Mountaineering & Outdoor Adventure Scholarships for Women
The Summit Scholarship
2026 Summit Scholarship Program Details
Individual scholarships are posted at the bottom of this page.
The Summit Scholarship program provides mountaineering and adventure stipends to help break down barriers to the big mountain realm for women and girls from all walks of life.
Mountaineering and backcountry adventures are profoundly transformative, offering experiences that empower and inspire. Yet, these spaces remain predominantly male. The stories we hear about mountaineering and epic outdoor pursuits are often male-centered, and most guided expeditions still consist of significantly more men than women.
The Summit Scholarship program aims to change that. By making life-changing mountaineering and backcountry opportunities more accessible, we’re working to create a world that celebrates women’s voices, stories, and adventures in the big mountain realm and beyond.
Let’s go climbing!
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All women, cisgender and transgender, are welcome to apply.
Applicants can apply from anywhere in the world. Most of our scholarships do not have citizenship or residency requirements. If a scholarship does have a restriction, these requirements are listed in the details of each specific scholarship page.
There is no upper age limit, and each Summit Scholarship has a different lower age limit. While most scholarships are open to applicants 18 and older, some are available to applicants as young as 14, including a dedicated mountaineering course on Mount Baker that is reserved ONLY for girls and young women.
To be considered for the Summit Scholarship, simply complete a few demographic questions and a couple of short essays during our application window.
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Applications are accepted from December 15, 2025 to January 31, 2026
Scholarship recipients are announced in March 2026
Scholarship expeditions & adventures take place throughout the remainder of 2026
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What and how many stipends are available depends on what sponsor commitments we are able to secure, and on the outcome of our direct fundraising campaigns. You can help increase the number of available scholarships by buying a Women of Mountaineering Calendar for $30 (free shipping in the US and internationally!) or making a donation of any size on our website here.
You’ll find a list of the available scholarships further down on this page.
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We are thankful for key supporters who are making this program possible.
A big thank you to our 2026 Apex sponsor LOWA. A long-time supporter of the Summit Scholarship program, LOWA is providing essential funding and program support to the Summit Scholarship in 2026 to elevate the impact and visibility of women in mountaineering.
A big thank you as well to the Summit Scholarship’s core financial partners Fjällräven, Nite Ize & McGill’s Mountains; we couldn’t do it without you!
LOWA, Fjallraven, Deuter, LEKI, Nite Ize and AWExpeditions all contribute invaluable product & service partnerships.
Interested in supporting this program? Get in touch.
Got more questions? Our complete list of FAQs is here.
2026 Summit Scholarship Program
NEW: LOWA Matterhorn Adventure
a serious and challenging step into alpinism
open to ages 18 and up
2 scholarship available
September 2026
Coordinated by AWExpeditions
Adventure Lens Grant
for emerging female adventure photographers & videographers
open to ages 18 and up
1 grant available
With mentorship from Savannah Cummins
Rope Team Rising:
Mountaineering for Girls & Young Women
beginner friendly
open to ages 14 to 22
3 scholarships available
June/July 2026
Led by AWExpeditions
Cordillera Blanca: Ishinca & Tocllaraju
ages 18 to 65+
1 scholarship available
July 2026
Led by AWExpeditions
Red River Gorge Rock Climbing Retreat
beginner friendly
open to ages 18 to 65+
1 scholarship available
October 2026
Operated by She Moves Mountains
NEW: Glacier Peak Climbing
open to ages 18 to 65+
2 scholarships available
July 2026
Led by Upwards Transitions Institute
Cordillera Blanca: Ishinca & Tocllaraju
ages 18 to 65+
exclusively for women from Africa
1 scholarship available
July 2026
Led by AWExpeditions
NEW: Ma’wa Chamonix Hiking Adventure
beginner friendly
for Muslim women
1 scholarship available
June 2026
Coordinated by Ma’wa Collective
What does it feel like to be on a Summit Scholarship expedition?
There’s nothing like it. Check out this beautiful short film about the 2025 Summit Scholarship Cordillera Blanca expedition to Peru, as captured and produced by inaugural Adventure Lens Grant recipient Brittain Noel.
“Vamos A La Playa” shares an intimate, behind-the-scene look at the 2025 Summit Scholarship Foundation’s high-altitude expedition in the Peruvian Andes. Fun fact: “Vamos A La Playa” is titled after a phrase their guide Alfi would cheerfully call before the group needed to do something that would be cold, difficult, or both.