A record $1m is available this year for conservation projects across the Appalachian Trail landscape from Georgia to Maine through the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s Wild East Action Fund. The 2026 grant cycle opens for applications on May 18.
Thanks to a gift from the Dunleavy Foundation, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) is more than doubling the available grant funding from its Wild East Action Fund compared to last year. Grants are available for eligible organisations working on land protection, conservation planning, and community resilience projects that strengthen natural, recreational, agricultural, and community assets across the A.T. landscape.
“As the backbone of conservation in the eastern United States, the Appalachian Trail and its protected corridor exist today because of many individuals and groups working together to safeguard this remarkable landscape,” said Katie Allen, director of landscape conservation at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.
“Thanks to the Dunleavy Foundation’s support, the Wild East Action Fund will advance the conservation efforts of local partners at the pace and scale needed to protect and sustain the A.T. landscape for the future.”
Recent Wild East Action Fund grant recipients are protecting intact forests, restoring the landscape after Hurricane Helene damage, and planning for future conservation and resilience projects.
“My wife, Katherine Kirby Dunleavy, and I believe it is essential to protect America’s natural heritage. Hiking the iconic Appalachian Trail has provided us with cherished memories throughout our lives,” said Keith Dunleavy, co-founder of the Dunleavy Foundation.
“We are honoured to support and advance the protection of the Trail’s breathtaking vistas and diverse landscapes, helping ensure this national treasure remains wild, connected, and accessible for generations to come.”
The ATC administers the Wild East Action Fund in support of the Appalachian Trail Landscape Partnership’s mission to connect the wild, scenic, and cultural wonders of the Appalachian Trail and its surrounding landscape.
By providing flexible private funding, the Wild East Action Fund has supported more than 100 conservation planning, community resilience, and land protection projects across all 14 trail states since 2018. Nearly 170,000 acres have been protected or will be secured soon using grants from the Fund.
The grant programme encourages and supports local conservation partners to collectively protect and connect priority lands across the A.T. landscape from Georgia to Maine.
“The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is doing vital work to preserve and expand the ecological wonder that is the 2,200-mile A.T. wilderness corridor,” said Shelley Harms, executive director of Cornwall Conservation Trust, a 2025 grant recipient.
“CCT is grateful for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s support as we work to preserve lands between the Appalachian Trail and Cornwall’s Mohawk Trail.”
Grants are available in the categories of land protection, conservation planning, and community resilience. Eligible applicants include local, state, and tribal governments or agencies, and qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. The applicant’s project should occur within, serve the needs of, or explicitly benefit the A.T. landscape.
Previous grant awardees are eligible to apply. Applicants are required to submit proposals by June 26, 2026.
In addition to the Dunleavy Foundation, the Wild East Action Fund 2026 grant cycle is supported by the Appalachian Trail Resiliency Fund and the generous support of donors to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.
