FAQs

QUESTIONS ON PROCESS

What is the timeline of the Grant Program?

Below is the timeline for this grant cycle:

  • April 2, 2024 – Survey Monkey Apply site opens for applications.
  • April 16, 2024, midnight (PT) – Survey Monkey Apply site closes for applications.
  • May – July, 2024 – Review period.  Applications that do not fit eligibility criteria will be removed. The applications will be individually reviewed by members of the relevant Store Review Committee.  The Lead Reviewer will then make recommendations to a Final Review Committee who will assess and confirm recommendations.  
  • August 1, 2024 – All applicants will be notified of our final decisions.

Who reviews the applications?

Our Review Committees are formed from members of our team.  Our local retail stores, and Community Marketing Managers are the ones who initially review the applications and make recommendations on the organizations we should support.  Our Final Review Committee is formed of team members from relevant departments within our Head Office.

Please keep in mind that Committee members who review your application may or may not be familiar with your organization and the proposal you have submitted; we ask that you are specific in the details of your application and that you use plain language.

How will you assess my application?

In the interests of transparency, below are our criteria for assessing the applications we receive. These criteria are a reflection of the values we hold and are based on the insights we have gained from observing successful initiatives.  We place equal importance on each criterion.

Our assessment is based on five areas:

  • To what extent does the proposal seek to understand and meet the needs of the people it intends to serve? 
  • To what extent does the proposal advance equity and inclusion within the work being pursued and within the organizational culture?
  • To what extent does the proposal inspire the community we share to support the movement towards equitable access?
  • To what extent will our investment in this proposal advance the organization’s mission and aims?
  • To what extent does the proposal and organization have a strong prospect of achieving sustained impact?

How is funding distributed to successful grants?

Funding will be distributed once a signed Grant Agreement and invoice have been provided. You will receive full funding within a few weeks of us having received the signed agreement.

Are there any reporting requirements?

We heard your requests to make our process light in terms of resources it requires, and meaningful in terms of what it captures.  To that end, one year on from the award of the grant, we ask successful applicants to respond to a handful of questions that reflection and celebration of the work pursued in the prior year and insights on how Arc’teryx might better support the movement towards equitable access to nature.

QUESTION ON THE APPLICATION

Can I request a donation of gear instead of financial support?

Our Grant Program is our mechanism to provide direct financial support to those requiring it. We are able to explore the possibility of supporting our partners with gear outside the Grant Program.  If this is of interest, we would invite you to make a connection with our local store teams to explore how we might partner.

Can I submit multiple applications?

To provide fair opportunity to each organization within your community, we ask that you apply for a single grant to a single Arc’teryx community, as listed in the application. If you have chapters in multiple geographic locations, each chapter can submit a single grant application to a single Arc’teryx community.

Do you require charitable status or equivalent to apply?

The requirement of charitable status can be a barrier to many great projects receiving grants. We remove that barrier and do not require charitable status; rather we seek a demonstration of your values and a commitment to your mission.  For it is that which is of central importance.

What level of financial support can my project receive?

Through the Grant Program, Arc’teryx can provide financial support up to a maximum of 5,000 AUD, CAD, GBP, or USD, dependent on your location.  We trust your judgement on the best use of the funds and therefore, save for political lobbying, we provide them without restriction.  If you need them to support your operating expenses, great.  If you need them to support a specific project, equally great.  Our ask is simply that you present a compelling case for the work you wish to pursue with the grant.

Is it okay to ask for the maximum amount allowed?

We value your judgement and expect you to ask for the amount needed for the proposal to be successful.  Wherever possible, we seek to fund the entire amount requested.

Can I make changes after I submit my application?

Unfortunately, you cannot make changes to the application once it has been submitted.

What do successful applications have in common?

Competition for a grant will be challenging. Successful applications are often those that can clearly articulate the vision for the grant.  Be sure your application does not rely on the use of acronyms or jargon and instead favor plain language.

The truly successful applications are those that center the needs of the people they intend to serve in their work. The deeper this commitment shows within your work the more compelling your application will be.

Why are you asking applicants to share details about whom the organization is led by?

Time and again we see the power of community-led initiatives to effect positive change.  As such, we seek to support individuals and organizations that center community in their work.   

It’s imperative that we seek to identify projects that listen deeply to the needs of the community they intend to serve and work in relationship with community to build initiatives to increase access to nature. 

It is also vital that we consider who is leading this work and the movement towards equitable access to nature.  As we continue to deepen our commitment to embedding equity and inclusion in our work, we seek to prioritize support for organizations that are led by folx from the communities they intend to serve.  From experience, it is these leaders of the movement that have often been denied access to resources.

In the application, you ask two questions about whom the organization is “led by”.  What do you mean by “led by”?

We acknowledge that there are multiple models and expressions of leadership within organizations.  We are not prescriptive on the model you adopt; rather we seek to prioritize support for organizations where the decisions that impact the direction of the organization are made by people from the communities they intend to serve. It is this that the questions seek to understand.

I'm experiencing some technical difficulties, please can I have assistance

Depending on the nature of your query, either Arc'teryx or Survey Monkey Apply will be happy to assist.  

To obtain the support you require, when logged in to your Survey Monkey Apply account, select the information icon from the banner at the top of the screen.  You can then select which of the 3 support options is most relevant to your query.