Global Initiatives Grant
Forecasted
Global Initiatives Grant supports anthropologists and collaborative teams in developing public anthropology projects that reach broad audiences and build lasting capacity for engagement beyond academia.
Funder: Wenner-Gren Foundation
Due Dates (Anticipated): May 2027 (Application deadline)
Funding Amounts: One award of up to $80,000 annually; nonrenewable, with no duration limit
Summary: Supports innovative public anthropology initiatives that reach broad audiences and build lasting capacity for engagement beyond academia.
Key Information: The primary organizer must hold a doctorate and have an organizational affiliation capable of carrying project lessons forward.
Description
The Wenner-Gren Foundation’s Global Initiatives Grant supports innovative, collaborative projects that build capacity in anthropology and meet needs not addressed by its other programs. Launched in 2020, it seeks initiatives with broad, lasting benefits for the discipline. Its goals are to advance anthropological knowledge, amplify its impact, foster inclusivity, and address the precarity of anthropology as a career and field of study.
From 2026–2030, the program prioritizes public anthropology reaching broad, general audiences through accessible, pioneering, and socially consequential communication. Projects may include public media campaigns, communication platforms, training programs, or initiatives bringing anthropological perspectives into public decision-making. Supported work should achieve a specific, feasible advance and either offer a model for efforts elsewhere or build lasting communication capacity. Both targeted responses to emerging crises and longer-term public-engagement infrastructure are encouraged.
