The Alpine Club, the world’s first mountaineering club, was founded in 1857.  For over 150 years, members have been at the leading edge of worldwide mountaineering development and exploration. 

With membership, experienced and aspiring alpinists benefit from a varied meets programme, regional lectures with notable guest speakers, reduced rates at many alpine huts, opportunity to apply for grants to support expeditions, significant discounts at many UK retailers, extensive networking contacts, access to the AC Library and maps - and more! 

Becoming a Member
 

 

ALPINE CLUB CLIMBING FUND GRANTS

The Alpine Club (AC) offers a range of expedition grants including 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.

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 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 historically under-represented groups.

In order to promote applications from woman their grants will be enhanced by 50% per applicant.

 


Saray Wysling on the 2022 Alpine Club Tajikistan Expedition
Photo: Alex Metclafe

Keith Ball climbing through a serac band on an ACCF supported 2023 expedition to the Gangotri
Photo: Guy Buckingham

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 were 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 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Note that many sources of expedition funding are available. Prospective expeditioners should consult this list compiled by the British Mountaineering Council.

CLICK HERE for examples of previous expeditions that have been supported by the ACCF.

 

Conditions for Receiving Alpine Club Climbing Fund (ACCF) Grants

To receive a grant, the applicant must:

1) Have been an AC member (full or aspirant) for two years prior to the deadline date for the grant for which they are applying.

2) Not have received a MACCF grant in the last two years (unless the expedition is considered exceptional*).

3) Agree to acknowledge the MAC Climbing Fund in any news, publications, reports or talks arising from this expedition.

4) Agree to provide the Club and Montane with a short summary (c250 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.

5) Agree to provide a full report on the expedition with a number of images in digital form (email or CD) 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 and Montane websites.

6) Agree to give a lecture to the Club for which the Club will reimburse travel expenses.

7) Agree to provide a short write up for the AC Newsletter or AC Journal, as appropriate.

8) Agree that photos supplied with the expedition reports will be for the Club and Montane 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.

9) 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.

10) 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.