What types of grants do you give and prefer so I can tailor my dream grant to be accepted?
Short answer: The Finn Wardman World Explorer Fund gives grants of $1,500 to $10,000 to people aged 18 to 26, from any country, for one specific thing money is stopping them from doing: an expedition, a season of racing, a language course abroad, a music tour, an internship in the field. We are a registered US 501(c)(3) (EIN 42-2773838). There is no deadline, no GPA requirement, no repayment and no equity. We don't pay for holidays, rent, or a plan that doesn't exist yet.
Below is everything we get asked, answered plainly, with the eleven people we've funded so far and the kinds of request we turn down.
The facts in one table
| Who can apply | Anyone aged 18 to 26 when they apply, in any country (except where US sanctions law prohibits it) |
| Grant size | $1,500 to $10,000. Most grants land between $3,000 and $10,000 |
| What it pays for | Flights, course or programme fees, entry and team fees, housing, food, local transport, essential gear, insurance |
| How it's paid | Directly to the grantee, toward the approved plan |
| Strings | None. No repayment, no equity, no brand deal |
| What we ask back | Document it. Photos, video, a few honest words |
| Deadline | None. Applications are rolling, all year |
| Time to apply | About ten minutes, plus a 60–90 second phone video |
| Apply | finnwardman.com/apply |
What we fund
We fund one thing, done properly. It usually falls into one of four kinds.
1. Adventure and fieldwork
A real trip, with a purpose, that keeps you out there for months rather than days. Expeditions, field internships, conservation work, a documentary shoot.
- Brenda Gomez Camarena, Mexico. $10,000. A marine biology internship on Little Cayman from February 2025: dive certification, reef survey work, hands-on ocean science. She made the grant last twelve months in the field by house-sitting her way through India, Australia and Bali.
- Yasmin Lorenzo. $5,000, then another $5,000. Six months of marine conservation work in Costa Rica from April 2025, including a dive in the Galápagos. She earned a second $5,000 in December 2025 to carry on to Australasia.
- Rogger Oliveira, Brazil. $2,500. A 45-day independent documentary series on everyday resilience in Lebanon and Syria, granted May 2026. His previous series ran thirteen episodes, so we knew he finishes what he starts. Departure is conditional on the situation on the ground. Safety is the one thing we don't negotiate on.
2. Sport
The gap between talented and competitive is mostly money: entry fees, team fees, travel, tyres, coaching.
- Jediah Cumbermack, Bermuda. $10,000. A motorcycle road racer who has been on bikes since he was two. The grant paid his team fees and tyres for a season in the British Superteen Championship from April 2025. He came back in 2026 and made the podium. Read Jediah's interview.
3. Vocation, language and study
A course, an apprenticeship, a placement, a programme with dates and an offer letter.
- Leonarda "Leo" Peredia, Mexico. $7,500. Our first grantee. She had never been on a plane and didn't own a passport. The grant covered flights, housing and a six-month intensive German course in Cologne. She now sits on our selection committee. Listen to Leo's story.
- Rubi, Mexico. $8,500. Arrived in May 2025 with an offer letter for a one-year master's in Biodiversity Conservation at the University of Nottingham. Real opportunity, fixed dates, money the only thing in the way. That is the application we fund.
- Melissa Musukwa, Malawi. Aged 18, a summer programme at the London School of Economics: fees, accommodation, stipend and flights. Her first flight out of Africa.
- Azile Manxiwa (Blackish Muzic), South Africa. A DJ and producer from Cape Town, referred by Bridges for Music. His first trip abroad was a European club tour in 2025. He went back in 2026 on his own money.
- Azonwabe "Ayzoman" Renqe, South Africa. $5,000. A two-month European tour in 2026, with bookings he lined up himself in France, Italy and the Netherlands, including Nuits Sonores in Lyon.
4. The Vipassana Reset
A bursary toward flights and costs for a free, donation-based 10-day silent Vipassana course in India, Thailand or Nepal, followed by a few days of travel.
