Supporting Partners Across the A.T. Landscape

Wild East Action Fund

The Wild East Action Fund supports projects that accelerate the pace of conservation within the Appalachian Trail landscape.

Since 2018, the Wild East Action Fund has supported a variety of land protection and conservation capacity-building projects that have accelerated the pace and scale of conservation within the Appalachian Trail landscape. This funding opportunity is available to conservation organizations, including nonprofit partners and public agencies, that support the mission of the Appalachian Trail Landscape Partnership (ATLP).

In celebration of ATC’s 100th anniversary and the ATLP’s 10th anniversary, ATC is excited to host a 2025 Wild East Action Fund cycle. The grant application will open in June, and the updated grant program overview, application instructions(/prompts), and budget template will be available below for reference. Please sign up for the ATLP eNews for Wild East Action Fund announcements and updates.

Guidance Documents for Wild East Action Fund Applicants

The guidance documents below are from previous rounds of the Wild East Action Fund. Each cycle we update the criteria and guidelines. When the next open application period is announced, new updated documents will be available.

Program Overview

he program overview provides information on organization/project eligibility, descriptions of grant categories, criteria for project evaluation, and guidance on appropriate use of funding.

Description Prompts & Guidelines

Download All applicants should review and follow the application guidelines for the successful submission of your grant.

Budget Proposal (template)

Download All applicants should provide a detailed budget proposal.
Please use this template when submitting your application.

Wild East Action Fund - Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Wild East Action Fund?

The Wild East Action Fund is a private, competitive grant opportunity, administered by ATC, supporting the ATLP mission to connect the wild, scenic, and cultural wonders of the A.T. landscape. The Wild East Action Fund seeks applications that aim to accelerate the pace and scale of A.T. landscape’s conservation and resiliency.

ATC has identified needs and strategies, at multiple scales, to effectively support the acceleration of conservation and resiliency within the A.T. landscape. The program’s three grant categories are designed to catalyze new and existing conservation partners’ knowledge, abilities, and expertise to address many of these dynamic needs:

  • Land Protection
  • Conservation Planning
  • Community Resilience

The Wild East Action Fund supports projects that contribute to the protection of lands and waters within the A.T. landscape, enhance capacity for strategic conservation activities, build community support for a conserved and resilient A.T. landscape; and champion an A.T. landscape that encourages all people to feel welcome, respected, supported and valued.

Please download the program overview, linked above, for detailed information about the grant program and each of the grant categories.

What is the A.T. Landscape?

We believe the A.T. is both the backbone AND heart of a large, connected landscape that is vital to all forms of life. The A.T. Landscape is inclusive of all values that make the A.T. so exceptional: values like natural resources, history and culture, scenic views, recreation opportunities, and unique towns and communities.

The ATLP has identified a fuzzy operational boundary for the A.T. landscape, based on the Appalachian Trail’s transecting or abutting USGS’s Hydrological Unit Code 10 (HUC10) delineations. See the map above for a visualization of A.T. Landscape.

Who is eligible for the Wild East Action Fund?

Qualified conservation organizations, including 501(c)(3) nonprofits and public agencies, are eligible for the Wild East Action Fund. Organizations should broadly serve the needs of a geographic area within the A.T. landscape.

How much money is available?

Up to $400,000 is available, in total, for qualified land protection, conservation planning, and community resilience projects. Land protection requests are capped at $75,000, and conservation planning and community resilience requests are limited to single-year requests which may range from $5,000 to $20,000

When will the grant application period open?

The 2025 grant application period will open in June.

When will award notifications take place?

While timelines may vary, we expect to notify recipients by November of the corresponding application year.

I received a Wild East Action Fund grant previously. Am I allowed to apply again?

Yes! Previous grant recipients are welcome (and encouraged) to apply again for consideration.

What projects have been awarded in the past?

View a historical record of previous Wild East Action Fund (WEAF) recipients and how their work will help advance Appalachian Trail Landscape Protection.

VIEW PREVIOUS GRANT RECIPIENTS

Who can I contact if I have questions?

If you have additional questions about the Wild East Action Fund, or if you would like to talk to someone about your project and its eligibility, please contact Max Olsen at molsen@appalachiantrail.org

 

 

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Past Wild East Action Fund Recipients

Learn about the organizations that were selected to receive grants from the Fund, supporting innovative projects that will enhance land protection and conservation efforts across the Appalachian Trail Landscape.

READ MORE

Photo by Stacy Funderburke

 

 

The Wild East Action Fund is administered by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) on behalf of the Appalachian Trail Landscape Partnership. The generous donor support of the ATC helps fulfill the mission to protect the trail and the landscape beyond the footpath through programs like the Wild East Action Fund.