Discover Funding Opportunities

Records at Risk Grants

The Records at Risk Grants programme is delivered in collaboration with the British Records Association and the Business Archives Council, to provide support for urgent interventions to save significant physical and digital records facing immediate peril, across the UK. It provides grants of up to £5,000, to protect records of cultural and research value from premature destruction or prolonged neglect. The programme aims to support archival institutions, organizations, and communities in preserving historically significant materials that are at risk of being lost due to damage, deterioration, or lack of proper storage. This funding is specifically designed for urgent interventions where records face immediate danger and require prompt action to ensure their survival for future generations.

Fisheries Grants

The Fishmongers' Company and its Fisheries Charitable Trust provide one-off grants for smaller programmes aligned with its vision to support a better future for the UK's seafood industry, freshwater and marine fish and their habitats. The grants cover projects in four main programme areas: freshwater fish, fisheries and catchment management; marine fish, fisheries and environmental management; the sustainable and innovative development of aquaculture; and supporting and developing the fish trade. These programmes are aligned with general themes including education and communication initiatives, working with research and academic establishments to support evidence-based approaches, and the development of international links. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and are typically considered within 14 working days.

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.

Dudley Stamp Memorial Award

The Dudley Stamp Memorial Award offers grants of £500 for PhD students or postdoctoral researchers to support geographical research. Preference is given to research that leads to the advancement of geography and to international co-operation in the study of the subject. Applications are particularly welcome for projects which will strengthen links between geographers in the United Kingdom and those overseas. The award was established in 1967 to enable geographers in the early stages of their careers to travel in support of their research. It honors Lawrence Dudley Stamp (1898-1966), an internationally renowned British geographer who served as President of both the Royal Geographical Society and the Institute of British Geographers. His Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain in the 1930s and 1940s sought to classify land use in Britain with the help of teachers and school children. Dudley Stamp worked to popularise geography and played a key role in promoting the teaching of the subject in schools. He travelled widely, assisting in the setting up of numerous land use surveys, while his reputation drew postgraduates from around the world to work on his projects. In 2016 the Dudley Stamp Memorial Fund became a linked charity of the RGS-IBG. The award is administered through the RGS-IBG Postgraduate Research Awards scheme.

Geographical Club Award

The Geographical Club Award offers two grants of £1,000 each year to support PhD students undertaking geographical fieldwork or other forms of data collection in the UK or overseas. The award was established in 2009, and since 2011 has provided two annual grants: one for a physical geography project and another for a human geography project. The Geographical Club is a members dining club with origins in the Raleigh Club established in 1826, which later formed the Geographical Society of London that became the Royal Geographical Society. The Club maintains close links with RGS-IBG and supports the Society through funding conservation work and this award. Recipients are invited to attend a Geographical Club dinner. 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.

Henrietta Hutton Research Grant

The Henrietta Hutton Research Grant offers up to three grants of £500 annually to undergraduate or Masters students undertaking overseas field research as an individual or as part of a team. The fund was established in 1964 in memory of Henrietta Hutton, a University of Oxford student who was a keen ornithologist and founding member of the Oxford Women's Exploration Club. Preference is given to support field research with a significant geographical, social and/or environmental science, or natural history element. Applicants should be undertaking an independent field research project that lasts longer than four weeks. The field research does not have to be related to the student's academic studies, but applicants must be registered at a UK Higher Education Institution. Where the applicant is part of a larger expedition, it should be made clear how their research is distinct from the wider project. Applicants should show strong evidence of host country participation in their research projects.

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.

Cam and Bear Fund for Adventure

The Cam and Bear Fund for Adventure is a memorial fund established in honor of Andrew Foster, described as the ultimate outdoorsman. The fund's mission is to provide disadvantaged young people with increased opportunities to experience outdoor activities that Andrew loved, including climbing and other adventure pursuits. The program aims to help young participants develop and grow while learning the importance of protecting the natural environment. Named after Andrew and his wife's adventure blog 'Cam and Bear UK,' the fund seeks to inspire others through outdoor experiences and environmental stewardship. The fund accepts applications from young people who would benefit from outdoor adventure opportunities but may lack the resources to access them.

