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Committee for Research and Exploration

100+ Years of Exploration

More than a century of funding great discoveries

Photograph by Brendan J. Haigh

Committee for Research and Exploration Grant Application

Photo: Xu Xing

Are you working on a groundbreaking research project?

Apply for a Grant

About the Program

Since 1890 the National Geographic Society's Committee for Research and Exploration (CRE) has supported more than 8,300 projects and expeditions—including the excavation of Machu Picchu, the discovery of Titanic, and the work of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and the Leakey family.

Over the last 117 years, the CRE has given more than 170 million dollars in research grants worldwide. Beginning in 1890 with a $3,500 grant that sent Israel Russell into the Yukon Territory to map and study the Mount Saint Elias region, National Geographic has gone on to support everything from primate research to Lepidoptera collection, from measuring the height of Mount Everest to assessing the biological diversity of the deep ocean.

The CRE's primary objective is to support field-based scientific research around the world, within the context of National Geographic's mission of "inspiring people to care about the planet." This encompasses, but is not limited to, an emphasis on multidisciplinary projects addressing environmental issues.

National Geographic Projects

Did You Know?

Photo: Bear in the snow

Photograph by Roy Toft

Grizzly Brothers

With 32 National Geographic grants between them, identical twin brothers John and Frank Craighead pioneered research on grizzlies in Yellowstone National Park from 1959 to 1971. Their groundbreaking research techniques to immobilize and tag the bears helped shed light on the bear's biology and led to its classification as a threatened species.

Related Features

Photo: Anthropologist Cheryl Knott studies the remains of an orangutan in Indonesia

Conservation Trust

From saving forest canopies to forging elephant corridors, National Geographic's Conservation Trust is dedicated to preservation around the globe. Learn about the pioneering program that can help you help the world.

Photo: J. Michael Fay, conservationist

J. Michael Fay, Conservationist

He's walked more than 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) through central Africa, helped create a national park system in Gabon, and assessed ecological human impact by plane. What's next for Mike Fay?

Photo: Man standing on rock near Bukig River near Barangay Cabayo in Nueva Vizcaya

Young Explorers Grants

From Sylvia Earle to Jared Diamond to Meave and Louise Leaky, we've worked with the best—and we're looking for more. Learn how National Geographic is fostering the next generation of explorers.

National Geographic in the News

 

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