- Ayden, Canada, 22. $1,500. A ten-day course in Thailand this autumn. He was ready to go with or without us, so we split the cost with him. We covered flights to Thailand and some travel funds to stay on for a week after. How the Vipassana Reset works.
This is actually our favourite type of trip to fund. Why? It is shorter, and it is life changing. It shows bold commitment from the grantee, and it is the easiest to deliver.
What we don't fund
We say no more often than we say yes. Here are the requests we turn down, and why. They are real kinds of request we receive, described without names.
| We don't fund | A request that looks like this | Why not |
|---|---|---|
| Rent, bills or living costs at home | "Please cover my rent for my final year at university." | We fund an experience that changes what you do next. Keeping the lights on is real and hard, but it's not what this fund is for |
| Tuition for a degree you're already doing at home | "Help with fees for my current course." | We have funded study abroad with an offer letter and fixed dates (see Rubi). We don't top up an existing degree |
| A purchase as the whole plan | "$5,000 to buy a bike / a boat / a car." | Gear can be part of a plan. It can't be the plan |
| A holiday, or "seeing the world" | "I'd love to travel. Anywhere is fine." | We need a place, dates, a purpose, and a number |
| Anyone under 18 or over 26 | "Sponsorship for my 12-year-old's football club." | Our age range is fixed at 18 to 26 at the time of applying |
| Schools, clubs, teams or organisations | "Funding for our school's athletics programme." | Grants go to one person, for their plan |
| A second grant | "I was funded last year, can I apply again?" | Previous grantees can't apply twice. Unsuccessful applicants can |
| Plans we can't make safe | Travel into active conflict with no exit plan | We will make a grant conditional on safety, as we did for Rogger |
What a funded application has in common
Look at the eleven above and the same things keep turning up.
- It names the thing. Not "travel in Europe" but "a six-month intensive German course in Cologne."
- It has a date. An offer letter, a race calendar, a booked gig, a course start.
- The number adds up. Flights $1,400. Course fees. Housing. Leo's budget was four lines long and every line made sense.
- They had already started. Leo studied German on her phone for years. Jediah had raced since he was two. Ayzoman booked his own shows. We fund people who were going to find a way. We just make it this year instead of in five.
- It follows our rough rule: about $1,000 a month. We love plans that get you out in the field for as long as possible, doing things that are scary and make you uncomfortable. You'll go straight to the top of the pile with a plan that gets you out, on the road, training or doing, for roughly $1,000 per month. We use that rule because we have seen grantees make it work. We have turned down expensive, shorter trips. One example was a six-week course in Hawaii that cost $12,000. We didn't have a problem with the amount, but the time for the money didn't fit our loose guideline.
Frequently asked questions
Are there grants for 18 to 26 year olds to travel?
Yes. The Finn Wardman World Explorer Fund gives travel grants of up to $10,000 to people aged 18 to 26 anywhere in the world. The trip needs a purpose: an expedition, fieldwork, a course, a competition or a placement. We don't fund holidays. Apply at finnwardman.com/apply.
Can I get a grant to travel if I'm not a student?
Yes. You don't need to be enrolled anywhere. There is no GPA requirement and no institutional endorsement. Several of our grantees were working full time when they applied, and Siya came straight out of a professional kitchen.
How much can I get?
Grants have ranged from $1,500 to $10,000. The Epic Dream Grant is $10,000. Standard bursaries are up to $5,000. Ask for the amount your plan actually costs, with a breakdown. A clear $2,500 request is easier to say yes to than a vague $10,000 one. Just because we fund up to $10,000 doesn't mean we will award that much. We prefer to see someone come in with a lower amount to get started, and then possibly ask for more once they are out in the field.
Is it a loan? Do I have to pay it back?
No. It is a grant. There is no repayment, no interest and no equity. We ask you to document the experience so the next applicant can see that real people go.
Can people from outside the United States apply?
Yes. We are a US charity, but grants are open worldwide. Our grantees so far come from Mexico, Bermuda, Brazil, Malawi, South Africa and Canada. The only exceptions are countries under comprehensive US sanctions.
