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  Research Grants

Through its Committee for Research and Exploration, the Society has made over 5,500 grants to assist scholars and scientists around the world in increasing knowledge of our planet, its environment, and its inhabitants, from the tiniest mite to the most exalted achievements of humankind—and even of the cosmos beyond.

The Society’s support of expeditions and scientific research began with the 1890 exploration of Mount St. Elias, the highest point on the boundary between Alaska and Canada, and the discovery of 19,524-foot (5,951 meters) Mount Logan, Canada’s highest peak, and a huge frozen river of ice, named Hubbard Glacier after the Society’s first President. “In several ways, this first expedition set a pattern for the Society’s explorations and researches that have followed over the years,” wrote Melvin M. Payne, a former Chairman of the Board of Trustees, in 1963. “It triumphed over the forces of nature. It added to man’s knowledge of his world. And it established a tradition of close cooperation between the National Geographic Society and agencies of the United States Government.”

Other grants helped polar explorer Robert E. Peary in 1909; assisted Hiram Bingham in his 1912-15 excavation of the lost Inca city of Machu Picchu, high in the Peruvian Andes; and led Robert F. Griggs in 1916 to discover, name, and explore the steaming Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes in the volcanic Mount Katmai region of Alaska.

With the recent developments in photographic technology, the secret world at the bottom of the ocean has been illuminated. Grants have also dramatically expanded our understanding of animals. In addition, a continuing emphasis of the Committee for Research and Exploration is research on human modification of the environment, specifically the use and abuse of land and water. Priorities favor research that addresses pressing environmental concerns—loss of biodiversity or habitat, impacts from increasing population.

Some of the research has yielded dramatic results. “I’m convinced the mountain gorilla would be extinct if it were not for Dian Fossey’s research and dedication,” commented research committee member Charles H. Southwick, a biologist. But most of the grants will never be reported in magazines or on television. They represent the bread and butter of science, filling in critical gaps in knowledge, in specialties ranging from archaeology to zoology.

Funding is worldwide; grants are awarded on the basic of scientific merit and are separate from the Society’s magazines, publications, or television. Investigators with advanced degrees (Ph.D. or equivalent) and associated with institutions of higher learning or other scientific or educational organizations or museums are eligible to apply. Grants vary in amount and duration depending upon the need and nature of the project. The average grant amount is between U.S. $15,000 and $20,000 a year.