Waitt Grants
Applicants are not required to have advanced degrees to be eligible for funding, though they will be required to show a commensurate level of expertise and experience. Applicants must have an affiliation with an educational organization or other institution.
Previous grantees must first comply with all prior reporting and financial-accounting obligations before submitting applications for additional support.
The National Geographic Society/Waitt Grants Program, an initiative of the National Geographic Society and the Waitt Institute for Discovery, helps qualified and experienced individuals launch the most difficult stage of a project for which to secure fundingâ€â€the search. Grants are made for exploratory fieldwork that holds promise for new breakthroughs in the natural and social sciences. NGS/Waitt Grants applications are processed throughout the year and grants are awarded expeditiously to help researchers take advantage of immediate opportunities.
National Geographic Society grants may not be used for indirect costs, overhead, and other expenses not directly related to the project. Fringe benefits are also excluded, as are salaries.
Funds may not be used for travel to scientific/professional meetings or conferences, legal actions, land acquisition, endowments, construction of permanent field stations, or publishing research results. Tuition costs are not allowable.
Grant recipients are expected to provide the National Geographic Society with rights of first refusal for popular publication of their findings.