Today she does not. Cost, gear, experience requirements, and who gets invited keep most women and girls off the big peaks. The Summit Scholarship Foundation exists to close that gap — one fully funded rope team at a time, since 2019.
The Summit Scholarship removes the barrier that keeps most women and girls off the big peaks: cost. Each scholarship covers the guiding, the travel, and the gear an expedition demands, and places a recipient on an all-women rope team led by a women-led guide service.
A scholarship is never only about a summit. It is about who gets to belong in the mountains, and who gets to see herself there afterward.
Since 2019 the foundation has funded 58 women and girls from 82 countries, awarding more than $225,000 — and in the 2026 cycle alone drew more than 2,150 applications. We hand the rope to the next woman behind us, every season.
By Tiffany Diep, Matterhorn Scholarship Class of 2026 When I applied for the Summit Scholarship, I was still freshly post op from a labrum repair of my hip. I w…
By Maria Bobrowski-Artola, Cordillera Blanca Scholarship Class of 2026 When I got the news… When I got the email from The Summit Scholarship Foundation that I w…
Written by Mariam Elsharkawy, Summit Scholarship Rope Team Rising Recipient of 2026 Whenever I told people that I was going to climb a mountain, their shock was…
This year, the Summit Scholarship Foundation expected to fund 12 scholarships. We're funding 14. Here's what happened. Applications for the 2026 cycle opened in…
It Takes a Village: A network of organizations that support gender equity in the outdoors When the Summit Scholarship Foundation first took shape, we had no ide…
