Grant Recipients

 

Dear Applicants -
We are now receiving applications. Thank you very much for your interest in the foundation and for sharing your project with us.
Sincerely,
The Directors 
 

EXPEDITION STATUS
 www.timmissartok.com
2019 Brian Maina (Kenya) -- THE AFRICAN NOMAD
A solo one year journey by an African across Africa to visit 135 UNESCO Heritage sites to understand their importance and why they should be conserved. Africa through an African's eyes -- briantheafricannomad@gmail.com  		START IN NOVEMBER 2019
2018 Carlo Avati (Italy) -- RIDING FOR HAPPINESS
A 14,000 kilometer solo journey by motorbike across 16 countries from Rome to Bhutan in search of the true source of happiness in one's life -- a fundamental concept in Bhutan where the King espouses the concept of "GNH" (Gross National Happiness) -- www.ridingforhappiness.com 		START IN MARCH 2019
2018 Laura Henneke (German) -- 8,000 MILES ON THE NEW SILK ROAD
Laura will journey from Yiwa, China to Madrid by train on a line that opened in November 2014. This is the same route as the ancient Silk Road, what are the visible and invisible impacts of this new "silk road" -- www.presentspaces.com  		START IN APRIL 2019
2017 Susan Spann (USA) -- 100 FAMOUS MOUNTAINS OF JAPAN
A journey to climb the "100 famous mountains of Japan" described in Kyuya'Fukada's 1964 book "100 Mountains of Japan" in a single year -- www.susanspann.com 		UNDERWAY
2017 Kamran Ali (Pakistan) -- EXPLORE THE WORLD
A 26,000 kilometer solo solo journey by bicycle from Ushuaia, Argentina to Alaska -- Understanding can help us overcome fear of the other, reduce discrimination and create a more humane world -- www.kamranonbike.com -- www.facebook.com/KamranOnBike 		UNDERWAY
2017 Markus Pukonen (Canada) -- ROUTES OF CHANGE
A solo circumnavigation of the planet without using motorized transport -- www.routesofchange.org 		UNDERWAY SINCE 2015
2016 FLYING THE HUMP
A C47 will fly from Australia through Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar and "Over the Hump" to Guilin, China. Over 600 of these aircraft were lost during World War II delivering supplies to the Flying Tigers in China. This flight is to honor those brave pilots and the sacrifice they made to win the peace, and the countries today charged with keeping the peace -- www.flyingthehump.com 		COMPLETED OCTOBER 2016
2015 Tara Mulvany (New Zealand) -- ICE BEARS AND ISLANDS
A 2,000 kilometer kayak circumnavigation of Svalbard Archipelago - http://svalbard.worldwildadventure.com/ 		START IN JUNE
2015 Laura Kennington (UK) -- CASPIAN CHALLENGE
1 Girl, 1 Kayak, and 2300 Miles. kayaking self-sufficient down Europe's longest river - the Volga in Russia - from source to sea - http://lauraexplorer.com/project-kairos/adventures/ 		START IN MAY
2015 William White (UK) -- GHENGHIS KAHN BY BICYCLE
Retrace the invasion route taken by Genghis Khan when invading the Khwarezmia Empire. In this expedition we hope to cycle across 10 countries, covering some 8000 Kilometres from Mongolia across Central Asia to Georgia. William in 19 years old - http://www.explorersconnect.com/expeditions/mongolia-russia-kazakhstan-kyrgyzstan-tajikistan-uzbekistan-turk/cycling-mtb/-/the-way-of-genghis-khan-17168/ 		START IN JUNE
2015 Travis Crozier (UK) -- BANDITS ON ICE
Travis Crozier, Ellie Turner, Dave Fry and Pete Dawes (businessman, journalist, aircraft mechanic and electrician) from Darwin, Australia riding old Soviet Ural motorcycles through Siberia. This adventure, which starts in Listvyanka and loops about 2500km ending in Irkutsk, is called the Ice Run, traversing south to north on Lake Baikal, which should be well frozen, along with the taiga and river systems surrounding it - www.banditsonice.com  		START IN MARCH
2015 Jimmy Martin (UK) -- AMBULANCE TO MONGOLIA
