Mount Everest Foundation

Thursday, 17 April, 2014

Late last year I became a trustee at the Mount Everest Foundation, an charity (and company) dedicated to “provide grants and recognition to assist particularly deserving expeditions for the exploration of, and scientific work in, the mountain regions of the world.” It was set up after the successful 1953 expedition to climb Everest and uses income from surplus funds and subsequent media royalties to support these activities. The website is of a relatively old design (its currently being updated) but has a wealth of information on it including application information and details of supported expeditions and brief trip reports.

All applications for funding are passed through a screening committee which assesses them against the Memorandum of Association of the charity. On the MEF website it also notes:

“The aims of the Foundation are to encourage and support expeditions exploring mountain regions, and both education and research pertaining to a wide range of subjects in mountain areas, including geography, glaciology and the effects of altitude.”

It goes on to note the way the charity is incorporated:

“Affairs are controlled by a Committee of Management, of which half is appointed by the Alpine Club and half by the Royal Geographical Society.Unless an expedition has research as its primary objective, it must have a strong exploratory element to be deemed eligible for support. Expeditions planning geographical exploration, first ascents of, or major new routes on high or remote mountains are likely to qualify. Applications from expeditions proposing to visit little explored or formerly inaccessible areas are particularly encouraged, as are those pursuing worthwhile research. Normally, the MEF will only support expeditions where the majority of memberscome from Great Britain or New Zealand.”

However its worth quoting the relevant objects themselves:

1. To encourage, or support, (whether financially or otherwise) expeditions for the exploration of the mountain regions of the Earth

2. To encourage, or support, (whether financially or otherwise) education in or research into the geography, topography, geology, ethnology, meteorology, botany, zoology (including entomology), and glaciology of the mountain regions of the Earth and allied subjects relating thereto.

3. To encourage, or support, (whether financially or otherwise) education in or research into the effect of altitude upon the human organism and the means of countering such effect in so far as it may be harmful

4. To encourage, or support, (whether financially or otherwise) the dissemination of any information acquired in pursuance of the foregoing objects or any of them and the provision of publicity for the results of education research and exploration as aforesaid

5. To relieve or contribute relief, of persons injured or suffering from sickness contracted in pursuance of such researchers or explorations or to encourage or support either alone or in combination with others arrangements or instructions for the purpose of affording such relief

“Mountain regions of Earth” are generally taken to mean outside Europe for climbing expeditions. However note the wide remit of the charity to include “geographic” research, education, altitude based physiology and relief of injured persons. Its a wide remit and as a charity we have a responsibility to target all aspects of the Memorandum of Association. Grants are typically of the order of hundreds to several thousands of pounds and need to show financial support from other areas.

MEF is a valuable and worthwhile charity with a 60 year heritage of supporting work in high mountains built upon the foundations of the early Everest expeditions. It’s a heritage that should long continue and I would urge those that undertake research or expeditions in high mountains to submit a grant application.

For those interested the charity (208206) files its accounts with the Charities Commission and is also a listed company at Companies’ House.