2023 Geographical Fieldwork Grant recipients from Newcastle University researching anthropogenic and climatic impacts in Longyearbyen and Longyearbreen, Svalbard. Image courtesy of Matthew Nicholson
Each year the Society supports over 60 fieldwork projects with our range of field research and independent travel grants – many of which have application deadlines in the coming months.
Grants for independent travellers and researchers
Are you an independent traveller looking to further understanding of the planet and its cultures, peoples and environments, and share what you find with the world? If so, the Journey of a Lifetime Award or the Neville Shulman Challenge Award could be for you.
In partnership with BBC Radio 4, the Journey of a Lifetime Award offers £5,000 to support you to undertake an original and inspiring personal journey and share the story in your own radio documentary to be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in autumn 2024.
The Neville Shulman Challenge Award offers £5,000 to an individual or team planning an intellectually or physically challenging research project or expedition to take place in 2024.
Grants for researchers
The Society has grants available to support early-career and established researchers, ranging from £3,000 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 £3,000 for desk or field-based research in any area of geography. For early-career researchers looking to attend an international conference organised by a geographical scientific union or association formally affiliated with the International Science Council, you can apply for the 30th International Geographical Congress Award to help fund your attendance.
Grants for students
Are you an undergraduate, master’s or PhD student looking for your first experience of fieldwork, or funding to help support your dissertation research? Each year the Society supports around 30 university-student projects to do just this.
Grants for innovations in teaching and learning and for school fieldwork
If you are a primary or secondary school teacher organising school fieldwork in 2024, 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.
Deadlines for Society grants run from 31 October 2023 to 1 April 2024. View the full list of upcoming deadlines.
More information and how to apply