gharparau.org.uk

Yes. The Ghar Parau Foundation (GPF) runs a separate stream of individual grants specifically for cavers going on their first foreign expedition. Over the last 19 years it has awarded 122 of these grants, totalling £10,225. The foundation says it is "particularly keen to encourage young cavers into expedition caving," so a first trip abroad is exactly the kind of case this fund exists for.

How the first-expedition support fits alongside expedition grants

The GPF is a 100% voluntary-based charity. It manages an investment fund and provides grant aid to British caving expeditions, especially those with an element of innovative exploration or scientific study. Its two strands of support work at different levels:

The expedition figures show the fund's main activity; the individual grants are a smaller, targeted add-on aimed at getting newer cavers onto their first overseas trip.

What this means if you are planning a first foreign expedition

• There is a dedicated route for you. You do not need to be part of a large, established expedition to be considered for the individual grant stream — it exists precisely for first-time foreign expedition cavers.
• The emphasis is on encouragement, not track record. The foundation frames this support around bringing young cavers into expedition caving, so limited prior expedition experience is expected rather than a barrier.
• Expect a modest individual award. The 122 grants total £10,225, an average of roughly £84 per grant. Treat this as a contribution toward costs, not full funding of a trip.
• Larger costs usually sit with the expedition. If your first foreign trip is part of an expedition with innovative exploration or scientific study, the expedition itself may be eligible for the main grant stream — a separate application from the individual award.

Practical next steps

The site's current pages feature specific expeditions (Tresviso 2026, Mae Hong Son 2026, Mulu Caves 2025, and a project on preservation of ancient Maya caves), which shows the kind of work the foundation backs. To apply, use the foundation's own application process on gharparau.org.uk rather than relying on second-hand summaries — the site does not publish award amounts, deadlines, or eligibility fine print in the material available here, so confirm those details directly before planning your budget around a grant.

The Ghar Parau Foundation (GPF) is a 100% voluntary-based charity that provides grant aid to British caving expeditions around the world, with particular priority for trips that include innovative exploration or scientific study. It manages an investment fund to finance this support and also runs a separate strand of individual grants aimed at cavers heading on their first foreign expedition. If you are planning a British-led caving expedition with a genuine exploration or research component, the GPF is a relevant funding body to approach; if your trip is purely recreational or not British-linked, it is unlikely to fit.

What the GPF does

The foundation's core activity is distributing grants to caving expeditions. Its stated preference is for expeditions that contain "an element of innovative exploration or scientific study" — meaning new cave discovery, survey work, or research tied to the underground environment, rather than travel alone.

Two distinct funding tracks are described on the site:

• Expedition grants — awarded to British caving expeditions, including those travelling internationally.
• Individual first-expedition grants — smaller awards to cavers going on their first foreign expedition, intended to encourage younger cavers into expedition caving.

Track record in numbers

The site gives cumulative figures that help set expectations about scale:

These totals indicate many modest awards rather than a few large ones — useful context if you are estimating what a typical grant might look like relative to total expedition costs.

Examples of supported work

The foundation's page highlights several current or recent projects, which illustrate the kind of work it backs:

• Tresviso 2026 — an expedition project listed on the site.
• Preservation of ancient Maya caves — a conservation-oriented cave project.
• Mae Hong Son 2026 — an expedition to the Mae Hong Son area.
• Mulu Caves 2025 — work in the Mulu cave system.

The spread across exploration, conservation, and scientific study reflects the foundation's stated priorities.

Who it is for

The GPF is aimed at British caving expeditions and individual British cavers joining a first foreign expedition. The emphasis on encouraging young cavers into expedition caving is explicit, so early-career participants should note the separate individual grant route rather than assuming only team-level funding exists.

Practical points before applying

• Fit matters most. Frame your expedition around exploration or scientific study — that is the stated criterion, not an optional extra.
• Two routes, not one. Check whether you are applying as an expedition or as an individual first-timer; the amounts and purposes differ.
• Volunteer-run. As a 100% voluntary charity, expect correspondence and decisions to be handled by volunteers rather than a staffed office.
• Verify current details on the site. Application windows, forms, and deadlines are not specified in the material available here, so confirm them directly at gharparau.org.uk before planning your submission.

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.

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.

The Ghar Parau Foundation (GPF) supports British caving expeditions anywhere in the world, with priority given to those that include innovative exploration or scientific study. It also runs a separate strand of support aimed at young cavers going on their first foreign expedition. The charity describes itself as 100% voluntary and funds its grants through the management of an investment fund. Since 2007 it has awarded £156,025 to 243 expeditions travelling to 48 different countries, plus 122 individual grants totalling £10,225 to first-time expedition cavers over the last 19 years.

The two main strands of support

1. Expedition grants

These go to British caving expeditions, and the foundation is explicit that it is "particularly" interested in expeditions that contain an element of innovative exploration or scientific study. In practice that means a trip whose value rests on new ground or new knowledge — pushing known cave systems further, surveying and documenting passages, or collecting data that answers a scientific question — rather than a trip that only repeats well-trodden routes.

The geographic reach is global: the 48-country figure shows the fund is not limited to a single region or caving area.

2. First foreign expedition grants

This is a distinct, smaller award for individual cavers going on their first foreign expedition. It exists to lower the barrier for people who have not yet joined an overseas trip, and it reflects the foundation's stated keenness to "encourage young cavers into expedition caving." Because these are individual grants rather than expedition-level awards, they sit alongside — not instead of — any grant the expedition itself may receive.

What the supported projects look like

The foundation's own site lists current and recent projects, which illustrate the range of what gets funded:

The Maya caves project is the clearest example of the "scientific study" criterion in action: the work is framed around preservation, so the expedition's purpose extends beyond exploration itself. The 2025 and 2026 dated projects show the fund backs both established large expeditions and newer efforts.

How to judge whether your expedition fits

Use these as working conditions rather than a formal checklist:

• British expedition, international destination. The fund is framed around British caving expeditions travelling worldwide.
• A genuine exploration or science component. If you can state what new cave, new passage, or new data the trip will produce, you are in the core of the fund's interest. A trip that is primarily a holiday with some caving is a weaker fit.
• First foreign expedition for individuals. If you are a caver who has never caved abroad, the individual grant strand is the relevant one, and it is designed to encourage exactly that step.
• Young cavers are a stated priority. The foundation says it is particularly keen to bring younger cavers into expedition caving, so teams that include and develop less experienced members align with its aims.

Practical next step

The site's project headings (Tresviso 2026, Mae Hong Son 2026, Mulu Caves 2025) are the best guide to the scale and style of work the foundation currently backs — read them alongside your own expedition plan and ask whether your project would sit naturally in that list. If it would, the expedition grant is the route; if the need is an individual's first trip abroad, the first-foreign-expedition grant is. The foundation does not publish pricing or application-fee information on the material available here, so treat any cost assumptions as unconfirmed until you check directly with the charity.