Young Explorers Grant
About
Young Explorers Grants (YEG) offer opportunities to individuals ages 18 to 25 to pursue research, conservation, and exploration-related projects consistent with National Geographic's existing grant programs, including: the Committee for Research and Exploration (CRE), the Expeditions Council (EC), and the Conservation Trust (CT). In addition, the YEG program recently teamed with the Luce Foundation to provide increased funding opportunities for fieldwork in 18 Northeast and Southeast Asian countries, including Brunei, Burma/Myanmar, Cambodia, China, East Timor, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Eligibility
The Young Explorers Grants Program supports a variety of projects—and an age-range of applicants—that are generally not covered by other sources of funding.
Applicants are not required to have advanced degrees. However, a record of prior experience in the fields of research, conservation, or exploration should be submitted as it pertains to the proposed project.
Funding is not restricted to United States citizens—foreign nationals are invited to apply. Researchers planning work in countries abroad should make great effort to include at least one local collaborator as part of their team.
Benefits
Young Explorers Grants vary in amount depending on significance of the project, though most range between US $2,000 and $5,000 at the maximum. National Geographic Society funds often serve as complementary support—thus the program encourages applicants to seek additional, concurrent funding from other sources.
Application
Applying for a Young Explorers Grant is a two-step process.
First, you must submit a pre-application form online. If your pre-application is approved, you will be sent an email with a link and a password giving you access to our full application online.
Before you submit a pre-application, there are a few things you should take into consideration:
- The pre-application form can be completed in multiple sessions. You will be allowed to save your work and complete it at another time.
- You will be asked to upload an electronic copy of your curriculum vitae (CV) while completing the form. Instructions will be provided.
- Please make sure that your browser is configured to receive cookies.
- This system works best on Internet Explorer 5.5 and Netscape 6.0 or higher.
- If you have any questions about the online pre-application form, consult our Frequently Asked Questions.
- If you don't find the answer to your question, Please email the question to the fund you are applying to: cre@ngs.org, conservationtrust@ngs.org, or council@ngs.org. Please remember to include Young Explorers Grant in the subject line.
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