Des Rubens and Bill Wallace Grant

The John Muir Trust offers this Grant to give people the opportunity to seek out life-changing experiences in wild places of the world in ways which will benefit both the person, and the wild places themselves. The grant commemorates two former presidents of the Scottish Mountaineering Club who each led inspiring and adventurous lives. The Grant wishes to support projects which reflect the ethos of both men and give others an opportunity to follow in their footsteps. A grant of £500 - £2,000 will be made on merit to a person who wishes to experience wild places in the spirit of Des Rubens and Bill Wallace. The project should involve travel to wild places, must be adventurous, have an educational or scientific component – and be a life-changing experience leading to a commitment to practical action to conserve wild places. The Grant committee favours independent self-led experiences over commercial expeditions, or pre-paid/charity trips. Priority is given to individuals whose financial need is greatest and grant recipients are required to provide a short project report following their return. Applicants must have a Scottish interest/link. In the decade since its inception the Grant has made over 40 awards to a wide variety of recipients, supporting adventures from studying Panamanian rainforests to circumnavigating the Isle of Skye in a kayak.

Small Grants for CTN Resilience & Biosecurity

As part of the Growing Together programme, The Tree Council, together with partners M&G and Defra, is piloting this small grants fund to support existing community tree nurseries (CTNs). These grants are intended to support the purchase of capital items that help enhance and improve infrastructure and resilience, strengthen biosecurity, and boost tree growing capacity. The programme aims to transform communities and nature through locally grown trees. In addition to financial grants, a CTN biosecurity starter kit is available to applicants for free. This funding opportunity is specifically designed for existing community tree nurseries across the United Kingdom to strengthen their operations and capacity.

Sea-Changers Coastal Fountain Fund 2026

The Coastal Fountain Fund aims to protect coastal habitats from the harmful effects of single-use plastic water bottles by supporting communities to purchase water refill fountains for busy or environmentally significant coastal areas. The fund is sponsored by Bunzl Plc and provides grants towards the cost of purchasing water fountains suitable for filling water bottles, either floor or wall mounted, that are publicly available and typically installed outdoors. Grants of up to £2,500 are available per applicant towards the cost of a fountain. The fund welcomes applications from all types of not-for-profit organisations who have identified a need and are well-placed to build the stakeholder involvement needed to make the project a success. Part of the funding comes from Our Only World, a marine conservation charity, and their contribution will be allocated to organisations applying for an Our Only World fountain. Applicants are encouraged to read the eligibility and evaluation criteria carefully and consult Refill's guidance on installing water fountains. The fund covers only the fountain purchase cost, not installation or ongoing maintenance. Previous fountains installed by applicants have cost between £2,000-£3,000, though costs can range from £1,200 to £4,000. Priority is given to new applicants, though previous recipients may reapply.

Sea-Changers Scottish Learning Fund

The Sea-Changers Scottish Learning Fund enables early-stage and small community-based groups in Scotland involved in marine conservation activities to learn, share knowledge, network and develop skills with other groups. The fund recognizes that in-person learning and networking can accelerate the development of community projects and the spread of good practices. Travel between Scotland's coastal communities, particularly those of the Highlands and Islands, can be prohibitive for small voluntary and community groups, and this fund seeks to address those challenges. The fund is made possible by the William Grant Foundation and The Scottish Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund. Grant requests generally should not exceed £750 and can cover costs including travel to events, workshops and meetings, accommodation, subsistence costs (capped at £25 per day), seminar costs, and online learning activities such as developing video case studies or hosting webinars. Applications are welcome from charities, not-for-profit organisations and community groups with a focus on marine conservation, with at least two groups involved in each project - a provider and one or more beneficiaries.