Discover Funding Opportunities

Coastal Capacity Building Fund

The Coastal Capacity Building Fund enables communities to take action in Welsh coastal areas to support nature recovery and sustainability. The fund aims to build capacity for community partners, helping them to deliver sustainable action that supports growth and recovery in local marine and coastal areas. It encourages collaboration between stakeholders, such as communities, businesses, local authorities and other public bodies, and builds networks that foster nature recovery and rejuvenation in coastal areas. All projects must meet at least one of the fisheries objectives of the Fisheries Act 2020. Funding is distributed via the Local Nature Partnerships (LNPs) and projects are run in partnership with the local LNP Co-ordinator. The scheme is funded by Welsh Government for 2025-27, building on its investment in local nature recovery through the Local Nature Partnerships.

RGS-IBG Postgraduate Research Awards

The RGS-IBG Postgraduate Research Awards were established in 2008 to support PhD students undertaking research and fieldwork. The Society offers awards of up to £2,500 for PhD students undertaking fieldwork and data collection to advance geographical knowledge. These awards are offered to individuals and aim to help students establish themselves in their particular field. Applicants must be registered at a UK Higher Education Institution. Preference is given to students who do not receive full funding from a research council, university or comparable levels of support from other sources for fieldwork and data collection. The awards include the Albert Reckitt Awards, Walters Kundert Grants, the Geographical Club Award, Hong Kong Research Grants and the Dudley Stamp Memorial Award. Successful applicants may be given a named award based on their research discipline. Fieldwork should not begin before 1 April 2026 except under exceptional circumstances, and the Society cannot support fieldwork that has already taken place.

RGS-IBG Small Research Grants

The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) Small Research Grants provide awards of up to £3,500 to early career researchers for original desk or field-based research in any area of geography. Each year several grants are given to early career researcher individuals who are up to 10 years post PhD. One grant of up to £3,500 is awarded from the 20th International Geographical Congress Fund. The Jasmin Leila Award and the Rob Potter Award may be given as a supplement to projects supported under the scheme, or as independent awards. Applicants are expected to hold a PhD at the time of applying, must be affiliated with a UK Higher Education Institution or equivalent research establishment and must be Fellows or Members of the Society. These awards are only available to individuals. At risk academic geographers hosted at UK institutions through programmes such as Cara are eligible to apply. The grants support original research across all areas of geography, including both human and physical geography topics.

Walters Kundert Fellowship

The Walters Kundert Fellowship offers an annual grant of £10,000 to support post-PhD field research within Arctic or high mountain environments. Established in 2017, the Fellowship is supported through a generous donation by the Walters Kundert Charitable Trust and encourages applicants from across the spectrum of geographical research to enhance the understanding and well-being of the planet's Arctic and high mountain environments through research. The Fellowship specifically supports field research in physical geography within Arctic and/or high mountain environments, with preference for field studies that advance the understanding of environmental change past or present. Applications are open to post-PhD researchers affiliated with a UK Higher Education Institution or equivalent research establishment, or Fellows and members of the Royal Geographical Society who are employed outside the UK. The Fellowship aims to encourage research that addresses critical questions about environmental change in these sensitive regions, including topics such as glacier dynamics, permafrost disturbances, climate change impacts, and ecosystem responses in Arctic and high mountain settings.

Neville Shulman Challenge Award

The Neville Shulman Challenge Award aims to further the understanding and exploration of the planet - its cultures, peoples and environments - while promoting personal development through the challenges involved in undertaking a research project or expedition. Established in 2001 by Neville Shulman CBE for the Royal Geographical Society, each year two awards of up to £10,000 are given to challenging research projects or expeditions. Applicants must demonstrate how the project is challenging – both physically and in terms of the issue being studied and the new insights that will be generated. Projects should have elements of both local and global interest, a clear purpose to advance geographical knowledge through well outlined methods of data collection, and with opportunities to share findings widely. Applications are invited from both individuals and groups. Project proposals directly relating to PhD or MSc research will not be accepted. It is expected that the grant will provide the majority of funding needed to undertake the project.

RGS Explore Grants

The RGS Explore Grants offer £500 to £5,000 to support teams undertaking overseas expeditions. As the successor to the Geographical Fieldwork Grants, the Society's longest running grant scheme, these awards are designed to support and enable the next generation of explorers and field researchers, especially those undertaking their first overseas projects. Awards will be made to teams undertaking original, challenging journeys with meaningful local collaborations at their core, aiming to advance geographical knowledge and deepen understanding of the world's environments, people and places. The expedition is expected to take place outside of the UK with a minimum of four weeks in the field, ideally undertaken between April and October.