We are four graduate medical students with a passion for global health and thirst for adventure. In May 2015 we will drive a fully equipped ambulance 10,000 miles from the UK to Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar, to donate to the local emergency services. Once there we will work in local hospitals, teach English to Mongolian doctors, and aid community teaching projects. We’re doing it to support the work of two great charities – ‘Go Help’ and ‘Medics2Mongolia’ -- http://operationgenghis.wordpress.com 		START IN MAY
2015 Matthew Traver (USA) -- CROSSING SIBERIA
A 10,000km off road crossing of Siberia from west to east by packraft, fat bike, on foot and by ski. My route will start in Gorno-Altaisk in the Altai Republic and eventually end at Cape Dezhnev, the farthest point of the Eurasian Continent. It's a distance equivalent to travelling from London to Cape Town or Hong Kong almost entirely without roads and using rivers as the primary source of navigation. In order to cross this vast wilderness region in the most efficient manner, I will utilise a fat bike to cycle towards river sources, afterwards I will then disassemble the bicycle and paddle downstream in my packraft -- www.crossingsiberia.com 		START IN MAY
2015 Scott Butler (UK) -- SOLO TO ELBRUS... CYCLE, ROW, CLIMB
A solo expedition, Journey to Mount Elbrus, will see Scott cycle the 1800 miles across Europe to the Black Sea. Then row the 750 miles across the Black Sea to Georgia. Then back on the bike to cover the miles across the border to Russia where he will climb Mount Elbrus -- www.journeytoelbrus.com 		START IN JULY
2015 John & Carmen Nomad (Canada) -- MOTORCYCLE FROM ZAMBIA AROUND THE WORLD
A Canadian couple living in Africa for the last 20 years are riding a motorcycle around the world -- starting and finishing in Zambia. They are building the Nomad Sports Academy for Orphans and Underprivileged Youth in Mukuni Village, Zambia. This Academy will provide a unique opportunity for orphans to represent their country to various national and international levels of sport. They want to create awareness about this amazing school for orphans and bring support such as training coaches, equipment and development opportunities for the children. The dream is to see the children play for International Football clubs and compete in the Olympics -- www.nomadsportsacademy.com/the-expedition/   		UNDERWAY SINCE 2013
2014 Tom Cholmondeley (Kenya) -- SCOTISH SIX DAYS TRIAL
I'm selected to ride in this years Scottish Six Days Trial, a famous event over a century old which takes place all around Fort William in Scotland, where the mountains fall into the sea. This is an ambition I have held for over 30 years, and I got my first chance last year. It is from the 5th to the 11th of May, bringing, as the Scots say, "the chance of four seasons of weather in a single day". It is such a strange and powerful landscape with the pinnacle of motorcycle trials sport held here, harking back to a more distant time when perseverance for 8 hours over the mountains and moors counts for as much as making it up the sections without putting your feet down. You can feel the centuries murmuring in your ears as you crest the Pap of Glencoe and see the "fingers of God" spearing down onto the valley (sunlight through the clouds). "If you do it, Don't be afraid, if you are afraid, don't do it!" (Mongolian) -- www.ssdt.org 		COMPLETED
2014 Sarah Weldon (UK) -- ROW ACROSS THE PACIFIC OCEAN
On the 7th June 2014, myself and three other girls will set off from Monterey Bay, California, rowing over 7200 nautical miles across the Pacific Ocean to Honolulu, Hawaii, and on to Cairns, Australia -- www.fourbirdsaboating.com 		START IN JUNE
2014 Martha Hunt (UK) -- SHIFTING ICE CHANGING TIDES
