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Hear about the three new grants we have launched this year! Plus, a reminder on upcoming deadlines.

Each year we support over 70 fieldwork projects with our range of grants, helping develop new knowledge and advance geographical science, both in the UK and abroad.

This year we are excited to launch three new grants, the Ran and Ginny Fiennes Award, Gino Watkins Fund Awards, and RGS-Risman Environmental Changemakers Accelerator.

  • Designed to support the next generation of emerging travellers and expeditioners with grants of £2,000 to £5,000, the Ran and Ginny Fiennes Award is given in support of humanitarian, scientific or educational projects which follow in the Transglobe Expedition’s tradition of challenge and perseverance.
  • The Gino Watkins Fund Awards offer up to £4,000 towards expeditions that aim to improve knowledge of the polar regions, one of the least known but most important parts of our planet.
  • The RGS-Risman Environmental Changemakers Accelerator provides opportunities for young people with a passionate interest in environmental issues to develop the skills, confidence and experience needed to become future changemakers. Individuals will be provided with guidance, training and up to £4,000 of funding for a transformative journey.

Many of our grants, including the new ones, have application deadlines in the coming months, starting from 23 November.

Apply now for our 2026 grants

Grants for independent travellers

Are you an independent traveller looking to further understanding of the planet, its cultures, peoples and environments, and to share what you find with the world?

If so, the Neville Shulman Challenge Award could be for you. This year we have doubled both the number and value of the award, with two grants of up to £10,000 now being offered.

The 2026 grants cycle also sees the re-launch of our oldest award, the Geographical Fieldwork Grants, which have been refreshed to better reflect contemporary exploration.

Henceforth known as the RGS Explore Grants, the maximum value of these much-loved awards has been increased to £5,000, while the focus remains on teams embarking on their first expeditions.

Grants for researchers

We also have grants available to support early-career and established researchers, ranging from £3,500 to £15,000. The Ralph Brown Expedition Award, Walters Kundert Fellowship and Thesiger-Oman International Fellowships support research taking place in aquatic, Arctic/high mountain, and arid/semi-arid environments, respectively.

For work across the full breadth of geography and related disciplines, the Gilchrist Fieldwork Award offers £15,000 to teams of established researchers undertaking challenging fieldwork overseas.

Specifically for post-PhD, early-career researchers, our Small Research Grants offer up to £3,500 for desk or field-based research in any area of geography.

Grants for students

The RGS offers a suite of grants for undergraduate, masters, and PhD students looking for funding to help support field research. Each year the Society supports around 30 university-student projects.

For first-year undergraduate students, the Fieldwork Apprenticeship scheme gives up to £1,500 to support a student joining a field research team.

Grants for innovations in teaching and learning and for school fieldwork

If you are a primary or secondary school teacher organising school fieldwork in 2025, you can apply for the Frederick Soddy Schools Award for up to £600 to support your trip.

The Society also offers grants for teachers and those working in higher education to research innovations in teaching and learning and to develop new teaching resources.

Considering applying?

Deadlines for Society grants run from 23 November 2025 to 1 April 2026.

If you’re interested in applying for one of our grants or have any questions, you can email grants@rgs.org to find out more.

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