The National Geographic Society’s Young Explorers Grants programme cultivates future leaders in the fields of science, conservation and exploration by providing passionate youngsters with some of their first grants for field work. The grants are offered year-round, and support young people between the ages of 18 and 25 in three areas — Research in social, natural and physical sciences, conservation of species, habitats, ecosystems and biological diversity, and exploration through expeditions, filmmaking, photography, arts, journalism, etc.
Since the inception of the Young Explorers Grants programme, National Geographic has provided more than 370 grants for work in 79 countries. The breadth of issues and discoveries has been extensive: Young Explorers Grant recipients have built passageways for safe migration of endangered species, created a prize-winning film about an extreme kayaking expedition, and developed new technologies to excavate prehistoric mammals in Mongolia.
Applying for a Young Explorers Grant First, applicants must submit a pre-application online. If the pre-application is approved, they receive an invitation to fill out the full application online. This goes through an extensive review process by experts. Young Explorers Grants range between U.S. $2,000 and $5,000. National Geographic Society funds frequently serve as complementary support, so we encourage applicants to seek additional, concurrent funding from other sources. The grantees are also expected to provide a full report on their field work, including photos and video where appropriate, and this is shared these results with National Geographic’s media. For more information, visit
>www.nationalgeographic.com/explorers/grants-programs/young-explorers
The writer is Director, Expeditions Council and Young Explorers Grants