In March 2014, myself and 4 other women, including my daughter, are setting sail from the west coast of Iceland and sailing around Cape Farewell to the west coast of Greenland - the epicenter of climate change research. Our goal is to sail and ski on the second largest and least inhabited island in the world and document how the receding ice sheet is impacting the daily life of the local culture -- www.shiftingice.org 		UNDERWAY
2013 Levison Wood (UK) -- WALK THE LENGTH OF THE NILE RIVER IN AFRICA
In September 2013, I will set off alone from the mountains of Rwanda and walk the course of the White Nile from its source, through 7 countries, all the way to the Mediterranean sea on foot. The Journey is 4250 miles and will take 18 months to complete -- www.walkthenile.com 		UNDERWAY
2013 Russell and Graham Henry (Canada) -- ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN
In June 2013 we will begin a 7 month kayaking voyage from the mouth of the Amazon River to Florida. We will begin our trip in Belem, Brazil, and make our way up the 2500 kilometers of coastline to Trinidad and Tobago. Once there, we will restock our gear, spirits, and energy to begin the 4000 kilometer crossing of the Caribbean Sea. We will hop our way up through 11 different island nations until finally landing on Juno Beach, Florida in January 2014. We will have four crossings over 100 kilometers in length. The longest being 150 kilometers from the Dominican Republic to Turks and Caicos Islands -- www.henrykayak.com 		COMPLETED
2013 Sam Norman (UK) -- MISSISSIPPI CHALLENGE
In early 2013, Sam Norman, Matt Fraser and Harry Hogg will start their epic journey down the Mississippi river from source to sea by kayak. This 2400 mile journey will take 2-3 months of non-stop paddling to complete and will be completely self-sufficient -- www.themississippichallenge2013.weebly.com 		COMPLETED
2012 Pat Lewis (USA) -- TWO IN THE BLUE
An ambitious sailing expedition from the Arctic Archipelago of Svalbard to the Antarctic Peninsula that aims to survey wild coastlines first explored hundreds of years ago to examine how these areas have changed in the years. The project seeks to raise awareness about conservation priorities and environmental change, and to inspire people to make positive changes in their lives -- www.twointheblue.com 		UNDERWAY
2012 Stephen Phillips (UK) -- GLOBAL CYCLE RACE -- I aspire to leave a tyre mark on this earth not a footprint. On the 18th February 2012, Globe Cycle Racer Stephen PHILLIPS will be taking on the ultimate adventure challenge and feat of endurance when he will be at the starting line of the worlds first around the world bicycle race. 160 days and a minimum of 18’000 miles in one direction from the Greenwich Meridian Line in London will see him cycling solo and unsupported through the continents of Europe, USA, Australasia and Asia with the goal of winning the race and claiming the current world record for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe by cycle -- www.globecycleracer.com ATTEMPTED
2011 Szu-Ting Yi (Taiwan) -- THE GREAT RIDE
In May of 2011, the Great Ride team of Christine Cauble and Szu-ting Yi will be riding motorcycles 4000 miles across China. The adventure will trace two ancient trade routes: the Tea Horse Trail and the Silk Road. They will travel through the heated tropics, high-elevation passes and scorched and dusty deserts learning about the cultures and people who live there. The journey aims to raise awareness of the poverty in China's West by documenting, through words and images, the lives and current living conditions found there. The Great Ride is also partnered with the West China Story, a philanthropy project that supports poor students in Western China. www.2wheelwriters.com/great-ride/ 		COMPLETED
2011

