Changing lives, one dream at a time.
Bespoke bursary packages to help young adults fulfill their dreams with grants crafted for adventure, sports or trade skills.
Bespoke bursary packages to help young adults fulfill their dreams with grants crafted for adventure, sports or trade skills.
On April 8th, my son, Finn Wardman born 2002 in Bermuda died in tragic accident in St Legier, Switzerland.
Finn was a proud Bermudian who had travelled all over the world, and was attending his second year at Durham University in northern England. Finn was passionate about adventure and travel, while also being a serious student. He was studying business administration and was on track to complete his studies with a first. He had planned to do a gap year after finishing his degree. He was also planning to study a year abroad in Madrid, Spain, and take all native speaking Spanish language business courses. He had been accepted into this program weeks before his death.
We have three main types of grants that young adults (ages of 18 -26) can apply for. The Adventure Grant, the Athletic Grant, and the Vocational Grant. Before you apply, you should consider which you are most interested in, and which best applies to you. If you have any questions about any of the grants, check the FAQs below or find more information in the Apply Now page. You can also send us an email and we can help you formulate a plan.
The Finn Wardman World Explorer Grants are proudly managed through a selection group committee of 10 -15 young adults. We are proud to award an experiential grant- empowering young people to explore the world and pursue their passions.
We are an endowment fund located in Bermuda, with partnerships with the Costa Verde International School in Sayulita, Mexico and also in cooperation with corporate entities in Bermuda, as well as other yet to be named education centres. We help young adults realize a passion for travel, adventure and/or career skills development who are held back by financial limitations.
The World Explorer Grants are aimed towards the transformative power of travel and adventure. Our programs are designed to offer young individuals a unique and bespoke opportunity to explore the World, motivate individuals to challenge their limits both physically and emotionally, and foster an adventurous mindset.
Experiential Learning Opportunities
Another intentional element of the Fund is to introduce direct learning experiences that turn theory into practice. Such experiences will contribute to building real-world skills, encourage critical thinking, and promote personal growth through direct, practical experience.
Volunteering and Community Building: Making a Difference
We are committed to fostering a sense of global citizenship. Our scholars will have the opportunity to volunteer in diverse communities, contributing to meaningful projects that make a real difference. This hands-on involvement allows for personal growth while positively impacting the lives of others. We are teaming up with new partners to help curate a guided experience.
Empowering the next generation of leaders
The intent of the scholarship program is to help empower the next generation of leaders by exposing them to new perspectives, cultures, and challenges. These experiences build adaptability, empathy, and problem-solving skills- essential traits for leading in a diverse, interconnected world.
Cultural Immersion: A Gateway to Global Understanding
A core component of our scholarship will be experiencing and understanding different cultures. Participants will immerse themselves in new environments, learning from local traditions, languages, and lifestyles. This cultural exchange is vital in fostering global understanding and empathy.
Join us in this life-changing adventure
The Finn Wardman World Explorer Grant is more than a bursary; it’s a journey towards personal and professional growth. It’s an adventure that combines travel, experiential learning, community service, leadership development, and cultural exchange to create a well-rounded and transformative experience.
We have seen how travel and adventure affected the lives of our son’s and their friends who grew up in various countries around the world. Living outside of your comfort zone and exposure to dynamic situations helps to build confidence, adaptability, resilience, and self-awareness which are all important qualities for personal growth and success in all areas of life.
We want to help to change lives, one person at a time, in perpetuity.
The initial fund-raising process began in 2024 with a 100-mile ultra marathon in the U.S. The idea is to hold an event every year, somewhere in the world. These events are meant to follow the vision of the fund, to inspire adventure, travel, education and personal growth and to celebrate the impact we’re making together.
The fund is open to any young adult between the ages of 18 to 26 that can demonstrate need and a planned itinerary that meets the funds primary purpose.
Demonstrate alignment with the purpose of the fund. Provide supporting documentation where required. Eligibility guidelines are designed to ensure funds are distributed fairly and responsibly.
The application will require: Personal detail. A description of your situation and funding need. Supporting documentation. A solid plan, with budget. Contact information for follow-up. To see all of the information necessary, you can watch the video on the Apply Now page.
Incomplete applications may not be considered.
Yes, basically, there are no windows were our application process is closed. We take applicants all year long. The application process is that we have three co-founders give an overall feel for the applicant and whether the overall plan is inline with the fund’s primary mission. If it passes that test, we move to the next phase which is an interview with the selection committee which consists of a group of young adults which create a judging peer group. Usually, we can get back to the applicant with a yes or no inside of 30 days. Most times much sooner if the application has everything together.
Yes, of course. We will be running big promotions online in an effort to find worthy applications that are worthy of following and fulfilling your dreams.
As of now, we are not a registered charity. We are not taking any donations until our application has been processed. Currently, we are registering through our home island of Bermuda. Once we become a charity, and we hope that is soon, we will change the literature on this site to reflect that change.
Currently, we have packages for $5000 and $10,000 but we have been known to give amounts in between this amount for the right package.
Yes, you can go as crazy as. you want. The fund really likes to see applications with plans to stay out in the field for as long as possible. We feel that real adventure starts the longer you are in the field, doing what you love, being resourceful and making your dreams come true despite being stretched thin on resources.
Generally, the application should take a few hours to complete. It will be necessary to come up with a loose plan with a potential budget. Some of our applicants say that it takes as long as a week to apply, mainly due to extra time needed to price out basic travel plans and make detailed intro videos. The application process itself does not take that much time, but you may wish to take time to collect references and make a better plan with your travel budget. We are here and available to help formulate a plan. Just send us a message and we can assist you in the process.
