Rising Explorer Grant

Benefits & funding

• Awards average US$2,000. The applicant states the amount requested on the form.
• The Club’s grants page gives the average for this grant as about US$1,500, while the program page gives US$2,000. The program page is the one that governs the application.
• The budget form covers lodging and meals, air transport, vehicle rental and fuel, field supplies, equipment, assistants, telecommunications and shipping.
• The Club does not pay for visas, immunisations, tuition, salaries for students or faculty, or the administrative overhead of institutions.
• The form asks whether the applicant would accept an award smaller than the amount requested.
• Any unused portion of the award returns to the Club, and funds must also be returned if the project is cancelled or postponed.
• Those who become Rising Explorers are automatically considered for Explorers Club membership.

Eligibility

• High school students and college undergraduates worldwide.
• Independent researchers doing work at an equivalent level.
• No nationality or residency condition is attached to the eligibility statement. The country, country-of-citizenship and country-of-residence menus in the application form are open lists covering every country.
• No age limit is stated. The form asks for a date of birth.
• The project must be field science in any discipline. The page names biology and ecology, wildlife conservation, environmental science, archaeology and anthropology, and marine and freshwater studies as examples.
• Two letters of support are required. The Club’s grants page states that each grant requires two written recommendations.
• The form asks about any past or present affiliation with the Club and about previous Explorers Club grants. No membership condition is attached to eligibility.

Application process

1. 1
   Read the guidelines on the program page and download the form as a worksheet before filling it in online — entries are not saved if the browser is closed.
2. 2
   Prepare the project title, an abstract of up to 1,500 characters, a description of up to 1,000 words, the fieldwork location, and project start and end dates.
3. 3
   Build an itemised budget across lodging and meals, transport, field expenses, communications and shipping, and declare other funding already secured or still pending.
4. 4
   Arrange two letters of support and record a short video statement introducing the applicant and the project, then add the link to the form.
5. 5
   Give permit status and any ethical concerns, plus a plan for how the findings will be handled and shared.
6. 6
   Submit the form on the program page before 31 August 2026, 6:00 PM US Eastern.
7. 7
   Awards are announced in March under the Club’s general grant timeline, unless a program’s own application says otherwise.

Program timeline

1. Application deadline, 6:00 PM US Eastern

   Aug 31, 2026

2. Awards announced, under the Club’s general grant timeline

   2027-03

3. The cycle now open

   2027

4. Within six months of the end of fieldwork

   written report and statement of expenses with copies of major receipts due