The National Geographic Society invites proposals that identify a challenge related to a specific place and its unique conditions and leverages an educational solution using spatial thinking to enable people to act on behalf of our planet and its people. Spatial thinking involves visualizing, interpreting, and reasoning information using location, patterns, scale, relationships, movement, and change over time in order to understand our world and develop impactful solutions. 

Applications are encouraged to make connections across disciplines to identify creative solutions through interdisciplinary methods, use experiential learning, and define spatial thinking broadly to engage learners (of any age, in any setting) in understanding a place’s unique conditions and inspiring people to take positive action for our planet and its people.

To ensure that invited applicants are prepared to submit competitive full applications, we recommend that applicants already understand—or are prepared to assemble—the methods, dissemination strategies, and proposed outputs of the full project. We also recommend that applicants are already collaborating with the community or communities that are most impacted by the place-based challenge and proposed project.

This highly competitive opportunity is open to applicants over the age of 18. Pre-applications are due May 5, 2025. Learn more and apply on the official webpage.