Welcome to the Yew Mountain Center and our Comprehensive Fundraising Campaign. We ask for your financial support to ensure the Yew Mountain Center, a 501c3 non-profit, can continue in perpetuity. Right now, we can ensure the YMC is around for years to come. With this campaign we ask you to support:

Land Purchase of the 500 acres that are home to the Yew Mountain Center (by June 2027), giving the YMC rights in perpetuity to conserve the land and ensure community access.
Capital Improvements to upgrade and increase our lodging capacity. Lodging income is our largest unrestricted revenue stream, supporting our nonprofit’s programs and operations.
Programs and operations through the end of 2027. Our nonprofit relies upon your charitable donations to support our ongoing mission-focused work while building our capacity and possibility for growth in the future. We offer about a dozen programs annually.

Who Are We?

Created and managed by a committed group of mostly local staff, volunteers, and board members, The Yew Mountain Center offers innovative, land-based educational programming as well as creative and cultural programming that engages our local Appalachian artists, musicians and craftspeople. We have served nearly one thousand public and private school students and home school groups. We provide more than a dozen programs annually, open to the general public, and allow public access to miles of trails. Learn more about our programs here.

The foundation of our work is the conservation of the 500 acres that the YMC sits upon. This land makes it possible to invite others to learn about and celebrate the enduring gifts of nature and culture that spring from it. The land offers livelihood, fosters community connection, and inspires creativity. As any visitor will see, in Appalachia, the land and the people are intertwined.

For the long-term sustainability of the Yew, it all begins with the Land.

What is this campaign?

We started this Comprehensive Campaign in the Fall of 2025, with the goal of raising $1.5 million dollars for the following purposes:

Land Purchase - We have been operating the Yew Mountain Center for 10 years on leased property. We now have the opportunity to purchase the land at a bargain price but we must do so by the end of June 2027! Our 501c3 nonprofit organization was founded in 2016 by neighbors to preserve these 500 acres and maximize its potential to serve the community. Since then we have been offering programs and opportunities for public access that are compatible with conservation while enriching the community and region. As we have demonstrated the value of community-engaged, locally managed conservation, we are honored and excited by the prospect of local ownership of this land that has become such a nourishing resource for the community and region.

We Need Yew to ensure that this precious resource remains responsive and accountable to the people who make their lives in these mountains.

Capital Improvements - Once we are able to purchase the land, we are planning strategic facilities improvement to address deferred maintenance and increase our lodging capacity. Income from overnight stays is our largest source of unrestricted revenue, so increasing this capacity will build resilience for our programs and operations.

We Need Yew to grow the organization’s ability to become self-sustaining.

Programs and Operations - Our ask also supports our ongoing programs and operations through December, 2027 as we transition from an organization run largely by neighbors laboring in love, to a staff that earns competitive wages.

We Need Yew to deliver our beloved high-quality experiences that connect people to the land and support resilient Appalachian communities.

Our Overall Campaign

$1.5 million dollars encompasses the sum total needed for land purchase, our programs and operations, and our capital improvements. Because our campaign amount includes everything we need until December 2027, we also count everything towards this campaign. The numbers you see on this donation page reflect all donations, grants, and income from programs and lodging. Check back here regularly to see our progress towards our overall goal!

(As of October 1st, 2026)
For Land - This includes the purchase of the land and closing costs, for a total of $920k. Raised: $520,737 or 56.6%
For Capital Improvements: $23,500 out of $191,000, or 12.3%
For Programs and Operations through Dec 2027: $138,500 out of $396,500 or 34.8%.

Your Gift

When you donate to this campaign, you can choose where you most want to make an impact!

By selecting “Land Purchase”, you ensure that 100% of your donation goes towards the Yew buying these pristine 500 acres.
By selecting “Programs and Operations”, 100% of your donation will go to support our ongoing work.
By selecting “Unrestricted”, you indicate that you prefer the Yew to make best use of your donation in our areas of highest need.
Currently, we do not have a restricted fund for Capital Improvements. Once we have secured the purchase of the land, we will open this option. However, if you would like specifically to support our Capital Improvements now, please reach out to director, Erica Marks, to discuss your gift.

Thank you for your gift!

We Need Yew

Supporting Local Ownership of the Yew Mountain Center!