Two researchers sit on a sloping valley side while one stands, facing the others. They are all writing in notebooks.

Expedition grants

Fieldwork and expeditions are at the core of the Society's grants programme. Our independent travel grants support challenging and inspiring geographical journeys and expeditions all over the world.

Expedition members hike across Isunnguata Sermia, a glacier of the Greenland Ice Sheet.

Kensington Fieldwork Grant

The Kensington Fieldwork Grant offers four annual awards of £25,000 for established researchers, explorers, and storytellers undertaking field research and exploration projects with the potential for significant impact.

RGS grant recipients cross a short section of the Russell Glacier, Greenland, on return from a day of fieldwork

RGS Explore Grants

Grants of £500 to £5,000 to support teams undertaking original, challenging overseas expeditions that aim to advance geographical knowledge, with local collaboration playing an integral role.

A large group of people gathered for a ceremony on a mountaintop as the sun is setting.

Neville Shulman Challenge Award

Two awards of up to £10,000 for a challenging expedition or research project which furthers our knowledge of the planet, its cultures, peoples and environments.

Crew from the Transglobe Expedition standing in the Arctic and posing with the Benjamin Bowring ship.

Ran and Ginny Fiennes Award

Support for humanitarian, scientific or educational projects which follow in the Transglobe Expedition’s tradition of challenge and perseverance.

Low-angle shot of a windswept glacier with rocky surface and clear blue sky.

The Gino Watkins Fund Awards

Awards of up to £4,000 towards expeditions that meet the objective of the diffusion and improvement of knowledge of the polar regions.

Hand-held microphone layingon a rock in a river.

Journey in Audio

Journey in Audio offers professional training to document travel, fieldwork or a research expedition through audio recorded in the field.

Backpackers seen from behind walking on a dirt trail between green grass background of tree.

RGS-Risman Environmental Changemakers Accelerator

Expedition grant for individuals with a passionate interest in environmental issues with guidance, training and up to £4,000 of funding.

A scuba diver wearing flippers and an oxygen tank underwater taking photos of a coral reef.

Ralph Brown Expedition Award

An annual award of £15,000 to an expedition working in an aquatic environment.

Person setting up a measuring device in front of a glacier and lake. The person is wearing a hat and rucksack.

Gilchrist Fieldwork Award

An annual award of £15,000 to a research team undertaking challenging overseas fieldwork.