Our Supporters

The support of Trusts, Foundations and Corporations is invaluable to our work.

We are grateful for the ongoing support from Trusts, Foundations, Corporations and individuals. Through the generosity of their support, we are able to provide access to challenging learning and adventure in the wilderness to over 200 young people annually. The results are transformative.

Our Corporate Funders

Brown Advisory – Cambridge Management Consulting – Cantor Fitzgerald – Cederberg Capital – Equitix Foundation – Novus – Outcomes First Group – Pharos

Our Patrons

Jon Bennett – Preet Chandi – Arabella Connell – David and Judy Dangoor – John and Catherine Hartz – Daragh and Anne Horgan – Tim Kirk – Alison Mansfield – Rahul Moodgal – Jeremy Moss – Alistair Nelson – Doug and Maryn Oppenheim – Reepa and Krupesh Patel – Tim Passingham – David Simonson – Ian and Janet Sinclair

Trusts & Foundations

The Andrew Croft Memorial Fund – Artemis Charitable Foundation – The Carpenter Charitable Trust – Dudley and Geoffrey Cox Charitable Trust – E B M Charitable Trust – Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust – Ethel and Gwynne Morgan Trust – The Exilarch’s Foundation – The Fort Foundation – Four Acre Trust – The Hartz Family Foundation – The Hedley Foundation – The John Armitage Charitable Trust – The Portal Trust – The Progress Foundation – Rosemarie Nathanson Charitable Trust – The Sandy and Zorica Glen Charitable Settlement – The Vandervell Foundation

Exilarch’s Foundation – Dangoor Education

“Me and my family remain as excited about the programme with British Exploring Society now as when we first started working with you ten years ago.” – David Dangoor

The Exilarch’s Foundation is committed to providing young people access to high quality learning experiences. The Dangoor family who run the Foundation have funded the Dangoor Next Generation (DNG) programme since its inception in 2011, enabling young people least likely to have access to outdoor experiences to take part in and benefit from a truly transformative expedition. More recently, the Foundation generously supported our first and very ambitious land and sea programme – Dangoor Infinity – for young people with disabilities.

Working with partner organisations, both programmes have supported some of the most marginalised and vulnerable young people in the UK. On DNG, 95% of those who complete the expedition phase of the programme are engaged in employment, education, or training, within three months of returning home.

The Dangoor family have been remarkable partners, and the DNG programme has become the blueprint for how we support an increasingly diverse group of young people. Explore more here about what their support has helped us achieve over the past 10 years.

The Hartz Family Foundation

“These are the most difficult times to do anything, and we are proud and grateful that you have managed to achieve what you have in these last few months. What you and the team are doing is beyond all expectation and we have the greatest trust that you will continue to be able to do just that.” – John and Catherine Hartz

With the support of The Hartz Family Foundation we established our first UK based expedition programme in 2021.

Hartz Scottish Explorers was designed to remove as many barriers to expedition participation as possible. Whilst it is a complete, self-contained expedition journey in itself, Hartz Scottish Explorers may also act as a stepping stone onto our international expeditions.

Peter Cundil Foundation

“The Peter Cundill Foundation recognises the vital importance of young people getting into the outdoors and how much these experiences can lead to hugely enriched life chances. Having heard directly from some of those who have benefitted from their programmes, we were delighted to provide unrestricted support for British Exploring Society’s ambitious plans to reach ever more young people.”

The Peter Cundil Foundation has kindly supported British Exploring Society with a significant unrestricted grant. Unrestricted support is crucial in allowing us to adapt and grow to meet the needs of young people.

Over the past year, it has been invaluable in enabling us to progress with our strategy, develop new ways of working, and continue to provide adventure, personal development and learning to young people. It was in 2020 that we launched Wildestan Adventures, our virtual adventure programme, or ‘eighth continent’, to provide young people with access to the wilderness and outdoor knowledge even in lockdown.

In everchanging times, we are ever-adapting with thanks to the trust of our community and unrestricted grants like these.

