Discover Funding Opportunities

Health Program Bursaries – Student Recruitment and Retention Bursary

This bursary has been developed through the Ministry of Health's Health Human Resource Strategy and is designed to attract students to priority health education programs and help fill key health workforce gaps across British Columbia. The Student Recruitment and Retention Bursary is available to students enrolled in eligible health programs at public B.C. post-secondary institutions. The bursary provides $2,000 per recipient per program year and is only awarded once in a 12-month period. Students are automatically assessed by their post-secondary institutions' student financial aid office, and eligible students receive a tuition credit applied directly to their account without needing to submit an application.

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.

Connected Communities Fund

The Connected Communities Fund is a partnership between OCVA, Community First Oxfordshire, and Oxfordshire County Council to support The Oxfordshire Way, a countywide vision to help people live well and independently in their communities for as long as possible. It's all about building resilience, reducing isolation, and creating opportunities for people to stay active, connected, and supported close to home. The fund supports regular, ongoing activities that bring people together and create lasting impact, including activities that help people connect and socialise, projects that support mental and physical wellbeing, initiatives that reduce isolation including language, cultural, or caring barriers, and intergenerational or community-wide projects focused on benefits for older people. The fund especially welcomes projects that fill gaps in local support, add to what's already available locally, try something new such as tackling digital exclusion or using local spaces creatively, work with local businesses to create social, environmental, or economic benefits, support unpaid carers, and help build strong, resilient communities that last beyond the life of the grant. Organisations can apply for up to £5,000 to help cover costs of running activities that benefit older adults (50+) and adults (18+) with additional needs, including people living with physical or mental health conditions, neurodivergent adults, those experiencing loneliness or social isolation, people facing language or cultural barriers, and unpaid carers. Projects can focus on community-based socialising, health and wellbeing, arts, culture and creativity, green/environmental and outdoor activities, and learning new skills. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis with no closing date until all funding has been allocated. The fund is currently paused with updates to be announced on their website and social media channels.

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.

Frederick Soddy Postgraduate Award

The Frederick Soddy Postgraduate Award provides up to £6,000 to support PhD students carrying out research on 'the study of the social, economic and cultural life of a region' - anywhere in the world. Born in 1877, Frederick Soddy was a Nobel Prize winning atomic scientist, who later in his life developed economic and sociological interests. Frederick Soddy was one of the early pioneers of what today is considered 'interdisciplinary research'. Through the foundations of the Frederick Soddy Trust, he sought to encourage research that would provide a holistic view of an area, environment, or community encompassing elements of both human and physical geography. Applicants are encouraged to make clear how their research relates to this specific objective, and are expected to engage with both physical and human geographical components in their projects. The award is open to individual PhD students or teams of PhD students. One or two awards are given every year.

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.

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-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.

Thesiger-Oman Fellowships

The Thesiger-Oman International Fellowships offer two awards annually of £8,000 to post-doctoral researchers to advance geographical knowledge, involving fieldwork, in an arid or semi-arid environment. Preference will be given to research in the Middle East and other areas visited by Sir Wilfred Thesiger. One award is given for human geography and one for physical geography. These awards were founded with the support of the late Sultan of Oman, Qaboos bin Said al-Said as a memorial to Thesiger. Applicants must be Fellows or members of the Royal Geographical Society with at least three years' post-doctoral experience. The Fellowships are open to applicants of any nation. Individuals or groups may apply for this award. The fellowships support geographical research in the physical or human dimensions of arid and semi-arid environments, particularly in the Middle East and regions associated with Sir Wilfred Thesiger's explorations.

Ralph Brown Expedition Award

The Ralph Brown Expedition Award is a single annual award of up to £12,500, offered to an experienced researcher leading a research expedition working in an aquatic environment. This includes the study of coral reefs, rivers, lakes and shallow seas. The project should be of value to the host country and, where possible, to the local community. The award has been established in memory of Ralph Brown, a Californian who lived much of his life in New Zealand. He took part in expeditions and was a keen advocate of the use of jet boats to navigate inaccessible and dangerous rivers. Brown died in 1996, shortly after winning the World Jet Boat Championship in Canada. He bequeathed a portion of his estate to RGS-IBG to fund both the Award and the Grants Officer at the Society. The Ralph Brown Award has supported projects since 1998, ranging from the wetlands of Ukraine to the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico, from coral reef studies to mountain river hazard surveys, and studies of human interaction with waterways. Applicants must be Fellows or Members of the Royal Geographical Society. The grant is open to applicants from any nation.

