Raising funds for a 7-man expedition team is no easy task. A climbing permit alone costs $70,000 for at least 7 persons. In addition to the costs, the team offers no guarantee of success, a high risk investment for companies. That is why the team was surprised when Lucio Tan was quite generous with his financial contributions to the team's expenses. The reason was that Lucio Tan shared the team's dream of climbing the highest peak on the world and said the expedition was also a matter of national pride.

In contrast to the team, Garduce's solo climb had an easier time collecting funds with GMA7 as its main backer since the overhead costs were lower and interest sparked when the two climbs were seen as a race between the 2 networks.