Everyone should have the opportunity to climb, regardless of socioeconomic background. We have worked incredibly hard the past couple of years to provide financial aid for anyone with demonstrated need. With an almost entirely self-funded financial aid budget we have been able to raise money through fundraisers such as Giving Tuesday, bake sales, concerts, trivia nights, and more. Our team relies heavily on donations from the local climbing community to achieve our goal to lower the access barrier to climbing. We could not be more grateful for the hard work of our executive board and generosity of the community to help us provide access to climbing!

Representation is everything. Naturally, we want to see ourselves represented in the media we consume, music we listen to, or sports we play. This is exactly why affinity events have been so crucial to the team. We have hosted several BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ climb nights in the past and of course plan to host more! These events are set in place to ensure equal access to climbing in our community. These events are funded entirely by the teams fundraising budget, meaning free entry and gear rentals for those who sign up. Along with covering the cost of these climb nights we have held raffles sponsored by Adidas Terrex giving away free merchandise and gear to participants.

The highest barrier of entry to climbing is, without a doubt, the gear. When a good pair of climbing shoes runs at about $200 and a gym membership is $95 a month plus a harness and chalk, you can see how the cost of climbing can quickly accumulate. Tufts Climbing Team is currently working with brands such as Zigzag Climbing, Friction Labs, Rhino Skin Solutions, and Adidas Terrex to provide gear at a discounted wholesale price for our team members. Not only does this reduce the financial barrier, but it ensures we are able to purchase gear for our gear loaning program, a system we have set in place to lend gear to climbers who need it! We also work with the brand Guayakí which provides Yerba Mate (caffeinated tea) at certain events for the team!