Expedition scholarships for women and girls
Applications open mid-December 2026
Applications open in December
The Summit Scholarship breaks down the barriers that keep women and girls out of the mountains, through fully funded guided adventures led by women. Join our list and we will email you the day the application opens. Until then, see what last year's recipients did.
- $225,000+awarded in scholarships since 2019
- 58women and girls have received a scholarship since 2019
- 2,150+applications in our most recent cycle
- 82countries those applicants came from
Mark your calendar
When applications open
The next application opens in mid-December. It stays open for a few weeks, and we post the exact deadline on opening day.
Mid-December 2026
Applications open
We post every scholarship for the new class, each with its own adventure and dates.
Early 2027
Applications close
Last year the window ran December 15 to January 31. Apply well before the deadline.
Mid-March 2027
Recipients announced
Every applicant hears from us by email.
May to December 2027
Adventures happen
Recipients head out with our women-led guide partners.
These are our planned dates for the 2027 class. If anything changes, this page and our email list will say so first.
What we do
We break down barriers to the mountains
Big mountains are still mostly male spaces. Most guided expeditions have far more men than women, and the stories we hear about them lean the same way.
The Summit Scholarship exists to change that. We work for gender equity, on and off the mountain, by removing what stands between women and girls and their first big adventure: the cost, the gear, the access and the sense that these places are not for them. Then we share their stories, so the next woman can picture herself there.
Every scholarship is a specific trip: a set destination, an all-women guided group and fixed dates. You apply for the trip you want to take. It is not a grant for a project of your own.
A specific adventure
Each scholarship names its destination, its dates and its age range. Last year's trips ranged from beginner-friendly rock climbing and hiking to glacier travel and serious alpine peaks, so there is a first step for every level.
An all-women guided group
Every adventure is run by a vetted partner that builds a safe, supportive team for women and girls: AWExpeditions, She Moves Mountains, Upward Transitions Institute or Ma'wa Collective.
Fully covered
A recipient typically has her full expedition fee paid. She also receives mountaineering boots from LOWA and technical gear from our supporters, so cost is never the reason she stays home.
Four steps
How it works
Applying takes a few demographic questions and a couple of short essays. You do not need a résumé or a social media following.
Pick a trip
When applications open, read about each scholarship: where it goes, who guides it, when it runs and who it is open to.
Apply for it
Fill in the online form for the trip you want. Most essay answers are limited to 250 words. Each scholarship needs its own application, so you can apply for more than one.
We review
Reviewers first read your answers without your name, age, social media or location. They score them in several rounds.
You hear back
Every applicant gets an email in March. Recipients then train and travel between May and December.
Is this for me?
Who can apply
If you are wavering about whether you have a shot, apply. This scholarship is built for people who would not otherwise get to go.
- Women and girlsCisgender and transgender women and girls are welcome.
- Anywhere in the worldYou need a valid passport that lets you enter the country of your adventure. A few scholarships add residency rules, which appear on each scholarship's page.
- AgeMost adventures are for ages 18 and up. Some start at 14, including a Mount Baker course just for girls and young women. There is no upper age limit, and applicants in their 60s and 70s apply every year.
- No experience requiredBe in good cardio shape, or be willing to train hard to get there. Some trips are beginner friendly and some are not, so check each one.
- Financial need countsWe give priority to applicants with a credible reason they cannot pay for the trip themselves. If you can afford a trip, our operating partners run their own all-women adventures too: AWExpeditions, She Moves Mountains, Upward Transitions Institute and Ma'wa Collective.
- Your following does not matterYour social media audience plays no part in selection. Telling the story is our job.
- Try againDid not get picked before? You are welcome to apply again.
- On time, no exceptionsWe cannot take late applications or applications sent by email, WhatsApp or mail. Only the online form counts.
Fair by design
How we choose recipients
Reviewers read the first rounds without identifying details: no names, ages, social media or locations. Our Steering Committee makes the final call. It includes board members, program sponsors, partners and alumnae.
Criterion 1
Alignment with our mission
You notice gender bias, even when it is subtle, and you want to help change it.
Criterion 2
Credible financial need
There is a real reason that paying for a big adventure yourself would be hard right now.
Criterion 3
Transformative potential
This trip would mean more to you than another entry on an adventure résumé.
The honest odds
In our most recent cycle, more than 2,150 applications came in for 14 scholarships. Many strong applicants are not chosen each year. That is a funding limit, not a verdict on you.
We review all applications blind, without names or other identifiers. At the very end of review we bring back age and location, so we can match each finalist to the scholarship she applied for.
Tips for a strong application
- DoGive yourself permission to dream and apply.
- DoAnswer the essay questions with real substance, and write a different answer for each scholarship.
- Don'tWrite a novel. A strong paragraph or two beats a page of filler.