Dan Travers (USA) -- THE RIVERS RAN EAST
"Life shouldn't be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather, to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly shouting.......Wow! What a ride!" RE-DISCOVERING THE 7 LOST CITIES OF GOLD! In 1947, former OSS agent, retired US Army Colonel, and explorer Leonard Clark, came into possession of a secret map that led him to 7 ancient cities of gold deep in the Amazon jungle of Peru. Despite being chronicled in his book, The Rivers Ran East, has anyone tried to confirm this historical discovery? Our Quest: To retrace Leonard Clark's route along the Maranon River in Northern Peru, confirm his claims, and find these ancient ruins. It all started with a dusty old book we found on a shelf of the great Powell's bookstore in Portland, Oregon. The River’s Ran East, written in 1952, recounts the incredible adventure of legendary explorer and US secret agent, Leonard Clark. He received a tattered and incomplete 500 year old map from a Lima family of the sole survivor of a jungle massacre in the early 1500s. Clark goes on to describe how he used this map to discover 7 legendary cities of gold deep in the hostile, unexplored, Peruvian Amazon. Clark set out from Lima with $1000 in his pocket and struggled against lethal snakes, jaguars, boiling rapids, legendary Campa slave traders, and arrows from the Aguaruna headshrinkers that killed some of his compatriots. When he emerged from the jungle over the high Andes, 9 months later, he was leading a mule with $16,000 in gold dust strapped to it’s back -- dtravers@seanet.com -- www.theriversraneast.com

