Description
Background on National Geographic:
The National Geographic Society is a mission-driven, non-profit organization that uses the
power of science, exploration, education and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder
of our world. For more than 130 years, we have funded the best and brightest individuals
dedicated to scientific discovery who also teach us about the world and inspire us to take
action to protect it. Our diverse, global community of National Geographic Explorers are
leading a new age of exploration in support of our mission.
We deeply value the importance of planetary stewardship and the urgent need to protect our
planet. Of equal importance is our belief that when people learn about our world and have an
emotional connection to it, they’ll take action to protect it.
Our Education and Community Engagement portfolio sits at the nexus of our mission to
illuminate and protect: it is where education meets exploration. We offer a host of products
and services that help to extend the impact that Explorers want to have in the world as well as
to cultivate an explorer mindset in young people and educators. We take an intentional,
interdisciplinary and globally inclusive approach to our work, centering our efforts on the work
National Geographic Explorers do in the field and around the world. When we teach people
about real-world Explorers, and offer immersive experiences that build skills, we not only inspire
them to explore a new world of possibilities, but we create the enabling conditions for change.
Such opportunities include, but are not limited to:
- Externships
- Explorer Classroom
- Classroom and Open Education Resources
- Grosvenor Teacher Fellowships
- MapMaker
Our audience reach for these products and services is intentionally broad and inclusive. We
engage formal and informal educators in K-12, higher education communities, as well as
informal and community based educators in nature centers, museums, libraries and other
spaces. In addition to educators, we see our target audiences as adult and career learners, as
well as youth ages 13-25.
We achieve impact by infusing core practices and approaches into our work including design
and innovation; geography and place-based learning; career-connected learning and skill
building; multidirectional learning; and scaling for impact.
Everything we do at the National Geographic Society – from the people and programs we fund
to the educational resources, experiences and content we create, and the stories we tell – aim
to inspire the Explorer in everyone.
Project Overview
The National Geographic Society and The Nature Conservancy have partnered to create more
opportunities for young people to experience and prepare for careers in conservation and
exploration. Together, they have developed the Externship Program open to young people ages
18-25. The program equips young people from around the world with the knowledge, tools and
relationships to seek solutions and take action for nature.
Participants:
- Convene live online over eight weeks and focus on a career area such as marine or freshwater conservation and important skills like GIS and data visualization
- Connect with each other, work with learning coaches, and interact with scientists, Explorers and experts from the National Geographic Society and The Nature Conservancy to build their professional network
- Participate in collaborative workshops on research best practices, presentation techniques, and other career readiness skills and build geographic and conservation knowledge through online courses available at any time
- Select local conservation issues to investigate, applying the methods and skills they learn to create an interactive digital presentation and share it with peers and mentors
-Apply for seed funding to enact the solutions they have identified in their communities
Since the program’s launch in fall 2021, over 75,000 young people from over 150 countries
have applied to participate in an externship with a large percentage from Africa and Asia. 1,600
young people have participated. Demand for the program continues to grow, with an average
of 10,000 applications for each cohort of 100.
We are seeking to explore how the National Geographic Society and The Nature Conservancy
can engage the thousands of young adults (ages 18–25) who apply to the highly competitive
Externship program each year but are not selected. Insights will directly inform the
development of pilots for career-connected learning experiences, some of which will be
prototyped and tested in 2026. The ultimate goal is to extend opportunities for young adults
interested in STEAM fields by offering meaningful, accessible, and scalable opportunities for
them to continue learning, growing, and contributing to conservation and
exploration—regardless of selection outcome.
Project Goals
The goals of this research project include but are not limited to:
- Analysis of application responses to gain insights on motivations and understand the backgrounds and geographies of applicants
- Develop and implement a survey of applicants from cohorts from 2024-2025
- Run two focus groups and a small number of 1:1 interviews with applicants as appropriate
- Develop a report that consolidates findings and includes recommendations for the National Geographic Society and The Nature Conservancy on how we could be most effective in this space — recommendations could directly inform the development of a pilot career-connected learning experience, to be prototyped and tested in 2026
- Send a thank you message that includes some research findings back to participants of focus groups and 1:1 interviews.
- Present findings to National Geographic Society and The Nature Conservancy staff via a virtual meetings
To reach these goals, the National Geographic Society is now accepting bids in response to
this Request for Proposal.
Scope of Work
The National Geographic Society is seeking proposals from individuals or organizations with
demonstrated expertise in developing and designing research studies with a focus on youth
audiences and conservation topics.
The scope of this project includes:
- Collaborate with Externship Program staff from the National Geographic Society and The Nature Conservancy Interview staff on learnings to date
- Analyze specific responses to the Externship application questions and identify learnings and themes
- Develop a brief digital survey to be sent to all 2024-2025 externship applicants and analyze responses
- Design a set of focus group questions and lead two focus groups and some 1:1 interviews that include a global representation of applicants
- Develop a draft report by December 2025 and final report by January 2026, including written findings and a PowerPoint presentation that includes recommendations for the 2026 pilot offerings
-Present findings and recommendations and answer questions to various groups of National Geographic staff and key stakeholders, up to five presentations.
Individual or organization should have the capacity for working with youth ages 18-25
across time zones and designing survey and interview questions that are culturally
relevant
We also welcome proposals that include creative ideas and thoughts around the best approach
for this endeavor that may not be mentioned in this scope of work.
Target Deliverable Schedule
Work should conclude by January 31, 2026, with a draft report provided by December 20, 2025.
Please include a detailed schedule of work and deliverables that would allow you to meet this
completion date.
Requirements
Evaluation Criteria:
The National Geographic Society will evaluate bidders and proposals based on the following:
- Previous experience/past performance history
- Samples and/or case studies from previous projects of a similar scope and scale
- Projected costs within a $25,000 budget
- Experience and technical capabilities designing research studies for large, trusted brands
- Demonstrated commitment to inclusive practices
- Demonstrated commitment to conservation and environmental sustainability
Submission Requirements :
Bidders must adhere to the following guidelines to be considered:
- Only bidders who meet all criteria in the evaluation section should submit a proposal
- Proposals must be sent in by November 7, 2025 through email by emailing Alison Szopinski at aszopinski@ngs.org
- Include samples and references with your proposal
- Include the proposed team composition and bios with your proposal
- Provide a proposed schedule and budget with your proposal