- Don'tWait until the last day or ask for an exception. Late applications wait until next year.
Get inspired
See what our recipients did last year
Last year's recipients took on a Swiss alpine ridge, Andean glaciers, a remote Cascades volcano and the sandstone cliffs of Kentucky. Each adventure has its own page with the trip details and the guides. The 2027 list will differ, but these trips show what is possible.
Switzerland
LOWA Matterhorn Adventure
Recipients took on the Hörnli Ridge with IFMGA mountain guides, after a day of rock-climbing prep on the Riffelhorn. Their scholarship included a $1,000 travel stipend and top-tier gear.
Peru
Cordillera Blanca: Ishinca and Tocllaraju
Recipients spent two weeks in an all-women team on glacier climbs in Peru's Cordillera Blanca. Their scholarship included the expedition fee, a $1,000 flight stipend and gear, a total value of more than $6,000.
Washington
Glacier Peak Climbing
Recipients backpacked into Washington's most remote volcano and learned glacier travel from Upward Transitions Institute guides. Their scholarship included the expedition fee, a $500 travel stipend and gear.
Rope Team Rising: mountaineering for girls and young women Ma'wa Chamonix hiking adventure Red River Gorge rock climbing retreat Cordillera Blanca for women from Africa Adventure Lens Grant for photographers and filmmakers
Check out what our recipients did and get inspired
The 2026 program page shows every adventure our recipients took, the sponsors behind each one, and a short film about the Peru expedition, made by Adventure Lens Grant recipient Brittain Noel.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
Is this a grant for my own project or trip?
No. Each Summit Scholarship is for a specific adventure: a set destination, an all-women guided group and fixed dates, all arranged by us and our partners. You apply for the trip you want to join. The Adventure Lens Grant for photographers and filmmakers is the one exception, and it has its own page.
Do I need mountaineering experience?
No. You need to be in good cardio shape or willing to train hard. Some adventures are beginner friendly, and others, like the Matterhorn trip, are a serious step up. Each scholarship page says who it suits.
Do I have to live in the United States?
No. You do need a valid passport that lets you travel to the country of your adventure. Some scholarships add residency or nationality requirements, so read each scholarship's page before you apply.
Is there an age limit?
Most adventures require you to be 18 or older, and some select adventures start at 14. Your age is counted on the date of the adventure. There is no upper age limit.
Is the scholarship open to transgender women?
Yes. The Summit Scholarship is open to all who identify as women, cisgender and transgender.
Is the program welcoming to BIPOC applicants?
Yes. Mountaineering has traditionally been male and white dominated, and we want to help change that. More than half of our alumnae to date identify as BIPOC women. We are not perfect, and we take diversity and inclusion seriously, along with our operating partners.
Who guides the adventures?
Carefully vetted operating partners that create safe, supportive experiences for women and girls: AWExpeditions, She Moves Mountains, Upward Transitions Institute and Ma'wa Collective. Each adventure has an experienced expedition leader, and mountain trips add local guides.
Can I apply for more than one scholarship?
Yes, with a separate application for each. Every application has one or two questions specific to that scholarship, so write a fresh answer for each instead of copying and pasting.
I did not get a confirmation email. Was my application received?
A confirmation email arrives right after you submit. If you cannot find it, check your spam folder. We can only accept the online form, not email, WhatsApp or mail.
Will I get feedback if I am not selected?
We receive hundreds of applications and cannot give individual feedback. Our selection process page has tips on what makes an application strong.
I applied before and was not selected. Can I apply again?
Yes, absolutely. You are welcome to re-apply.
What if I am chosen but cannot go?
Each scholarship is for one specific destination and set of dates, and we have very little flexibility to transfer one. Please apply only for dates you can make.
Why do you do all this?
The mountains give people peace, connection and growth. We have felt that ourselves, and we want to open it up to women and girls who have no obvious path there on their own. Read why gender equity in outdoor adventure matters.
Everything in one place
All the details
The detailed pages behind everything above.
Full FAQs
Every question we hear, with straight answers.
Read FAQsSelection process
Criteria, how review works, and application do's and don'ts.
Read more2026 program
Every adventure our recipients took last year, and the sponsors behind it.
See the programStories and updates
Recipient stories, expedition recaps and news.
Read the blogOur partners
The sponsors and guide services that make it possible.
Meet our partnersOur mission
Why we work for gender equity on and off the mountain.
Read our missionStill have a question? Email sunny@summitscholarship.org and we will write back.
Don't miss opening day
Stay in the loop
Join our email list and we will tell you the moment applications open, which scholarships are on offer, and when the deadline is. We send a few emails a year, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Follow along
Help the next class
More funding means more scholarships. Make a donation or buy a Women of Mountaineering calendar. Every edition funds future scholarships.