grants range from a few hundred pounds up to £3,600 per expedition and are calculated on a per AC member basis. The deadline for applications are the end of February and the end of August each year.
Preference is given to expeditions by students and younger members, and to those who have not previously received a grant. The fund actively welcomes applications from women and members of other groups who have historically been under-represented in expeditionary climbing.
In order to encourage more applications from woman their grants are enhanced by 50% per applicant.
Grants are usually given to expeditions attempting new routes or first ascents in high and/or hard to reach mountain ranges e.g. the Himalaya and Karakoram. Grants will now not typically be given for the more well-travelled mountain areas in Central Alaska, Patagonia, or Greenland (unless the applicants are young members who are new to expeditionary climbing). First ski ascents or descents are not usually supported.
A new feature of the grants is that they may now be awarded to teams attempting early repeats of technical routes, especially on 7,000m and 8,000m mountains, and/or if they aim to improve on the style of earlier ascents.
It should be noted that the amount awarded for an ACCF grant will be calculated on a per member basis. e.g. A four-person team awarded £800 per AC member will be awarded £3600 if all team members are AC members, but only £1600 if only two of the team are AC members. All applications should highlight how many of the expedition members are AC members.
Applications should be made using the Mount Everest Foundation application form and sent to climbingfund@alpineclub.org.
Note that many sources of expedition funding are available. Prospective expeditioners should consult this list compiled by the British Mountaineering Council.
Examples of previous expeditions that have been supported by the ACCF and MACCF can be viewed at our Expedition Reports Page.
Conditions for Receiving Alpine Club Climbing Fund (ACCF) Grants
To receive a grant, the applicant must:
Have been an AC member (full or aspirant) for two years prior to the deadline date for the grant for which they are applying.
Not have received an ACCF/MACCF grant in the last two years (unless the expedition is considered exceptional*).
Agree to acknowledge the ACCF/MACCF in any news, publications, reports or talks arising from this expedition.
Agree to provide the Club and Montane (in the case of MACCF grants) with a short summary (c.250 words) of the trip (with at least two good photos) for the AC website soon after returning. We would like the Alpine Club and Montane to be able to report on your expedition at the same time as (or ideally before) other climbing news outlets.
Agree to provide a full report on the expedition with a number of images in digital form (email, transfer or memory stick) within three months of return. If the expedition has also received an MEF grant, a copy of the report to the MEF will be ideal. This will be used on the AC website.
Agree to give a lecture to the Club for which the Club will reimburse travel expenses.
Agree to provide a short write up for the AC Newsletter or AC Journal, as appropriate.
Agree that photos supplied with the expedition reports will be for the Club and Montane (in the case of the MACCF) to use as they wish on their websites and social media with any profit being split 50/50 with the photographer. Copyright will remain with the photographer.
Agree for one or more expedition members to make an effort to attend any potential launch event for the grant recipients for which travel expenses will be reimbursed.
Agree to be contacted by Montane to discuss potential further support arrangements for the expedition.
*Exceptional expeditions are those that are attempting routes of international significance. Typically these routes will be much coveted, aesthetic, and technically difficult.