Peter Smith Award

The Peter Smith Award offers £1,000 to a team of second year undergraduate geography students undertaking fieldwork overseas. The award was launched in 2020 through the Society's Geographical Fieldwork Grants (now RGS Explore Grants) and is named after Peter Smith, a long-standing supporter and Trustee of the Royal Geographical Society with boundless enthusiasm for geography, the outdoors and for learning. The purpose of the award is to support the development of second year undergraduate geography students through international field-based research, with applications from across the breadth of the discipline welcomed. The first Award was delayed until 2022 because of the travel restrictions of Covid. Recipients have conducted diverse research projects including studies of mangrove ecosystems, coastal pollution assessment, oral histories of environmental crises, and glacier research.

Fieldwork Apprenticeships

The Fieldwork Apprenticeships aim to give first year undergraduate geography students the opportunity during the summer to work as a Fieldwork Apprentice for a number of weeks on a research project either in the UK or overseas, led by an academic member of staff at their university. Grants of £1,500 are offered annually for students to participate in fieldwork projects led by one of their university lecturers. Applicants must be resident in the UK and be in the first year of an undergraduate geography degree at a UK Higher Education Institution. Applicants must have the support of a lecturer at their UK HEI to participate in a fieldwork project. Applicants should demonstrate how opportunities to get involved in fieldwork would not be available to them were it not for the Field Apprenticeship, and where possible should demonstrate the challenging circumstances that prevent them from having access to such opportunities. These awards are supported through the generous donation of John and Anne Alexander and are part of a portfolio of grants, the Alexander Awards, to support and enthuse students from less advantaged backgrounds through fieldwork. One Apprenticeship is supported through the generous donation of the Hepworth Family, through the Dorothy Hepworth Expedition Award. Recipients are expected to share their experiences with others, for example at their own institution or through the Professional Ambassadors programme.

The Gino Watkins Fund Awards

The Gino Watkins Fund Awards support expeditions guiding and inspiring enterprising people towards scientific research and exploration in the polar regions. The Gino Watkins Memorial Fund gives grants annually of up to £4,000 towards expeditions that meet its objective of the diffusion and improvement of knowledge of the polar regions. The Fund endeavours to increase our knowledge of one of the least known, but most important parts of our planet, and also to stimulate the lasting qualities of enterprise, endurance and leadership gained in this uniquely arduous environment. The Fund was established in 1933 in memory of Henry George ('Gino') Watkins, who revolutionised polar exploration. Expeditions supported by the Fund visit Greenland and other high Arctic lands, as well as the Antarctic. Applications come from researchers, expeditioners, adventurers and organised groups, with particular favour given to expeditions that bring experience and training to young people or those early in their career.

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.

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.

BMC Expedition Grant

The British Mountaineering Council provides grants for international mountaineering expeditions through two separate funding streams. The first stream supports British people from under-represented groups going on mountaineering expeditions, including students and younger BMC members under 35, women, people from diverse ethnic communities, trans & non-binary people, people from LGBTQ+ community, people with a disability, and people with mental health conditions. The second stream supports British people going on innovative high-level mountaineering expeditions with significant, cutting edge and innovative ascents as their main objectives. The BMC recognizes the climate emergency and will only support expeditions in remote environments when applicants can demonstrate commitment to minimizing environmental impact, have a plan to offset carbon emissions, leave no trace behind, and respect local populations. Grant support is given to those who have considered the environmental impact including carbon emissions and sustainability initiatives. Expedition members must be BMC members, and grants are awarded with consideration to team composition and prior grant history. Recipients must submit a summary report within 4 weeks of return and a final report in due course, waiving copyright for publication. They must also contribute to BMC lecturer events if required. Grants are not available for commercial expeditions or fee-paying client situations.

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.

