Wild East Action Fund - Community Resilience Grant

Wild East Action Fund - Community Resilience Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Appalachian Trail Conservancy
Amount: US $5,000 - US $20,000
Last Updated: July 23, 2025

Summary

The Wild East Action Fund aims to enhance community resilience and conservation efforts within the Appalachian Trail landscape. It supports projects that address climate change impacts and foster recovery through community-driven initiatives. Eligible organizations can apply for grants ranging from $5,000 to $400,000, focusing on land protection, conservation planning, and community support. Special consideration is given to projects addressing the immediate recovery from Hurricane Helene, promoting sustainable practices and strengthening community bonds.

Overview

NOTE: Here are the other associated grants in regards to this opportunity. Here is the Community Planning page.Here is the Land Protection page. 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 Wild East Action Fund cycle! 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. Community Resilience Purpose - Recover from and build community capacity to address/mitigate the impacts of climate change. Community Resilience grants are available for projects that support community resiliency in the face of weather-related impacts and a changing climate. We anticipate three types of resilient community projects to be competitive in this cycle; the most competitive applications will address more than one of the following themes: Recovery, rebuilding, development of outdoor recreation, cultural, or historic assets. Restoration, stabilization, recovery of natural resources, ecological systems, or open space. Community building, place-making, or preparedness. Eligible projects can include, but are not limited to, volunteer workdays/clean-ups/events, youth leadership and workforce training related to conservation or natural resource stewardship, public education or outreach campaigns or events, downtown recovery, beautification, revitalization, and resiliency planning or pre-planning activities, and recreational/cultural/historic asset improvements. Competitive projects will advance climate resiliency, be collaborative and/or community-driven, support public access to open space and recreation opportunities, and/or address Hurricane Helene recovery. It is important that applications clearly demonstrate how the project will help the community recover from the impacts of Hurricane Helene and/or strengthen a community’s capacity to respond, mitigate, or adapt to future risk and uncertainty associated with the increasing severity of weather events and a changing climate. As much as possible, project outcomes should include, or strive to strengthen community support for, conservation actions and nature-based solutions to climate change. Funding Up to $400,000 will be granted through the Wild East Action Fund to qualified land protection, conservation planning, and community resiliency projects. Conservation Planning and Community Resiliency grant requests between $5,000 and $20,000 will be considered. All funding opportunities require a cash or in-kind match. Match ratio will be considered on a case-by-case basis, evaluated on the circumstances of the organization and project context. The match should be secured or demonstrate with confidence that it will be secured during the grant period. Funding for the Conservation Planning and Community Resilience grant categories are made possible through the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s A.T. Resiliency Fund.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. To be eligible for the Wild East Action Fund, applicants must demonstrate a project focus and organizational mission that is aligned with the ATLP’s mission of connecting the wild, scenic, and cultural wonders of the A.T. Landscape. The applicant’s project should occur within, serve the needs of, or explicitly benefit the A.T. Landscape. To qualify to receive funding, organizations must be a Tribal, State, or Local government entity/agency or a qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.Funding for this category is only available for projects occurring within the A.T. Landscape in Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, excluding land that is directly managed as the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.Previous grant awardees are eligible to apply. Previously awarded projects may re-apply for additional funding but will be less competitive.Regional partnerships without501(c)(3) nonprofit status may have a qualified 501(c)(3) apply on behalf of the partnership.Allowable Expenses: Funding is broadly constrained to costs associated with the planning and implementation of projects as outlined in the paragraphs above. Funding requests can be used for, but are not limited to, staff time, contract support, and direct costs associated with facilitation, planning, communication, and coordination necessary for project completion.

Ineligibility

Funding Restrictions: Grant awards cannot be used for organizational overhead/administration, scholarships, lobbying efforts, supporting political groups, or refinancing/servicing existing debt.