Community Grants

The Mountaineers Foundation has shifted the focus of our Community Grants from community-focused environmental and conservation projects to conservation education.

In September 2013, Mountaineers Foundation received an extremely generous bequest from one of our founding members, Paul Wiseman. Throughout his long years of service Paul routinely made very generous monetary donations to the Foundation and we are extremely appreciative of this most recent, generous bequest. To honor Mr. Wiseman’s intentions Mountaineers Foundation has significantly altered the focus of its Community Grants Program.

We are offering two levels of grants:

  1. Level 1: Community Conservation Education Grants are limited to no more than $5000 and are meant to support modest, short-term projects related to conservation education and consistent with our vision and mission. The Level 1 grants will be offered twice during the 2015 calendar year, with grant application deadlines on February 1st and May 1st.
  2. Level 2: The Paul Wiseman Conservation Education Grantwill be approved at a $30,000 limit. We will welcome substantial projects that envision significant environmental education benefits with carefully articulated goals and outcomes. These grants should have a high impact or visibility and could span multiple years. The deadline for this grant application is October 1st.

The Mountaineers Foundation promotes the study of the mountains, forests and streams of the Pacific Northwest, and contributes to preserving its natural beauty and ecological integrity. We fund projects consistent with those purposes. Our funding criteria for these conservation education grants are based on our by-laws, articles of incorporation, status as an IRS-designated 501(c)(3) organization, and the wishes of Paul Wiseman, founding member of the Mountaineers Foundation.

We Support

  • selected projects of 501(c)(3) or of other non-profit organizations and of certain agencies such as libraries and schools;
  • projects that preserve and protect environments of the Pacific Northwest through active programs that involve a variety of community organizations
  • direct educational programs and materials related to environmental conservation
  • lectures, conferences, seminars
  • written or audiovisual awareness materials
  • curriculum or other instructional materials

We Are Unable to Support

  • for-profit organizations
  • regular operating expenses (e.g. overhead, ongoing or administrative salaries)
  • projects that include legislative lobbying or support candidates for office
  • commercial ventures or feasibility studies that might lead to commercial products or programs
  • fund drives
  • projects that could harm the environment
  • memberships in organizations
  • projects that have no start/end dates
  • projects that repeat established and/or verified studies