2. Do I need to be a member or a Fellow of the Society to apply for a grant?

A number of our grants specify that you must be a Fellow to apply; if that is the case, this requirement will be clearly stated on the grant guidelines that can be found on the individual webpage of each grant, along with any other eligibility criteria.

There are a range of benefits associated with becoming a member or Fellow of the Society, with a variety of packages available for individuals, schools and organisations. Membership will enable you to attend the UK's largest programme of popular, high profile geographical lectures in London and the regions of England and Wales as well as access to the Foyle Reading Room, with over a million maps and extensive archives encompassing the Society’s 180 year history.

Fellowship of the Society enables you to network with others in your profession, apply for professional status as a Chartered Geographer, participate in a choice of 28 active research groups for scholars and access the Society’s three academic journals. Fellows have unlimited use of the Foyle Reading Room and our library of maps, books, guides and have unrivalled access to our historic Collections Receive and can receive expert advice on fieldwork and expeditions.

For full details of the ways in which you can engage with the Society, visit our website: www.rgs.org/joinus.

Back to Top

3. Can I apply for two or more RGS-IBG grants at once?

Of the 23 grants offered through the RGS-IBG’s grants programme, 18 are awarded by the Society and 5 are administered by the Society on behalf of other organisations:

Society grants	Society-administered grants
EPSRC Geographical Research Grants	Dudley Stamp Memorial Award
Geographical Fieldwork Grants	Frederick Soddy Award
Hong Kong Research Grant	Geographical Club Award
Innovative Geography Teaching Grants	Gilchrist Fieldwork Award
Jasmin Leila Award	Henrietta Hutton Research Grants
Journey of a Lifetime Award
Land Rover 'Go Beyond' Bursary
Monica Cole Research Grant
Neville Shulman Challenge Award
Peter Fleming Award
Ralph Brown Expedition Award
Ray Y Gildea Jr Award
RGS-IBG Postgraduate Research Awards
Slawson Awards
Small Research Grants
Thesiger-Oman International Fellowships
20th International Geographical Congress Award
30th International Geographical Congress Award

Candidates may have only one Society grant application pending at any one time, but may apply for as many Society-administered grants as they are eligible for.

4. I’ve been accepted to read a geography related undergraduate/postgraduate course and require assistance with fees and/or living costs, are there any grants that would be suitable for me?

The Society’s grants programme provides funds for geographical research and fieldwork; unfortunately we do not have grants to assist with fees or living costs.

Back to Top

5. I’m fundraising to go on a gap year trip with another organisation, would I be eligible for support from the Society?

Unfortunately, the Society does not have grants to assist with the costs of pre-organised gap years. However, the Society’s Learning and Leading Gap Year Scholarships offer grants of up to £4,000 plus expert support and mentoring to help plan a worthwhile gap experience.

The Society also has resources with useful advice on planning a gap year, a bulletin of expedition vacancies, a register of personnel available for expeditions, as well as running a number of fieldwork and expedition seminars and workshops throughout the year for people planning research and expeditions. For further details, please visit Geography Outdoors or contact our advisory team: go@rgs.org.

Back to Top

6. I’m under 18 and/or at secondary school and would like to apply for a grant, would I be eligible for support from the Society?

The RGS-IBG grants programme unfortunately does not offer grants to school students. However, our Learning and Leading programme provides bursaries for maintained school A-Level students to undertake fieldwork summer schools in the UK. Each summer, we hold a fully funded residential fieldwork summer school for geography students at the end of their first year of AS / Highers (or equivalent) who would not normally have such opportunities. We also offer grants to geography teachers to help them develop innovative and exciting new lessons.

Back to Top

7. I’ve got a project that doesn’t fit into any of the grants offered by the RGS-IBG, can I still apply for funds?

The Society only offers funds to projects through its existing grants. However, we also maintain a database of other funding organisations which may have opportunities more suitable to your circumstances; we encourage you to look through this even if you apply for an RGS-IBG grant.

Back to Top

8. I’m currently planning an expedition/fieldwork, how far in advance should I apply for a grant?

When fundraising for an expedition or overseas fieldwork, it is important to strike a balance between applying for a grant too early and not having made detailed enough plans to be able to put forward a convincing argument for funding, and applying too late and finding that the administrative process for the award will take too long for decisions to be made in time. The application process for each of the Society’s awards varies, with some requiring multiple applications and interviews and others requiring only an application form to be completed. Full details on the process for each award can be found on each grant’s webpage.

In general, the application process lasts between 3-4 months, so it is important to apply for grants whose application deadline is no less than 4 months before your planned departure date. The majority of the Society’s grants are awarded annually; if there is an award that appears particularly appropriate to your circumstances but does not fit in with your schedule, it may be necessary to apply for it a year early.

Back to Top

9. I’m planning an expedition, do you have any resources other than the Grants Programme that will help me?

The Society has a wealth of resources to assist expeditioners.

  Geography Outdoors (GO) provides information, advice and training to anyone planning overseas fieldwork. Expedition teams and groups are strongly advised to contact Geography Outdoors at an early stage in their planning to avail of the expert knowledge available throughout the planning process. GO maintains a database of all projects and expeditions which are being planned each year to help those planning similar ventures, as well as a library of past expedition reports which can be consulted. GO also advises on other sources of funding, organises a series of seminars, workshops and training days, and runs Explore, the annual expedition and fieldwork planning weekend. For full details of the services and resources offered by GO, please visit: www.rgs.org/go

  The Society's Collections comprise over 2 million documents, maps, photographs, paintings, periodicals, artefacts and books, and span 500 years of geography, travel & exploration. If you're interested in looking at an eighteenth century map of the Amazon basin or just want to browse through our collection of the latest travel guidebooks, contact our collections team or visit the Society.

Back to Top

10. Can I apply for retrospective funding for a project that has already finished?

The Society does not consider applications for retrospective funding.

Back to Top

11. I’ve applied for a grant, when can I expect to hear the result of my application?

The application process for each grant is different, and may involve up to two proposals to be submitted, interviews to be attended as well as training days. Full details can be found in the guidelines for each award which can be found on the individual webpage for each award. In general, the application process lasts between 3-4 months, though this may be extended if there are delays in scheduling interviews. All candidates, whether successful or unsuccessful in their application, will be contacted.

Back to Top