McNeill-Nott Award Grant

The McNeill-Nott Award honors the legacies of climbers Sue Nott and Karen McNeill, promoting female empowerment in mountaineering. It provides grants for amateur female climbers pursuing exploratory objectives with minimal teams. The award emphasizes environmental stewardship, community engagement, and the submission of expedition reports post-trip. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, over 18, and members of the American Alpine Club. This initiative celebrates the adventurous spirit and achievements of women in climbing, fostering a supportive community within the sport.

With the untimely death of Sue Nott and her partner Karen McNeill on Mt. Foraker in 2006, The AAC partnered with Mountain Hardwear to establish the McNeill-Nott Award in their memory. This award seeks to preserve the spirit of these two talented and courageous climbers by giving grants to amateur female climbers exploring new routes or unclimbed peaks with small and lightweight teams.
Awards
Two or three grants will be awarded annually to amateur teams that best meet the criteria for pursuing an exploratory objective.
The Award focuses on projects that have strong exploratory and adventuresome mountaineering objectives. These elements are more important than the technical rating of the climbing objective.
Expectations of grant recipients include:
Grant Recipients will act as American Alpine Club ambassadors to the domestic and international climbing communities and are expected to champion the mission, values, and support of the Club. Recipients should do their best to practice environmentally low impact and leave no trace ethics, acting as strong mountain stewards. Within two months of returning, all grant recipients must submit to the AAC a written expedition report (including photos) for possible inclusion in AAC publications and/or posting on the AAC website. Failure to submit expedition report will result in applicant being ineligible for future AAC grants.Grant Recipients may be called upon to give a presentation of the expedition at a national or local AAC sponsored event or other public engagement. It is expected that recipients participate in these callings and mention the support of the AAC when speaking about the expedition. If, after a grant is awarded, additional funding is obtained and the grant funds are no longer needed, or if an expedition is “over funded,” the recipient is asked to return all surplus funds to the AAC. Also, if after the grant is awarded a corporate sponsorship is awarded to the expedition, all funds from the AAC must be returned

Eligibility

This grant is only open to female applicants (all women or women identified people are welcome to apply). Membership in The American Alpine Club is required.The grant applicant must be a U.S. citizen, though team members may be foreign citizens.Applicant must be at least 18 years of age and complete legal liability releases.All expeditions must be legal and obtain all necessary visas and permits required by local authorities.All expeditions must be conducted in an environmentally conscious and sound approach, and with care and respect for local inhabitants.The judges consider the proposed climbing objectives’ compelling nature, remoteness, exploratory nature, and the overall significance. Acceptable objectives could range from exploring hidden Alaskan gems to a new route in the Himalaya (see past recipients for examples).The team’s planned climbing style is considered. Teams climbing with the highest ethical standards and small, lightweight teams using a minimum of fixed ropes, camps, personnel, and equipment are strongly favored. Commercial, professional, and principally cause-related expeditions are ineligible. The judges consider the team’s overall experience level, which must match the proposed objective.Proposals are accepted for expeditions occurring within one calendar year of the award date.
You must be a member of this organization to apply for this award - become a member.

Ineligibility

Funding shall not be released to recipients until necessary permits and/or visas have been obtained.