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"I’m so happy I took the plunge with this expedition. It was even better than I had anticipated and I made some great friends. It grew my social skills, fitness, care for the environment and self-awareness. I felt such a deep connection to nature in the highlands; I never thought I would enjoy the rainy outdoors, let alone swimming in a freezing lake! To anyone thinking about giving this a shot – feel the fear and just go for it! You’re in for all sorts of growth and generally an amazing time."
Niveah - Young Explorer, Hartz Scottish Explorers 2023

British Exploring Society gave me the opportunity to be myself without judgment, I was more than just a label for the first time in my life. I was able to share my specialist interests with like-minded people and I could channel my impulsivity into exploration. This allowed me to see my diagnosis of autism and ADHD as a positive, because I wasn’t being told to sit inside the box, and I loved it!
Hannah - Young Explorer, Kyrgyzstan 2023

As the only brown Asian boy among a diverse group of explorers, my nerves initially got the best of me. But my worries vanished as soon as I met my fellow expedition members. They greeted me with open arms, radiating friendliness and inclusivity. I quickly realized that I was among people who saw me as an equal, not an outsider.
Musa - Young Explorer, Canadian Yukon 2023

I feel like I’m taking on a more resilient attitude because of what I accomplished; Now I also understand and manage my emotions better. I’ve also been in regular touch with friends from the expedition and I will keep cherishing them.
Olu - Young Explorer, Hartz Scottish Explorers 2023

"One of the reasons I went on expedition was to prove to myself that I can do the things that at first glance I feel like I wouldn’t be able to. I like to take going up the mountain really literally - many times I’ve heard that 'problems are like climbing a mountain' and there is something so rewarding and freeing knowing I’ve actually done that!"
Grace - Young Explorer, Dangoor Next Generation Iceland 2022

"What I have found the most interesting post-expedition is realising how much I’ve learnt from the other people in my fire and on expedition. 5 weeks is a long time to be around people you don’t know very well 24/7, so there’s a lot of time for talking, sometimes about trivial things but also about some serious issues and debates. I’ve found this is what I have been applying to life back home the most – reminiscing on these conversations and applying new world views to my own thinking."
Edie - Young Explorer, Kyrgyzstan 2022

"Challenging myself to go on an expedition was the best thing I could have done at this stage in my life. The expedition, and everything that led up to it, was an incredibly rewarding, and life-affirming experience. I feel incredibly lucky to have spent such an extraordinary three weeks with a truly brilliant group of people, who I hope to stay in contact with and hopefully go on more adventures with in future."
Izzy - Young Explorer, Canadian Yukon 2022

"After the expedition I really do feel that I have a greater sense of self-confidence. The expedition has made me happy with who I am and confirmed the journey I want to embark on. I felt as though I could see my goals more clearly making me want to go on more expeditions in the future. On top of this I am even engaged in geographical dilemmas facing the world, which has made me more motivated to succeed in my studies and pursue a Geography degree."
Nye - Young Explorer, Hartz Scottish Explorers 2022

“My life goals became a lot clearer and I understand myself a lot more now. I know that in the future wherever I go and whatever I am doing this experience will still be holding a positive influence on my mindset. At the start of this expedition I was in the middle of nowhere with a large group of strangers, at the end I was in an amazing place with friends I now have for life.”
Ilayda - Young Explorer, Canadian Yukon 2019

I completely opened myself up in an entirely new and thrilling environment. Not only did I return as a person who had developed a great deal and who had in many ways matured, I did so with many new friends at my side.
Gus - Young Explorer, Canadian Yukon 2019

“Things changed for me this summer and my life was transformed when I found the inner strength to ignore the negativity of bullies and overcome my self-doubt and anxiety, to put myself forward and join the awe-inspiring, mixed ability, month-long Dangoor Infinity sea and land expedition of self-discovery to Iceland.”
Joshua - Young Explorer, Dangoor Infinity 2019