Since 1979,  ATC has awarded more than half a million dollars in grants to ATC's affiliated Trail clubs and their volunteers through the L.L.Bean Grants to A.T. Clubs program. The grants fund projects such as trail, shelter, and bridge construction, recruiting and training new volunteers, developing educational materials, community outreach programs, and purchasing tools and safety gear. These grants may make the difference in a club's ability to carry out necessary projects. Clubs are expected to match grants with labor, money, or in-kind contributions.

In 2010, ATC provided more than $22,500 in grants to 17 Appalachian Trail-maintaining clubs. These grants will help them perform the vital work that makes the Appalachian Trail such a great recreational resource. These are some of the projects funded in 2010 (see funded projects for a complete listing):

• Installing new roofs on four shelters and three privies
• Purchasing trail tools and protective gear
• Removing invasive plants
• Planting shrubs beneficial to rare and threatened species
• Developing a brochure and program for outreach and education of Trail corridor neighbors

The next application deadline will be in January 2011. Guidelines and application information will be posted in the fall.  Funds will be distributed in the spring of 2011.

For more information, contact clubgrants@appalachiantrail.org or call (304) 535-6331, ext. 114.

Thank you L.L.Bean!

In 2003, ATC's grants-to-clubs program was renamed in honor of L.L.Bean, which has been the primary underwriter of the program since the late 1980s.  The outdoor retailer has contributed more than $400,000 in cash and in-kind donations to ATC over the years. Besides providing financial support, Bean employees in Maine and northern Virginia maintain sections of the Trail assigned by the local maintaining clubs.