Are there grants for young athletes to compete abroad?
Yes. Our Athletic Grant pays for things like team fees, entry fees, travel, tyres, equipment and coaching for athletes aged 18 to 26 who are good enough to compete and can't afford to get there. Jediah Cumbermack, a motorcycle racer from Bermuda, received $10,000 for a season in the UK and later made the podium.
Can I get a grant for a language course abroad?
Yes. Our first grantee, Leo, received $7,500 for flights, housing and a six-month intensive German course in Cologne. Name the school, the dates and the level you're aiming for.
Can I get a grant for a master's degree or university programme abroad?
Sometimes. We funded Rubi's one-year master's at the University of Nottingham because she had an offer letter, fixed dates and no other way to pay. We don't pay fees or rent for a degree you're already doing at home.
Can I get a grant for a gap year?
Yes, if the gap year has a real plan in it: a placement, a course, an expedition, fieldwork. We don't fund a year off with no destination. We've seen grantees stretch one grant to twelve months by house-sitting and couchsurfing.
Is there funding for a Vipassana or meditation retreat?
Yes, and it is our preferred type of grant. The Vipassana Reset is a bursary toward flights and costs for a free 10-day Vipassana course in India, Thailand or Nepal, for people aged 18 to 26. The courses are donation-based. The bursary pays for getting there. No meditation experience is needed. If you want to do a Vipassana or something similar and just can't afford to go, apply. Chances are good we will fund this life-changing trip.
Can musicians and artists get travel grants?
Yes. We've funded two DJs and producers from Cape Town on European tours and a performer on a summer placement in the US. The strongest applications already have bookings or an acceptance in hand.
Do you fund people under 18?
No. You must be 18 to 26 when you apply. We don't fund children's sport, school teams or high school programmes.
Do you give grants to schools, clubs or nonprofits?
No. Every grant goes to one person, for their own plan.
Will you pay my rent or living costs?
Not at home. Housing and food are covered when they are part of the plan, for example living in Cologne during a language course. We don't pay ongoing rent or bills.
Can I use the grant to buy equipment?
Yes, as part of a plan. Tyres for a race season, dive gear for fieldwork. A purchase on its own, such as a bike, a boat or a car, isn't a plan we fund.
Is there a deadline?
No. Applications are open all year and read as they arrive. The Epic Dream Grant of $10,000 is awarded each time our Instagram, @finnwardmanfund, grows by 10,000 followers, up to four times a year.
How long does it take to apply?
About ten minutes. You answer four questions (the plan, the money, your background, two references) and add a 60 to 90 second phone video. References are only contacted if you reach Stage 2. We will let you know either way whether you move to the next step or your trip falls outside our mission.
How do you choose who gets funded?
People read every application. The panel includes past grantees such as Leo and Brenda, other 18 to 26 year olds, and the co-founders of the fund. We look at four things: a specific plan, a date, a budget that adds up, and evidence you've already started working toward it. It is merit-based, not a lottery.
Is the Finn Wardman World Explorer Fund legitimate?
Yes. It is a registered US 501(c)(3) public charity, EIN 42-2773838, at 191 Sarles St, Mount Kisco, NY 10549. It was founded in 2023 by Geordie Wardman, Kirsten Wardman and Chase Toogood in memory of Finn Wardman, and has funded eleven grantees from the first $175,000 raised. Meet the team.
Can I apply again if I wasn't funded?
Yes. Unsuccessful applicants can reapply, and a sharper plan often gets a different answer. Previous grantees can't receive a second grant.
Who Finn was
Finn Wardman grew up between Bermuda and Switzerland, skied the steep stuff in Verbier, and surfed wherever there was a coast. He died in April 2023, aged 20, after a day spent surfing with his brother and laughing with his besties. He was one of a kind, and said yes before he'd worked out the logistics. This fund does the logistics part, so more people get to say yes.
If your plan has a place, a date and a number, apply here. If you'd rather help the next person go, you can donate.