Explorers Club Pathfinder Grant
Offered by The Explorers Club
About this scholarship
The Explorers Club Pathfinder Grant, formerly called the Exploration Fund Grant, awards approximately $2,500 to $5,000 to graduate and postgraduate students and early-career scientists carrying out transformative field research. It accepts proposals from any discipline when the project uses fieldwork to expand knowledge, advance scientific discovery, and produce meaningful results. Funding may cover travel, field equipment, research costs, and other expenses essential to the proposed work. The Club’s broader definition of field science includes disciplines such as anthropology, archaeology, wildlife, botany, earth science, marine and freshwater research, ecology, geography, and paleontology. It prioritizes ambitious research questions and unique or rare data over routine surveys. Applicants should provide a precise question and rationale, explain the field site and methodology, identify project personnel and qualifications, show a feasible schedule, and submit a detailed budget tied directly to the work. The proposal should also address permits, ethics, safety, community engagement, and the plan for analyzing and sharing findings. Two written recommendations are required under the Club’s general grant rules. Recreational travel, adventures without a research design, and ordinary trips that do not collect knowledge-building data are not competitive. The 2027 field-season form is embedded on the official page and is open through August 31, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. Eastern.
Eligibility
- Be a graduate or postgraduate student or an early-career scientist
- May propose eligible field research in any discipline and any country
- Use fieldwork to expand knowledge or advance scientific discovery
- Present a focused research question, rationale, methods, site, and realistic timeline
- Provide a detailed budget for travel, equipment, research, or other essential field costs
- Explain the qualifications and responsibilities of the project team
- Address relevant permits, ethics, safety, and plans for communicating results
- Provide two written recommendations
- Submit the embedded application by August 31, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. Eastern