Up to $400,000 in grant money is available to organizations and projects working to protect and conserve areas around the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.
The announcement of the Wild East Action Fund grant comes as part of the 100th anniversary celebration of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, or ATC, and the 10th anniversary of the Appalachian Trail Landscape Partnership. The grant program aims to protect the natural, cultural, historic, scenic, recreational, agricultural, and community assets found within the trail's landscape.
“The Wild East Action Fund is a catalyst to foster and support community and cooperative conservation outcomes," ATC President and CEO Sandi Marra said. "Because a healthy, resilient, and connected Appalachian Trail landscape will only be possible through strong collaboration with private and public partners, the AT communities and passionate individuals stepping up to keep the Trail alive."
Eligible applicants include local, state, and tribal governments or agencies, as well as qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations with projects that are within, serve the needs of, or specifically benefit areas in and around the trail. More details and guidelines for applicants can be found here.
The application cycle opens on June 11 and ends on July 18.
The Wild East Action Fund has awarded more than $2.5 million in funding since 2018. This year's grant application includes a new "community resiliency and recovery" category to support areas affected by Hurricane Helene. The storm brought catastrophic damage to much of trail and efforts are still underway to clean up and rebuild.
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail stretches nearly 2,200-miles from Springer Mountain, Georgia, to Katahdin, Maine, and was first conceived in 1921 by regional planner Benton MacKaye. The conservancy was formed in 1925.
“The Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s work goes beyond ensuring that the AT is maintained in service of recreation. It encompasses a larger, protected realm that, as Benton MacKaye envisioned over a century ago, provides ‘a better, wider place in which to live a better, wider life,’” Marra said.
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