How Much Funding Has the Ghar Parau Foundation Awarded?

Updated

The Ghar Parau Foundation (GPF) has awarded £156,025 to 243 expeditions since 2007, with those expeditions travelling to 48 different countries. Separately, over the last 19 years it has given 122 individual grants totalling £10,225 to cavers heading on their first foreign expedition. These figures come from the charity's own published summary and describe cumulative totals, not annual budgets or current availability.

What the totals cover

The GPF is a 100% voluntary-based charity that manages an investment fund and provides grant aid to British caving expeditions. Its stated priority is expeditions that include an element of innovative exploration or scientific study.

Measure Figure Period
Expedition grants awarded £156,025 Since 2007
Expeditions supported 243 Since 2007
Countries represented 48 Since 2007
First-foreign-expedition grants £10,225 across 122 grants Last 19 years

The two funding streams are distinct: the larger total supports expeditions as projects, while the smaller individual grants are aimed at encouraging young cavers into expedition caving by offsetting the cost of a first trip abroad.

What the numbers do and do not tell you

The totals show a long, consistent record of small-scale grant giving rather than large single awards. Dividing £156,025 across 243 expeditions gives an average of roughly £642 per expedition, and the individual grants average around £84 each. These are averages calculated from the published totals, not stated award limits.

The figures also do not indicate:

  • how much is available in any given year;
  • application deadlines or decision timelines;
  • whether a particular expedition type or destination is currently prioritised.

For those details you would need to check the foundation's current guidance directly.

Examples of supported work

The foundation's site highlights recent and planned expeditions, which illustrate the range of activity the grants support:

  • Tresviso 2026 — a future expedition listed on the site.
  • Preservation of ancient Maya caves — a project with a conservation and scientific dimension.
  • Mae Hong Son 2026 — an expedition to Thailand.
  • Mulu Caves 2025 — work in the Mulu cave system in Borneo.

These examples match the stated preference for expeditions with innovative exploration or scientific study, and they show the geographic spread implied by the 48-country figure.

If you are considering an application

The published record is useful for judging scale: expect modest grant-aid contributions rather than full expedition funding, and expect competition across a wide range of destinations. The foundation explicitly welcomes young cavers undertaking a first foreign expedition, so the individual grant stream is worth checking if that describes you. Confirm current criteria, amounts and deadlines with the GPF before planning a budget around any award.