Heart & Soul: What we are doing & why you should care

One and a half years ago we started The Mountain Fund with the goal of becoming the charity that represents the heart and soul of the Outdoor Industry around the world. We had taken a long hard look at the situation and found that, on an international scale, no one was stepping up to the plate and representing outdoor sports like climbing, hiking and trekking in a way that made clear that the industry had heart and soul.

Today, there is a voice for people and companies that thrive on outdoor sports and care about how the industry looks to the people that live in the mountainous regions we enjoy so much. That voice is The Mountain Fund.

In 2006, The Mountain Fund gave out over $30,000 in grants and in-kind services to nearly 30 programs operating in 10 countries around the world. We did this with two part time staff and a total budget of just over $40,000. We also took nearly a dozen volunteers to mountain regions to help work at clinics, raise funds for a micro-finance program and assist in a project to help a small rural school.

In 2007, we will do much, much more:

Start the Climbers' Alert Network to help families of climbers and adventure travellers make it through hard times.
Our health clinics in Nepal will provide care to over 9,000 people.
Our micro-finance program in Peru will enable dozens of families to start and sustain a business.
Our partnership with CutandPaste web labs will provide job training for promising young people in Peru.
Our volunteer center in Kathmandu will bring hundreds of volunteers together with the groups that need them.
Our volunteer trips will bring healthcare and assistance to the most remote villages in Nepal and Peru.
Our support of women's programs will provide opportunity to dozens of women.
Our support of youth programs will open doors for hundreds of at-risk youth.
Our backpack and sleeping bag recycle programs will put tons of gear back to good use.
Our support of environmental programs will help our planet to survive and sustain us all.

We are The Mountain Fund. We are your humanitarian voice around the world. We appreciate your support. Together we can, and will, go further.

Thank you!