Mountaineering
Kids Snowshoeing

The Mazamas offers a scholarship program to ensure that individuals from all types of financial situations can attend our programs. 

“I am so fortunate to have received a scholarship to help me attend the course BCEP. Because of the scholarship I was able to take a class that introduced me to mountaineering and rock climbing, which previously I had no experience. Without the scholarship, I would not have been able to participate in the BCEP course. The BCEP class has expanded my knowledge and helped me to share that knowledge with others. I love to share with the community what I have learned and introduce them to mountaineering and the Mazamas. I have shared with family and friends the many classes and instruction that Mazamas offers. I cannot say thank you enough to all those that have contributed to the scholarship fund, it has given me and others the opportunity that we may not have otherwise been financially able to do. I am forever changed by this scholarship and able to experience the outdoors like I never have before.”

—2019 Scholarship Recipient

Prospective Applicants

Thank you for your interest in Mazama educational programming! We are offering scholarships for our educational programs* in the hope it will allow students to participate who would not be able to do so without financial assistance and by whose participation can help expand the Mazama membership base beyond the current cultural, economic, and ethnic demographics. 

Applications for scholarships are a part of individual class applications. Please see specific course web page for application deadlines. The Mazamas will contact you with details of the status of your scholarship application prior to acceptance into the course so as to allow applicants to make a more informed decision on participation. Payment plans are also available for certain courses.

Click these links to preview our 2021-22 questions and rubric. Changes to this program were made thanks to the feedback of the mountain community. We will continue to audit our program to ensure we are serving the true needs of our applicants and live up to our organizational values.

The Mazamas does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender identity, or sexual orientation. We recognize that members of the BIPOC and LGBTQ communities (among others) may face systemic, structural, and cultural barriers to financial access and have traditionally been marginalized from outdoor programming. For these reasons, we prioritize members of these groups in determining scholarship awards. However, awards are primarily determined by financial barriers to participation, and the benefit the course can provide to you and your community. Please note financial assistance in the form of scholarships is limited and the selection process is competitive. We invite applicants to clearly articulate their financial need as well as how their participation will support both the Mazamas and/or the mountain community on an ongoing basis.

Scholarship application and review is a confidential process. All applicants are reviewed without any identifying information. Certain staff and/or course leaders may need to know applicant identity for course acceptance reasons only. Please contact Claire Nelson at claire@mazamas.org for any questions or concerns.

Scholarships are for course tuition ONLY. The Mazamas may cover the cost of your course up to 90 percent of the course tuition. Other costs associated with the course may apply. Please see the course home page for associated costs and logistics.

*Scholarships for Mazama Wild Camps are available through the camp application process. Please see https://mazamas.org/mazamawild/ for more information, or contact the Mazamas at mazamawild@mazamas.org.

Support This Important Program

As we begin this new year, please consider giving someone a life-changing opportunity through a donation towards the Mazama Scholarship Fund. The Mazama Scholarship Fund supports diverse programming at the Mazamas, and allows us to offer educational outdoor experiences to everyone in our community. Scholarships are granted across all of our education and youth programs, and cover partial or full tuition for classes. We rely on generous donors like you to make this important programming possible. Please help us create opportunities to inspire everyone to love and protect the mountains and donate today!

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“Without the scholarship I received I would never have been able to afford BCEP. The financial assistance I received allowed me to gain access to a level of understanding of the mountains and practical skills that have opened up enormous possibilities for me. I have since participated in MFA again with a scholarship, become a Mazamas Hike Leader to give back, and plan to apply for a scholarship for ICS in order that I may gain the skills to eventually climb lead myself, all to give back to a community that has embraced me. The thought that a cost prohibitive situation would have cut me out of the Mazamas altogether is a dark one. Without this continued assistance there are many others like me who would be unable to reach their full potential as mountaineers, stewards of the wilderness, and just all around good people.”

—2019 Scholarship Recipient

Contact help@mazamas.org if you have any questions on the scholarship process.