Vital Impacts Environmental Photography Grant 2027

The Vital Impacts Environmental Photography Grant 2027 supports photographers telling environmental stories from the places they live. The non-profit Vital Impacts awards one $20,000 Dr. Jane Goodall Fellowship and six $5,000 fellowships, and selects ten emerging photographers for a mentorship programme. Fellows have twelve months to develop their projects. Applications close on 30 November 2026.

The programme is built around local storytelling. Vital Impacts only considers photographers who are rooted in the community they document, so a photographer from Nairobi working on Kenyan wetlands is eligible, while a visiting photographer on assignment is not. Prior publication is not required, which makes the grant unusually open to people early in their careers.

You can apply in English or in your own language; proposals in other languages are translated for the jury.

Who Can Apply for the Vital Impacts Environmental Photography Grant?

The grant is open to photographers and visual storytellers anywhere in the world, as long as they live in the community or country they are documenting. Vital Impacts states that it will not consider applications from photographers living outside that community.

It is particularly relevant to:

• Environmental and conservation photographers
• Documentary photographers working on long-term local stories
• Photojournalists covering climate, water, land or wildlife
• Emerging photographers who want a mentor

Applicants must not be sanctions targets or based in comprehensively sanctioned territories, and must be able to follow the Vital Impacts Code of Ethics and sign the fellowship agreement.

What Does the Grant Offer?

• Dr. Jane Goodall Fellowship: $20,000
• Six fellowships: $5,000 each
• Ten mentorships: an intensive mentorship programme for emerging photographers
• Time: twelve months to develop the funded project

Application Fees

The entry fee is $25. It is waived for all applicants from developing countries, and it can be waived in cases of economic hardship; fee waiver codes are available from Vital Impacts by email.

Submission Requirements

Applications are made online through the Vital Impacts website. Prepare a clear project proposal explaining the environmental story, your connection to the community and how you would use the twelve months, together with a portfolio that shows your visual approach. Check the application form for the exact materials before you start.

Important Rules

• You must live in the community or country you document.
• Work must follow the Vital Impacts Code of Ethics.
• Fellows sign an Environmental Fellowship Agreement.
• Applications from sanctioned territories cannot be accepted.

When Will Applicants Be Notified?

Fellows and mentorship recipients are announced in January 2027.

Is This Grant Right for You?

This grant suits photographers who already have a story in progress, or a clear one in mind, close to home. It rewards depth and access rather than travel: a long-term look at a river your town depends on, a farming community adapting to drought, or the wildlife on the edge of your city. If you usually photograph abroad, this is not the right call; if you have been documenting your own region for years, it may be one of the best-matched grants available.

The mentorship strand is also worth noting. Even if your project is not ready for funding, ten places give emerging photographers guidance from experienced professionals.

Things to Consider

• Lead with your connection. Explain why you are the right person to tell this story, and what access you have that an outsider would not.
• Keep the scope realistic. A focused story you can finish in twelve months is stronger than a broad survey.
• Show impact. Say who should see the work and how it could change something locally.
• Use the language option. If you write better in your own language, apply in it.
• Ask about the fee waiver. If you live in a developing country, the fee is waived.
• Apply even if you are unpublished. Prior publication is not required, and the mentorships are aimed at emerging photographers.

Apply for the Grant

Interested in applying?

Apply for the Vital Impacts grant

For the full guidelines, code of ethics and application form, visit the official Vital Impacts website.

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Last verified: October 13, 2026