GRANT PROGRAMS
The Juniper Fund provides cost-of living grants, vocational training, and business grants to help empower families to create sustainable businesses to replace the lost income of their loved one and continue to serve as essential supports within the fabric of their community.
Cost of Living Grant
Financially support a family through the initial grief period after the loss of a family member in the mountains.
Business Grant
Provide a means for financial independence, and the sense and knowledge that this is possible.
Vocational Training
Develop skills and opportunities in an income-producing area of interest.
Khumbu Climbing Center
The Juniper Fund is excited to announce that as of December 2024, we will be assuming financial stewardship and oversight of the Khumbu Climbing Center (KCC). Founded in 2003 in Phortse, Nepal, by the Alex Lowe Charitable Foundation (ALCF), the KCC teaches responsible climbing practices to Nepali climbers and high-altitude workers. The KCC provides climbing, rescue, and medical skills training along with English language courses to over a thousand Nepali men and women, creating a culture of safety for workers at the roof of the world. The Juniper Fund is proud to carry on the legacy of the ALCF, join with the incredible team at KCC, and empower them to continue to operate an independent, efficient, and successful program. The work of The Juniper Fund and the KCC complement each other perfectly to support our Khumbu communities and we look forward to continuing the mission with our trusted partners in Nepal.
For more information on the KCC Programs, how to get involved or questions about the transition, please contact info@thejuniperfund.org or Visit the KCC Page.
ADVOCACY
While there is an immediate and urgent need to support the families directly, it is imperative that we also address the systemic issues that put the families of high altitude workers at risk in the first place. The Juniper Fund is committed to advocating on behalf of our community to decision makers at the government level and key stakeholders within the trekking and travel industries.
Those efforts are focused on three strategic goals:
To increase the education and awareness of the participants of this growing industry as to the outcomes in the event of tragedy so that there are well-informed and responsible choices on the part of the consumer.
To improve the available insurance, the standards of coverage, and mandatory minimums set by the government in regards to insurance of local workers.
To standardize the education, experience, and certification requirements for the local mountain workers set by the governments across the mountaineering industry in Nepal
OUR IMPACT
To date, we have supported the families of 48 lost workers, directly affecting the lives of over 200 people.
The vast majority of these families’ loved ones were lost working on Everest, but we have supported families throughout the Himalayan region.
SINCE 2013
Community Stories
The work of the Juniper Fund is all about community. We often enter the lives of our families at a time of grief, but have the honor and privilege to stand side by side with them as they develop their own resilience, discover strengths they never knew possible, and build successful and sustainable businesses that will support their families and communities well into the future.
