Global Initiatives Grant Program is sponsored by Wenner-Gren Foundation. This program supports innovative public anthropology projects that help scholars expand anthropology's impact beyond academia and reach broader public audiences.

Global Initiatives Grant | Wenner-Gren Foundation Go to all Grants and Fellowships Doctorates in Anthropology Doctorates in Related Fields Since the program’s launch in 2020, the Wenner-Gren Foundation has funded a small number of initiatives that meet a need not already addressed by our other programs.

Global Initiatives Grants help support innovative projects that benefit the discipline as a whole by creating the conditions for anthropologists to do better work. Over the years we have awarded initiatives in which a small amount of money has had a wide and lasting impact, building capacity for the discipline to thrive. Applicants of any nationality or country of residence may apply.

Applicants must have a PhD in anthropology at the time of application and be affiliated with a school or organization that can carry forward the lessons learned through the project. We are eager to receive applications from individuals based in countries, regions, and communities where anthropology is disadvantaged or under threat. Our total budget for this program is modest, so the competition is stiff.

In the past, we have prioritized projects aimed at building capacity by addressing specific themes, including the impact of Covid-19 on anthropology, the struggle for racial justice in the discipline, the ethical treatment of human remains and supporting paleoanthropology in East Africa.

From 2026–2030, Global Initiative Grants will give priority to innovative projects in public anthropology that are designed to reach broad, general audiences. Applicants may draw on any combination of anthropological tools, theories, and methods to share disciplinary knowledge in ways that are accessible, pioneering, and socially consequential.

Initiatives may be designed as targeted short-term high-impact interventions responding to emerging crises and opportunities, or as efforts to create lasting infrastructure capable of sustaining public engagement well beyond the grant period. Proposals seeking to establish enduring programs must provide a detailed and realistic plan for ongoing financial, technical, and administrative support.

One grant of up to US$80,000 will be awarded each year. Funding is nonrenewable. There is no limit to the duration of the grant.

Wenner-Gren awards do not cover institutional overhead or any fees related to the administration of our grants. The application deadline is May 15 for projects beginning January 1 of the following year. The application portal opens 2 months before the deadline.

It can take us up to 6 months to complete the review process and arrive at a final decision. Doctorates in Anthropology, Doctorates in Related Fields, Independent Scholars Although we welcome applications from teams of scholars, the primary organizer must hold a doctorate in anthropology or a related field. Graduate students are welcome to act as co applicants, but they must be listed as such for the purpose of the grant.

Applicants from all nationalities and institutional locations are welcome to apply. Grantees funded by our other programs must complete all requirements of their existing award, including submission of the final report, before applying for a new award. We don’t allow applicants to have more than one submission under consideration at the same time.

We aim to support initiatives that further our mission to advance anthropological knowledge, amplify its impact, foster inclusivity, and address the precarity of anthropology as a career and a field of study. Successful proposals will be creative, targeted, feasible, and ideally, will contribute to addressing the problems articulated in each year’s theme.

To present your project in the best possible light, please follow all instructions for completing your application. Use all the available space to describe your project. If you have questions, contact Judy Kreid at internationalprograms@wennergren.

org or (+1) 212. 683. 5000.

The application asks for the following: General information about you, your collaborators, and your project An abstract of the project Answers to six questions about your project A budget detailing the expenses involved A curriculum vitae for the applicant and each collaborator. Applications must be in English. Applicants must submit all forms and other required materials online.

If you don’t have adequate internet access to use our system, please contact us at least 1 week before the deadline and we’ll help arrange an alternative method. The online portal opens for applications 2 months before the application deadline. The Foundation requires successful applicants to comply with all U.S. laws.

These include but are not limited to regulations governed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which administers U.S. government sanctions programs and regulations relating to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List). Please see the OFAC Guidelines page on our website and consult the U.S. Department of the Treasury for more information.

In compliance with OFAC regulations, the Foundation requires special documentation for projects located in Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Crimea (including Sevastopol), the Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic regions of Ukraine, and Russia. The Foundation does not require this documentation at the application stage, but we must receive it before we can release funds.

Please do not send any other materials beyond what the application requests. Do not send transcripts, letters of reference, manuscripts, publications, photographs, or recordings. We will not use this material in the review process, and we cannot return it to you.

The Foundation has a policy regarding the use of Generative AI. Please consult it before applying. You may access the application portal here .