Zack Martin Breaking Barriers (ZMBB) Grant

The Zack Martin Breaking Barriers Grant honors the legacy of Zack Martin, a dedicated climber and humanitarian. This grant supports expeditions that prioritize humanitarian efforts alongside alpine objectives, including climbing and exploration. Applicants should demonstrate a sustainable project that benefits local communities, ensuring long-term impact. Open to U.S. citizens of all ages and experience levels, the grant aims to promote both adventure and community service in the natural environment, fostering a spirit of giving back.

Zack Martin Breaking Barriers Grant
The Zack Martin Breaking Barriers (ZMBB) Grant was created in memory of Zack Martin, an avid climber and humanitarian who died just before his 25th birthday. Concerned about the failure to ‘pay it forward’ and help those in the places he climbed, Zack committed himself to perform humanitarian services in the local communities in which he explored. His efforts were supported through multiple grants including ones from the American Alpine Club (AAC) and the Anatoli Boukreev Grant. Zach championed “breaking barriers” in the alpine environment, and “breaking barriers” in the heart of man.
This grant seeks to fund expeditions that focus, primarily, on humanitarian efforts and, secondly, on an objective involving alpinism, mountaineering, rock/ice climbing and bouldering. Exploration in other areas such as ski mountaineering, river exploration etc. that lead to a greater understanding and improvement of the alpine environment could be considered for the grant. Successful candidates will demonstrate how their expedition fully encompasses both tenets of this grant.

Eligibility

Humanitarian objective Must have immediate impact, be sustainable, feasible and assure continuity to provide benefits to local people after initial implementation. Ideally, objectives will teach locals “how to”, enable ‘infrastructure’ and provide some level of continued support and funding. Recipients are evaluated on overall impact, with a high expectation of service to that local community.Alpine objectiveMust focus on alpine related adventure and/or discovery in the natural environment. A non-alpine adventure or exploration activity could be considered if the non-alpine objective leads to enhancement of the alpine/climbing/mountaineering environment.For individuals of all ages and all experience levels.Awarded to individuals and/or small teams (one application).Objective can be for domestic and/or international expeditions.Applicant(s) must be U.S. citizens or green card holders to apply.Applicant(s) do not have to be current AAC members, but will be asked to become a member if selected.Applicant(s) are strongly encouraged to obtain additional funding and sponsors.
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