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Annual deadline is May 15 each year for projects beginning January 1 of the following year.
Global Initiatives Grant is sponsored by Wenner-Gren Foundation. The Global Initiatives Grant by the Wenner-Gren Foundation supports innovative projects that benefit anthropology as a whole, focusing on public anthropology designed to reach broad, general audiences from 2026–2030.
Priority is given to projects addressing specific themes like the impact of Covid-19 on anthropology, racial justice, ethical treatment of human remains, and supporting paleoanthropology. Applicants must have a PhD in anthropology and be affiliated with an organization that can carry forward the project's lessons.
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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.
Key questions and narrative sections extracted from the solicitation.
What do you hope to accomplish through this project? How will your project enhance the ability of anthropologists to have a greater impact on the wider world? How will it expand anthropology footprint by providing a new platform for public communication?
Which public audiences are you targeting and how will you reach them? What obstacles to the growth of public anthropology exist in your country or region with these audiences?
Introduce your team and describe what each member will bring to the project. What collaborations will be involved in helping you reach your goals?
Describe your methodology. What steps will you and your collaborators take to achieve your goals? Describe activities, timeline, outcomes, and success measures.
Is this initiative designed as a targeted short-term high-impact intervention or to create lasting infrastructure? How will it secure ongoing support?
How will your project communicate trusted, compelling, and relevant anthropological knowledge to broad public audiences in alignment with the Foundation mission?
Scoring criteria used to review proposals for this grant.
According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Applicants of any nationality holding a PhD in anthropology or related field, affiliated with a school or organization. Graduate students may serve as co-applicants. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows up to US$80,000. Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
The most recent published deadline was May 15, 2026, which has passed. This is an annual program, so a new cycle should follow. Check the funder's website for the next application window.
Global Initiatives Grant is funded by Wenner-Gren Foundation. Verify program details on the funder's official page before applying.
This listing is flagged as international in scope. Check the official notice for country-specific restrictions before applying.
Applications go through the funder's official portal — the Apply Now link on this page goes there directly.
The solicitation lists 6 required documents: CV for applicant and academic collaborators, Detailed budget (at or near $80,000), Abstract (200 words), Project description responses to 6 questions, Project sample (e.g., podcast episode, exhibit mockups), and Bibliography (max 10 pages). Check the official notice for formatting and page-limit rules.
Past winners and funding trends for this program