STORYTELLINGP U S H I N G T H E L I M I T SC U LT U R A L H E R I TAG EC U R I O S I T YC O L L A B O R A T I O NSCIENTIFIC RESEARCH CONSERVATIONE D U C A T I O N INNOVATIVE METHODS

E X P L O R AT I O N2013 ANNUAL REPORT ON GRANT MAKING

James Day, GranteeGlobal Exploration Fund, Northern Europe

James Day, GranteeGlobal Exploration Fund, Northern Europe

OUR MISSION is to inspire people to care about the planet. National Geographic encourages stewardship of the planet through research, exploration, conservation and education.

Founded in 1888, the National Geographic Society, as one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations, has funded nearly 11,000 scientific research, conservation and exploration projects around the globe.

Throughout its 125-year history, it has encouraged conservation of natural resources and raised public awareness of the importance of natural places, the plants and wild-life that inhabit them, and the environmental problems that threaten them.

“The CRE [grant] is particularly important for the young scientist or those that are trying to do something that has not been done be-fore. After all, that is the spirit of National Geographic.”

-Paul SerenoPaleontologist, CRE Grantee

CONTENTSFunding a New Age of Exploration 4

Grant Programs 5

Our Investment 6

Grants Open Doors 7

Projects Around the World 8

Voices From the Field 9

Our Reach and Engagement 10

Big Stories of 2013 11

Connect with Us 12

Committees and Reviewers 13

Jonina Herdis Olafsdottir, GranteeGlobal Exploration Fund, Northern Europe

A NOTE FROM JOHN FRANCISVICE PRESIDENT RESEARCH, CONSERVATION & EXPLORATION

One of the most amazing things about National Geographic Society is the unique ability to support fantastic people and programs and tell a large global audience about them. In 2013 we were able to fund 395 projects and we are now approaching 11,000 grants worldwide over our more than 125 year history. With each award comes a potential connection to our global audience of more than 400 million people every month. That’s a big number, but at the heart of it is the spirit of exploration, which we embody at our headquarters and in our offices growing around the world. The explorers we enjoy, as this sampling of 2013 activities shows, are truly remarkable individuals. They constitute our rising charge as we “inspire people to care about the planet.”

Just yesterday, I spoke with Tim Laman who is fresh from finishing a life long quest to photograph all birds of paradise and is now focused on the wondrous world of orangutans. On the same day I received an email from Graham Edgar as he reported from a ship off South Australia about his impressive recent achievements with the Reef Life Survey. Engaging citizen scientists, as he is doing for the marine world, is a path to a sustainable future that we whole-heartedly embrace. Of course, none of this would be possible without the support of partners, donors, members, who bring us fresh perspectives, contacts and resources to empower significant worldwide exploration. For that I am truly grateful as I know are all my colleagues at the National Geographic Society. John Francis

For more than 100 years, the National Geographic Society has supported scientists, storytellers and explorers whose work has changed humanity’s view of the world. Across disci-plines, our grantees are on the cutting edge of exploration, proving there are many discoveries still waiting to be made.

F U N D I N G A N E W A G E O F

E X P L O R A T I O N

National Geographic offers a range of grants programs for fieldwork across a variety of disciplines. Annually, we fund approximately 400 grants around the globe. When you support us, you’re supporting outstanding exploration.

G R A N T P R O G R A M ST H E W O R K Y O U S U P P O R T

Click on a grant program’s title to learn more about its history and what it funds. Click the images to link to online content for the grant.

Each ring represents $25,000

Each ring represents $55,000

Each ring represents $200,000

OUR INVESTMENT:2013 GRANTS

Total dollars awarded: $8,374,468Total Grants awarded: 395

Astronomy

Geology

Genetics

Geography

Paleontology

Anthropology

Energy

Exploration and

Adventure

Archaeology

Biology

Conservation

Total:$25,000 Total:

$50,000

Total:$171,494

Total:$272,347

Total:$299,322

Total:$292,330

Total:$340,945

Total:$584,709

Total:$1,316,882

Total:$2,179,000

Total:$2,661,819

National Geographic supports outstanding individuals doing inspirational work. Our initial investmentin these changemakers starts with funding fieldwork, but often the relationship extends to training, outreach, collaborative endeavors with scientis and media, and beyond.

