Bryan Caldwell Commemorative Fund
About the Fund
The mission of this fund is to support young climbers like the countless that Bryan coached and mentored for more than two decades. Specifically, we fund kids who are looking for experiences that expand on their climbing experiences: outdoor trips, competitions, travel expenses for climbing events, or anything that will allow them to add to their climbing in meaningful ways.
More Details
We fund any climber age 18 and younger in need of financial assistance in pursuit of their climbing goals. Priority is given, but not limited to, climbers with a strong connection to a community that Bryan coached in (Bermuda, University of Kansas, Source Climbing Center).
Applications are due on the 15th of every month, and you will hear back from us by the end of that month. Our review committee includes members of the Cascadia Chapter and National Board as well as friends of Bryan. If you have any questions, email us at [email protected].
About Bryan
Coach Bryan started climbing in 1998 while studying Journalism at the University of Kansas. His love for climbing outdoors took him to Colorado after college, but after working a ‘real jobby-job’ for a few years, Bryan realized that his true place was sharing his joy and passion for climbing and the community that surrounds the sport. He left his corporate job in 2004, and went on to travel around the world climbing and coaching hundred of young climbers from the Bermuda to the State of Washington for nearly 20 years.
Bryan Christopher Caldwell passed away on Monday, July 4, 2022 in Wenatchee, Washington, while doing what he loved, rock climbing. He was 44 years old.
At the request of Bryan’s family, a fund was established to provide a memorial for Bryan in downtown Vancouver. Since 2022, those funds have been used to provide scholarships to continue helping young climbers like the countless that Bryan coached and mentored for more than a decade.
Family and friends of Bryan are now partnering with the founders of Project Send It Cascadia chapter to make the funds available to more climbers across the region and nation.
Past Recipients
Date: June 2023
Opportunity: 2023 USAC Division 1 Lead/TR Championship
“Alaska was a great experience! I learned so much and I had so much fun! I got to see 5 wild moose and a wild porcupine. It was so awesome to hang out with my team and get to know everyone better. We made lots of memories together. It was cool to watch the finals and see all of the amazing climbers competing for a chance to go to Nationals. I really appreciate the gift you gave me and I am so thankful to have had this experience!” – Skyler
Name: Brendan W.
Date: November 2023
Opportunity: 2024 North American Cup Series
“The North American Cup Series (NACS) was a great learning experience for me. As mentioned in my application, I must travel for all my events. This is an elite series competition that is modeled after the World Cup setup. I learned a lot from this professional atmosphere as well as getting to compete at the USA Climbing Training Center in Salt Lake City, UT.
The competition was held in the Flash and on sight formats. The event was huge and presented some complex variables to navigate. There were 120 climbers in my category. This meant that I had to wait six hours in isolation before climbing for the lead category. I learned that I must organize my entire day backward from my climbing time and monitor my schedule carefully on game day. I got to climb on the outdoor sport wall, which was a valuable experience.
The positives of the trip were that there were no weather-related problems. I got to visit other gyms in the area for more exposure as well. I thank the Brian Caldwell Memorial Foundation for its support of my climbing.” – Brendan
FAQ
Senderships are meant for youth wanting to get into climbing or develop their climbing skills through regular climbing (gym memberships, classes, programs, summer camps.) BCCF grants are for the climbers looking for a chance to push themselves or their climbing further with one-time opportunities such as outdoor trips, competitions (local or travel), or training clinics. If you are not sure which category your need falls into, please email us at [email protected].
BCCF applicants can receive no more than one grant per calendar year.
Typically, the upper limit for BCCF grants is $1000. However, many awards are smaller than that and some may be larger – we try to be flexible depending on the applications we’ve received and our budget for the year.