Grants for Expeditions & Travel

Anyone with an idea for an unusual expedition abroad, or for a trip that has a purpose other than a holiday, should seek details about available grants. There’s a wide range of bodies willing to help with the cost of mounting an expedition. Some of them are also able to attract publicity and further sponsorship.

Don’t Delay

It’s vital, though, to start looking for support without delay. Some grant applications can take a while to process. Others lay down criteria that an expedition team may not be able to meet straightaway.

Universities

One common source of expedition funding is universities. University College London (UCL), for example, has an expeditions and travel committee.

The UCL committee makes annual awards of expedition grants to teams of students who wish to explore challenging environments around the globe. These environments must demand unique team and organisational skills.

Individual UCL students can also apply for travel grants. Again, the travel must be challenging. It should also have a clear purpose and require personal initiative.

Another instance of a higher education body with a travel and education committee is the University of East Anglia. The committee not only gives grants to students who wish to travel; it also suggests additional sources of finance.

Royal Geographical Society

The Royal Geographical Society has grants available for teachers, researchers, postgraduates and undergraduates.

The Society has a total of around 25 grants and awards. These provide funds to 40 – 50 teams each year.

The Journey of a Lifetime award, for example, is for a trip to any destination on the planet. The funding is £4,000.

The Neville Shulman Challenge Award goes to a team that increases understanding of the world through exploration. The amount of the award is up to £8,000.

YET

The Young Explorers’ Trust (YET) has a grant scheme for anyone under 19. The purpose of the scheme is to help young people engage in adventurous expeditions. Such expeditions must have YET approval.Other YET awards include the David Hollier Expedition Award and the Stephenson Expedition Award.

The David Hollier Award does not insist on certain criteria. But successful applicants usually have connections with scouting or the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme.

The Stephenson Expedition Award generally goes to polar expeditions.

Gilchrist Educational Trust

The Gilchrist Educational Trust in West Sussex has grants of £1,000 - £2,000 for small or medium-sized expedition teams. A team must intend to conduct scientific research. Team members must also be willing to contribute their own money towards expedition costs.

British Mountaineering Council

The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) can supply money for international climbing expeditions. Applicants must be BMC members. They should also show that a grant would make a substantial difference to the proposed trip.

British Sub-Aqua Club

The British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC) runs an expeditions grant scheme known as BEGS. Every year, BSAC has five expedition awards, each worth £1,000. The purpose of a BSAC expedition must be to discover new dive sites or improve the skills of a team of divers. To apply, divers must be BSAC members.

Support

The above are just a few examples of expedition and travel grants in the UK. The country has a long tradition of supporting exploration; so those who have a proposal for a trip may well find help.