G R A N T S O P E N D O O R SOPPORTUNITIES BEYOND FUNDING

SUPPORTING PROJECTSA R O U N D T H E W O R L D

Since 1890, we have awarded nearly 11,000 grants. We funded nearly 400 grantees in 2013, alone. These projects are our window on a changing world.

Click on the map below to explore the 2013 grants in our online interactive map.

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How do you inspire concern for vanishing cultures and commitment to environmental action? Our grantees have the communication skills to connect people with the pressing social and environmental issues of our time.

V O I C E SF R O M T H E F I E L D

BOOKS 3

TELEVISION 19

LECTURES 26

MAGAZINES 44

TEXTBOOKS 52

NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.COM 225

Sharing grantee work with the world is a vital component of our mission-

“Inspiring people to care about the planet.”

National Geographic reaches more than 435 million people worldwide, each month, through its range of media platforms. Our grantees were featured over 500 times across thesemedia in 2013.

O U R R E AC H A N DE N G A G E M E N T EXTERNAL

MEDIA 92

RADIO 44

National Geographic grantees dedicate months, years and lifetimes to studying our world. They return from the field with new discoveries, and stories to tell. Some of the year’s biggest headlines came from Grantee work, and these are worth a second look.

BIG GRANTEE STORIES

FEATURED IN 2013

CONNECT WITH US Contribute to a New Age of Exploration! Join us online at nationalgeographic.com or explore the many ways you can find us, below.

MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

COMMITTEE FOR RESEARCH AND EXPLORATION : Paul A. Baker, Kamaljit S. Bawa, Colin Chapman, Keith C. Clarke, J. Emmett Duffy, John Francis, Carol Harden, Kirk Johnson, Jonathan B. Losos, John O’Loughlin, Naomi Pierce, Peter H. Raven, Jeremy A. Sabloff, Monica L. Smith, Thomas B. Smith, Wirt H. Wills

EXPEDITIONS COUNCIL: Rebecca Martin, Terry Garcia, Chris Johns, John Francis, Mark Bauman, Keith Bellows, David Braun, Geoff Daniels, Dan Gilgoff, Peter Gwin, Susan Hitchock, Amy Kolzack, Jared Lipworth, Gregory McGruder, Robert Michael Murray, Howard Owens, Tim Pastore, Sadie Quarrier, Brooke Tunnette, Jamie Shreeve, Carlyn Staudt, Lisa Thomas, Kenneth Broad, Anne Giesecke, Bernadette McDonald, Virginia Morell, Nick Nichols, Rick Ridgeway, Donovan Webster, Gordon Wiltsie

NGS/WAITT GRANTS: Sarah Laskin, John Francis, Dominique Rissolo

GLOBAL EXPLORATION FUNDNORTHERN EUROPE: Karen Gunn, Sandra Knapp, Manfred Niekisch, Jan Nijman, Chris Scarre, Birger Schmitz, Lars Werdelin, Martin WikelskiCHINA: Zhang Shuang, Ma Jun, Lu Zhi, An Zhisheng, Qu Jiuhui, Bi Jun

BIG CATS INITIATIVE: Tom Lovejoy, Sara Durant, Luke Hunter, Dereck and Beverly Joubert, Tico McNutt, Stuart Pimm, Gerogre Rabb

GENOGRAPHIC LEGACY FUND: Terry Garcia, Simon Longstaff, Dominique Rissolo, Kim McKay

THE GREAT ENERGY CHALLENGE: Sally M. Benson, José Goldemberg, Thomas E. Lovejoy, Amory Lovins, Rajendra K. Pachauri, Daniel Kammen

COMMITTEES & ADVISORY BOARDSThe National Geographic Society sincerely thanks the experts who sit on our grants committees and advisory boards. These individuals are key to the success of our grant making process, and we are most grateful for their time and commitment to our programs and the projects they support.

GRANT REVIEWERSThe National Geographic Society sincerely thanks the thousands of expert reviewers who assist us in supporting more than 400 projects a year. These individuals are key to the success of our grant making process, and we are most grateful for the hours and expertise they devote to the grant programs and the quality they ensure in our approval process. All proposal reviewers for 2013 are listed below in alphabetical order. Names with an asterisk indicate individuals who reviewed two or more grant proposals this year.