While applications may vary slightly from gym to gym, pretty much anyone is welcome to join a climb4community membership, as long as they comply with the local gym’s regulations. Even if you have just a few extra dollars a month, or if you just need a couple dollars a month covered, this is the membership for you.

The community fund is a term used for the shared bank of financial resources used for and supported by climb4community initiatives. Many community funds are supported by contributions from climb4community members, special sales, events, and contributions from the gym itself. The fund subsidizes financial access to the gym and supports other climb4community initiatives. All adopting gyms aim to “zero out” their community fund by the end of each fiscal year, meaning that the money coming out of the fund should roughly equal the money coming in. Each individual gym should have more specifics about their community fund, you can contact them for more information.

Every adopting gym should have some sort of reciprocity for climb4community members from another gym. This might look like discounted day passes, easy transfer of a climb4communty membership, discounts in the pro-shop, or anything else that increases access to the facilities or the sport.

The climb4community initiative is currently overseen by the community director and management team at Boulders Climbing Gym. You can get in contact with them by emailing community@bouldersgym.com

There aren’t too many rules regarding what counts as a climb4community program. The program must be financially accessible, meaning that no one can be turned away due to funds, and it must work to dismantle, disrupt, or destabilize some form of systemic inequitable access to climbing. As long as it complies with those two programs, and the gym has appropriately adopted the climb4community initiative, it can count as a climb4community program.

The Climb4community model is a financially sustainable way to widen access to your facility. While many gyms wish they could adopt a full non-profit style program with accessible daily and membership rates, the cost of doing business is often just too high. The Climb4community initiative leverages the wealth that already exists within the climbing community: financial, cultural, or otherwise, and invites folks to share whatever they’re able to bring. Ultimately, we believe that most gyms want as many people to be able to access their space as possible, and this model is a way to do that sustainably.

This initiative began at Boulders Climbing Gym in Madison, Wisconsin, but has now expanded to its first adopting gym, The Pad Climbing, which has locations in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara California, as well as Henderson Nevada. Any gym can join the community, look under the “get involved” tab to add your gym today!