Zack Martin Breaking Barriers Grant

The Zack Martin Breaking Barriers (ZMBB) Grant was created in memory of Zack Martin, an avid climber and humanitarian who died just before his 25th birthday. This grant seeks to fund expeditions that focus primarily on humanitarian efforts and secondly on an objective involving alpinism, mountaineering, rock/ice climbing and bouldering. Successful candidates must demonstrate how their expedition fully encompasses both tenets of this grant. The humanitarian objective must have immediate impact, be sustainable, feasible and assure continuity to provide benefits to local people after initial implementation. Ideally, objectives will teach locals 'how to', enable infrastructure and provide some level of continued support and funding. The alpine objective must focus on alpine related adventure and/or discovery in the natural environment. Exploration in other areas such as ski mountaineering or river exploration that lead to a greater understanding and improvement of the alpine environment could also be considered.

Mountaineering Fellowship Fund Grant

Started in 1966, the Mountaineering Fellowship Fund Grant has long encouraged American climbers age 25 years and younger to go into remote areas and seek out climbs more difficult than they might ordinarily be able to do. Unexplored mountain ranges, unclimbed peaks, and difficult new routes are looked upon with favor. The review committee encourages applications from teams emphasizing the fellowship component of their objective. Grants are awarded based on the proposed project's excellence and evidence of appropriate mountaineering experience. Recipients are expected to act as American Alpine Club ambassadors to the domestic and international climbing communities, practice environmentally low impact and leave no trace ethics, and submit expedition reports upon return.

The Alison Chadwick Memorial Grant

The Alison Chadwick Memorial Grant was established in 1978 in memory of Alison Chadwick, a leading British mountaineer who died close to the summit of Annapurna whilst participating in the American Women's Annapurna Expedition. The Memorial Fund was instituted to provide grants to further British and Polish women's mountaineering in the world's greater ranges. In 1991, administration of the fund was transferred to the Mount Everest Foundation. The Award can be made to expeditions with mainly female climbers, or to individuals taking part in mixed expeditions. Applicants should use the standard MEF application form, and their eligibility will be considered automatically during the screening process. This grant specifically supports women's mountaineering expeditions to major mountain ranges around the world. It honors the legacy of Alison Chadwick by enabling female mountaineers from Britain and Poland to pursue ambitious climbing objectives in remote and challenging environments.

Capital Projects Grant

The Garfield Weston Foundation provides capital grants for building works, repairs, or equipment necessary to an organization's work. Capital grants are normally no more than 10% of a total project cost. For local community projects such as village halls, community centres, and places of worship, grants are unlikely to exceed £30,000 regardless of project size. Organizations applying for £100,000 or more must have annual income or project value over £1 million. The Foundation expects applicants to have around half of the total project costs raised before applying and to demonstrate local fundraising activity showing community support.

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.

Tesco Bags of Help Community Grant

Bags of Help is Tesco's local community grant scheme, which funds thousands of community projects every year. The scheme is always open for applications from charities and community organisations. Three community projects in each local area are voted on by customers in Tesco stores throughout the UK, with projects changing every three months. The project that receives the most votes in its area will receive a grant of up to £1,000. The scheme is administered by Groundwork, working with greenspace scotland to support successful projects in Scotland. Projects must bring benefits to the community and can cover a wide range of local causes including equipment for schools and youth groups, environmental improvements, play areas, counselling services, mental health activities, equipment to reduce social isolation, sports equipment, support for health issues, and equipment for community halls. Bags of Help can fund 100% of project costs, and projects must be completed within twelve months of receiving the grant.

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.

Now on Earth Youth Adventure Grant

The Now on Earth Youth Adventure Grant is designed to enable young adults to undertake adventurous expeditions that help develop self-confidence, resilience and mental wellbeing. The grant is intended to support those who would otherwise struggle to finance their adventure. A significant role in the organisation of any trip is considered a key part of the learning experience, so grants are not awarded to individuals seeking to partake in organised trips, races, courses or events. The grant supports human-powered expeditions involving physical exertion with clearly defined goals that are as original as possible and span a minimum of 3 days. Expeditions must be self-organised and recorded afterwards in a blog post with photographs or film format for sharing on the website and social media. Applications for adventures with purpose (environmental, social etc) and close to home UK-based expeditions receive extra scoring points. Grant awards generally range between £100-£500 depending on the expedition, although potentially more in a minority of cases. The expedition must take place within 12 months of the grant being awarded. The grant is currently closed with plans for the next fundraiser in June/July 2026.