Alpkit Foundation - Getting Outdoors

Alpkit only exists because of our wild places and the people that make them. Alpkit Foundation is our payback, our social dividend to protect the places we love for everyone to enjoy.

We make small awards to people, groups and schools that work to remove the barriers in getting outdoors and experience wild places.

Spending time outdoors is good for the mind, body and soul. But generally people are spending less time outdoors. That is a problem we're helping to solve. We support grass-roots direct action projects that tackle issues such as diversity & inclusion in the outdoors, participation, education, conservation and protection of our natural environment and health & well-being.

Suitable Projects

• Diversity and Inclusion Projects that engage individual and groups from a diverse range of backgrounds
• Environmental Projects that seek to support, conserve, or generate understanding of our environment and wild places
• Health Projects enabling people to gain physical and mental wellbeing from the Great Outdoors
• Education Projects such as First Aid, DofE, Forest Schools and Mountain Leader
• Participation Projects that get more people experiencing the Great Outdoors

Funding

Our support takes the form small awards to many projects and help projects get off the ground. This could be:

• £50 to £500 cash to individuals, community groups, schools and organisations to encourage people to get outdoors and have great experiences that otherwise couldn't happen; e.g. giving a cash grant to a school to fund transport costs
• Provide discounted equipment for outdoor adventures and trips to individuals, groups, schools and organisations that wouldn't be viable without support from the Alpkit Foundation
• Support outdoor educational programs; e.g. grants for outdoor First Aiders or Mountain Leader Training that wouldn't be possible without Alpkit Foundation support
• Support proactive conservation and environmental projects; e.g. community gardens and allotments or grants to help re-wild woodland and protect our wild places
• Support projects which encourage the development of facilities for outdoor skills and activities to be experienced by wider groups who otherwise may miss out e.g. cycling, climbing, outdoor swimming facilities

There's no limit to the number of times you can apply for an award. We welcome multiple awards over time and each award is assessed on its own merit. The only criteria we apply in making awards is that the project meets the funding criteria and the Alpkit Foundation has the enough money in the pot.

Applications

Our trustees meet every 2 months to consider applications. There's no limit to the number of times you can receive an award. If possible, please apply at least 3 months before the start of a project so that the trustees have time to consider it at their next meeting.

We particularly like to support projects that:

• Encourage responsible outdoor activity
• Have longlasting benefits
• Introduce new people to get outdoors
• Demonstrate value for money

We've received 5,000 applications and given 1500 awards to improve education, environment, diversity, mental health and participation in the outdoors. That benefits over 30,000 people altogether. It's humbling to see the effect that this has.

For more information, please click here.