Discover Funding Opportunities

Lieutenant Governor's Medal Program for Inclusion, Democracy and Reconciliation

The Lieutenant Governor's medal program was established in 1979 to recognize students enrolled in vocational and career programs at public post-secondary institutions in British Columbia. The medal program was created to recognize students who excel in their studies and contribute to the life of their institution or community. For nearly forty years, British Columbia's Lieutenant Governor has awarded the medal to outstanding students who have distinguished themselves through their post-secondary education. Effective 2019, the award was modernized to also recognize B.C. public post-secondary students in two-year diploma programs and four-year undergraduate programs. The program criteria now recognizes students who have made outstanding contributions to the promotion of inclusion, democracy and/or reconciliation within their campus community. Recipients are chosen by their institution and receive a commemorative medal.

Learning for Future Grant

The Learning for Future Grant is a financial assistance program offered by StudentAid BC to support students who were formerly in government care. The grant provides $3,500 annually (per program year from August 1 to July 31) to help cover education-related costs not covered by the Provincial Tuition Waiver Program, such as textbooks, computers, and supplies. To be eligible, students must meet all eligibility criteria for the Provincial Tuition Waiver Program and be enrolled in a program or course below graduate level that leads to a credential (citation, certificate, diploma or degree). Each study period must be a minimum of 6 weeks or 35 tuition hours in duration. First-time applicants must submit an application through their institution's Financial Aid Office to StudentAid BC, while returning students need only submit an annual Declaration form.

Canada Student Grant for Part-Time Students with Dependants

This program helps part-time students with dependants with the cost of education. Students studying part-time who qualify for this grant and who have up to two children under 12 years of age may be eligible for up to $56 per week of study. Students studying part-time with three or more dependent children may be eligible for $84 per week of study. You could receive up to $2,688 each school year (August 1 to July 31). You can get this grant for each year of your studies (including undergraduate and graduate levels) as long as you still qualify. The amount of the grant will not exceed your assessed need. The Canada Student Grant amounts are temporarily increased by 40% from 2019/20 pre-pandemic levels until July 31, 2026.

Canada Student Grant for Full-Time Students

This grant program provides extra financial help to students from low and middle-income families pursuing full-time post-secondary education in Canada. Based on the previous year's annual income and family size, eligible students may receive up to $525 per month of study (temporarily increased by 40% from pre-pandemic levels until July 31, 2026), which equals $4,200 for a standard 8-month academic year. Lower amounts are awarded based on higher incomes. The grant is automatically assessed when students apply for a student loan through StudentAid BC, requiring no separate application. Students must qualify for a federal student loan, meet income thresholds established by the Government of Canada, and be pursuing full-time post-secondary studies leading to an undergraduate degree, certificate, or diploma in a program of at least two years (60 weeks) duration at a designated institution.

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.

Monica Cole Research Grant

The Monica Cole Research Grant offers £1,000 each year to a physical geography undergraduate or Masters student undertaking original fieldwork overseas. Named after Monica Cole, a leader in the field of geo-botany who held the position of Chair of Geography at Bedford College and received the Society's Murchison Medal for major contributions to the geography of South Africa and to the understanding of savannas. Applicants must be registered at a UK Higher Education Institution. The grant supports student-led research in physical geography disciplines including glaciology, climate science, geomorphology, biogeography, and related earth science fields.

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.