Leadership Messages

A Message From John Fahey, President and CEO

As most of this institution’s friends and donors know, we define the work of the National Geographic Society today as being focused on inspiring people to care about the planet. Learn more >>

Message From Terry Garcia, Executive Vice President, Mission Programs

The Explorers Symposium was indeed a catalytic and empowering event for Mission Programs as well as for the Society at large. As John indicated, the people whose work we fund did share insights and updates on their specific initiatives, with extraordinary energy and passion. Learn more >>

2007 Explorers Symposium

An unprecedented gathering took place in March 2007 at National Geographic Society headquarters. Twenty-eight of National Geographic’s scientists and experts—Explorers-in-Residence, Emerging Explorers, and Fellows—convened for a three-day, first ever Explorers Symposium. Learn more >>

Research, Conservation, and Exploration

It had approximately 500 teeth, a “vacuum-shaped” mouth, and skull and
neck bones so light that it could barely hold its head above its back. The fascinating species unveiled in 2007 at National Geographic headquarters is a 110-million-year-old dinosaur named Nigersaurus, originally found in 1997 by National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Paul Sereno and his team of scientists from the University of Chicago. Learn more >>

Education and Children's Program

In fall 2007 National Geographic welcomed the new vice president for Education and Children’s Programs, Dr. Daniel Edelson. Mission Programs recruited Edelson from Northwestern University where he was a faculty member in education and computer science. He received his Ph.D. from Northwestern University and his B.S. from Yale University. As the author of ground-breaking software and text books for middle and high school geoscience, Edelson brings invaluable educational reform experience to the Geographic. Learn more >>

Special Projects

Some 7,000 distinct languages are spoken in the world today, but by 2100 more than half may go extinct. More than words are lost when languages die; millennia of human knowledge and history become irretrievable as these languages vanish. Fall 2007 marked the launch of National Geographic’s Enduring Voices Project, a five-year worldwide effort to study these disappearing tongues, document the knowledge encoded in them, and help indigenous communities revitalize their endangered languages. Learn more >>

Grant Map

Grantmaking at National Geographic has a history as deep and rich as the Society itself. More than 9,000 scientific research, conservation, and exploration projects have been funded to date, in addition to film seed grants and education grants. In 2007 alone, more than 350 grants were issued by the Society. As the Society continues to discover new ways of exploring our world, it is able to increase its grant support with the creation of a new grantmaking program, the NGS/Waitt Grants. Learn more >>

Public Programs/Missions Media

In 2007 thousands flocked to the National Geographic Museum in Washington, D.C. to experience a remarkable exhibit and observe the natural world from a whole new perspective. The National Geographic Crittercam exhibit celebrated the pioneering scientific tool, invented by Greg Marshall, that shows us the world through animal eyes. Learn more >>

Donor Profiles

The Society’s ability to undertake critical projects and remain at the forefront of exploration is made possible because of generosity from its philanthropic partners. With an ever increasing need to work together to inspire others to care about our planet, donors to National Geographic provide the framework that enables the Society to explore the world. Learn more >>

Financials

The National Geographic Society’s financial highlights illustrate how contributions from public and private sources help support vital projects within the Society’s Mission Programs in the areas of research, conservation, exploration, education, and public outreach. Learn more >>

Ways to Give

National Geographic’s work is made possible through the generous support of individuals and organizations. There are many ways to support the mission of the National Geographic Society. Your gift is a testament to your commitment to inspire people to care about the planet. Learn more >>