Preserving Traditional Arts

Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic share a commitment to advancing conservation, research, education, and exploration, and inspiring people to learn about, care for, and protect our world. In support of this commitment, the mission of the Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic (LEX-NG) Fund is to support projects to understand and protect our world’s oceans, restore critical marine and coastal habitats, and foster environmental stewardship in the regions visited by the fleet, and beyond. The Fund supports inspirational, passionate project leaders who are committed to illuminating and protecting the wonder of our world. National Geographic Society and Lindblad Expeditions are in search of projects that support the work of traditional artists, knowledge holders, and heritage practitioners to preserve cultural heritage for communities around the world.

Opportunity Overview

The preservation of traditional arts such as crafts, music and folklore is crucial for the vibrancy and survival of cultural knowledge and practices worldwide. Cultural heritage, the diverse legacies of past and present societies in their many unique forms, shapes the way we identify and interact with the world. This RFP will fund projects conducting holistic conservation work that centers the role and agency of local and descendant communities. 

This RFP seeks to support projects in Baja California, Egypt, Europe and the Mediterranean, Southeast Alaska and British Columbia, and the South Pacific. For more detailed information on targeted areas within these regions, please refer to the targeted areas document. Potential projects should be led by artisans or practitioners with deep experience in the relevant local culture(s). If you are not such an artisan or practitioner but have an idea for a project that could be a good fit for the RFP, at least one artisan or practitioner should be included on your project team. Projects may include documentation and inventorying of artisan practices, methodologies, or designs; capacity development through structured apprenticeships, workshops, or trainings focused on local or regional stakeholders (including in the use of sustainable or repurposed materials in traditional arts); or knowledge sharing through community exhibits, practitioner-archival collaborations, or other approaches focused on safeguarding local artisan traditions and practices. Projects should include efforts to support sustainable transmission of traditions across generations and describe proposed activities and impacts in detail. Relevant artistic practices and living traditions for this RFP may include but are not limited to craft, music, adornment, dance, and spoken arts. Proposals will be evaluated for feasibility, applicant experience, strength of community engagement, capacity building, and novel contributions. Projects addressing an urgent need pertaining to the sustainable preservation or transmission of a particular art or practice may be prioritized.

Who Should Apply

We are looking for applicants from a wide range of professional backgrounds and encourage you to design your project proposal around your expertise and passion; our model of funding is intended to drive innovation and invite fresh perspectives. For this reason, there are no minimum academic requirements. Potential projects should be led by artisans or practitioners with deep experience in the relevant local culture(s). If you are not such an artisan or practitioner but have an idea for a project that could be a good fit for the RFP, at least one artisan or practitioner should be included on your project team. For more about what it means to be a National Geographic Explorer, please refer to our website. 

Project Eligibility

• Project must primarily focus on the preservation and transmission of traditional arts and related cultural practices.
• Candidate should be an artisan or practitioner with deep ties to the relevant local culture(s), or include such an individual on the project team.
• Candidate must select “Science” as the project’s primary discipline (this designation includes conservation projects), and “Human Histories and Cultures” as the project’s primary focus area.
• Project must be located in one of the following geographies: 
  • Baja California
  • Egypt
  • Europe and the Mediterranean
  • Southeast Alaska and British Columbia
  • South Pacific
  • For more detailed information on targeted areas within these regions, please refer to the targeted areas document.
• Candidate must be willing to provide basic project information (including but not limited to a description of project activities, goals, or impact) that can be shared with travelers aboard NG-LEX vessels.
• Candidate must be over the age of 18.
• The individual responsible for carrying out the project should be listed as the project leader.
• Most projects will be awarded as Level I grants. Level I project budgets may not exceed US$20,000. Level II project budgets may not exceed US$40,000.
  • Level I: If you are working to establish yourself in your field, hope to gain experience leading projects, are interested in joining the National Geographic Explorer community, and have not yet received a grant from the National Geographic Society, you may apply for a Level I Grant. This opportunity is designed for individuals who may be earlier in their career.
  • Level II: If you are more established in your field, have previously received a grant from the National Geographic Society, or are seeking a higher level of funding, you may apply for a Level II Grant. You are not required to have previously received a grant from the National Geographic Society to apply for this opportunity.
• Level I projects must be completed within one (1) year of receipt of funding and Level II projects must be completed within two (2) years of receipt of funding (extensions may be granted due to extenuating circumstances, on a case by case basis).
• Project start date should be no earlier than January 1, 2027.
• Application must be completed in English.
• Application materials must be complete enough to be able to assess candidate’s skills and experience, as well as the project idea.
• Project budget must align with National Geographic Society budget guidelines.

 Competitive Proposals Should:

• Include best practices when working with Indigenous Peoples and local communities, including engagement before settling on any fixed plans for the project and respect for the prior experiences and right to autonomy of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
• Integrate community knowledge systems where applicable, appropriate, and with due care for ethical protocols and intellectual property rights.
• Describe the importance of the traditional art that the project will focus on to stakeholder communities, as well as any factors relating to urgency or timeliness of the proposed project.
• Incorporate activities that strengthen cultural practices, e.g., project-based conservation, training opportunities, workshops and gatherings within a community, documentation and fieldwork.
• Include a sufficiently detailed description of project plans or methodology appropriate for review by a subject matter expert, where applicable and appropriate.
• Include clear articulation of impact goals and description of how impact will be measured, with the understanding that impact varies with cultural and community context.
• Include a detailed project timeline and budget justification.
• (Optional) Include select media of relevant artistic work samples in the proposal supplement, where applicable and appropriate.