Waterman Fund Requests Proposals for 2026 Grants

Waterman Fund Requests Proposals for 2026 Grants

East Corinth, VT – The Waterman Fund is pleased to announce that its 2026 alpine stewardship grant application deadline is December 31, 2025.

The Fund invites organizations, individuals, and local, federal or state agencies to send in project proposals for trail rehabilitation, alpine stewardship, education, or research. Apply by contacting [email protected]. Grant recipients will be announced mid-February of 2026.

Grants will be capped for $15,000 for Trails, and no cap for Education and Research. Grants should prioritize alpine summit ecosystems, though are also available for places that are an extension of alpine zones, including subalpine zones that are defined as containing rare plants above treeline.

Special Funding Opportunity for Sponsorships
Providing multi-year sponsorships is a new avenue of funding that the Waterman Fund has started to provide. Some guidelines that the board requires are that organizations can apply for sponsorship for up to 3 years and they need to provide yearly reporting. The following are examples of potential sponsorships: funding for an educational position, a multi-year trails project, long-term research monitoring, or a new program startup. After sponsorship, established programs need to wait two years to reapply for a grant or sponsorship. New programs can reapply.

Please follow the guidelines on our web page for eligibility criteria and project deliverables. All proposals must address how they will further the Fund’s mission and address ethical considerations the proposed project raises.

About the Waterman Fund
The Waterman Fund fosters the spirit of wildness and conserves the alpine areas of northeastern North America. Its programs include the alpine steward award, grants for alpine research, education, and trails, an essay contest focusing on stewardship and wildness, and the Northeastern Alpine Stewardship Gathering.