COMPLETED IN 2013
2010

Mount Everest Expedition (USA) -- EVEREST 2010
The Foundation sponsored an expedition to summit Mount Everest in April and May 2010. The objective was to summit the mountain and this was achieved successfully on 17 May 2010 -- www.claytor.com/everest

COMPLETED
2009

Roger Chao (Australia) - EURASIAN STEPPE BY QUIKE
On the 4th of May, 2009, Roger and Megan set off from Astana, Kazakhstan, into the Eurasian steppe on their four-wheeled Quike; Traversing the steppes at the heart of the Asian continent - whilst facing a continual battle of both the physical elements and the psychological forces within... They will venture throughout Central Asia, Western China, Mongolia, and Russia, away from cities and roads, living with local rural families to experience the unique cultures and lifestyles of the region, documenting their lifestyles and traditions before their stories are lost forever. Their 15-month journey will take them through all types of terrain - from the vast and endless Kazakh steppe to the relentless heat of the Uzbek summer, to the high altitude mountain passes of Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic, to the frozen wastelands of the Taklamakan desert in winter, and then coming full circle to the origins of the Turkic peoples in the Altai range, and the birthplace of Chinggiz Khan in the central Mongolian steppe... -- www.steppebysteppe.com.au

COMPLETED
 

2009

 Ryan Langley (USA) -- SOLO AROUND THE WORLD VIA SOUTHERN OCEAN
This 16 year old young man is preparing for a sailing voyage around the world. He is currently training with Brian Caldwell, one of the world's best sailors -- www.southernoceansolo.weebly.com 		UNKNOWN
2009 Eduardo Discoli (Argentina) -- AROUND THE WORLD BY HORSE
A 4 goal polo player from Cordoba, Eduardo left Buenos Aires on 28 July 2001 with his 3 Argentine Criollo horses: El Chajá, El Chalchalero, and Niño Bien. His mission is to go around the world by horse. He has already traveled through South and North America and Europe -- relinchando@gmail.com -- http://www.deacaballoalmundo.com.ar/  		 IN PROGRESS
2009 John Collinson (USA) -- SEVEN SUMMITS
John (age 17) is attempting to be the youngest person to climb the seven summits. He has completed Aconcagua 22,841' (14jan2009) and Everest. His project completion deadline is December of 2009 -- www.johnnycollinson.com 		COMPLETED
2008 Lloyd Godson (Australia) -- THE SUB-ODYSSEY EXPEDITION - A MYTHICAL JOURNEY BY HUMANIZED SUBMARINES
The Sub-Odyssey Expedition will see the project Team Leader Lloyd Godson and his partner Carolina Sarasiti ‘migrate’ 500km through the Ionian Sea off the west coast of mainland Greece during September - October 2008. They will do so in two custom-built human powered submarines, Ulysses and Penelope, visiting schools located in the Ionian group of Islands (Corfu, Paxi, Antipaxi, Lefkada, Kefallonia, Zakynthos and Ithaki ). THE MYTH - Their journey will begin in Corfu and conclude in Ithaki . Corfu (the island of Calypso ) is traditionally taken to be the last stop on the adventurous journey of Odysseus (Ulysses) before he reached his home of Ithaki after the Trojan Wars. Ithaki, or ancient Ithaca , has long been the symbolic image for the end of a long journey. Odysseus’ wife, the stoical Penelope, patiently waited 10 long years for the crafty hero to return home to Ithaki from Troy. THE TAIL OF BRAVE ULYSSES - The submarines will be designed and built by project Engineer Alex Sarasitis and will utilize a hydrofoil tail fin attached to the pilots legs for propulsion. The foil angle will change automatically producing an ‘automatic transmission’ effect making it the most efficient way of swimming. This new fin technology will be tested by Herbert Nitsch, “The Flying Fish”, during his Constant Weights World Record attempt at the 2007 free diving World Championships in Egypt in late October. Alex’s designs will be based on the motion and shape of fast swimming fishes such as tuna and mako sharks, giving them the fastest form possible. The one atmosphere submarines will be built from carbon fibers and capable of diving to approximately 150m. The submarines may also utilize a revolutionary air supply system capable of extracting air from the water, Like-A-Fish Technologies, designed by Israeli inventor Alan Bodner -- www.lifeamphibious.com 		UNKNOWN
2007 Greg Deyermenjian (USA) -- 2007 MAMERIA AND BEYOND EXPEDITION 
"No great deed is done by falterers who ask for certainty" - George Eliot. An exploration of the lost archaeological complex of Mameria, and a traverse of the unexplored mountain range beyond, the Cordillera de PiñiPiñi -- Jun2007: "Greetings from Cusco, Peru, where it is cold, but the streets are warm right now with thousands of masked dancers and drinkers, for Inti Raymi week. I´ve been, however, going from office to office, setting things up for next year expedition. And I've finally completed an article in Spanish that the National Institute of Culture could be publishing in their "Atlas de Cusco Amazónico," which could be a big help to me and the exploration cause. Thanks again for the Timmissartok help, and I´ll keep you informed." -- Greg Deyermenjian, 158 Salem Street #1, Wakefield, MA 01880-1939. greg_deyermenjian@yahoo.com -- http://www.paititi.com/search-for-paititi.html 		STATUS UNKNOWN
2007 Erin McKittrick & Bretwood Higman (USA) -- GROUND TRUTH TREKKING
Erin and Bretwood are setting off on a journey in June 2007 from Seattle to the Aleutian Islands, by human power: Journey on the Pacific Wild Coast will be an unprecedented 4,000 mile expedition along the northern edge of the Pacific Ocean, through some of the most rugged terrain in the world. No road or trail follows this steep and fragmented coastline. We'll be traveling through forests, between islands, around glaciers, and across the tundra - by foot, packraft, and skis. Good luck! On June 27, 2008, Erin and Hig finished their Journey on the Wild Coast. And, it appears that they are making Alaska their home. Erin continues to write on her blog page. And, she's working on a book -- www.groundtruthtrekking.org 		COMPLETED
2007 Sarah & Eric McNair-Landry & Curtis Jones (Canada) -- PITTARAK EXPEDITION
A 2300 km Expedition to vertically cross the Greenland icecap by kite with the aim of inspiring youth to pursue their dreams. Having crossed Greenland (East-West) three times already, I've gazed over maps for the last year looking at the possibility of doing a south-north crossing. It was at the end of the summer that my brother called me and told me “Sarah, we're crossing the Greenland ice cap in May”. And that was that. Set to begin in May 2007. Completed in July 2007 -- "On July 8th, after a long day of weaving around melt ponds and over crevasses, we finally stepped onto rock! But the journey was not quite over yet. The next day we had to pull our sleds down 5 km of rough, rocky terrain before reaching the ocean. It was a great feeling to have completed 2,300km with the aid of kites and skis, but also sad to leave such an amazing place behind. The next day we were picked up by boat and shuttled to the small community of Qaanaaq, one of the most northerly settlements in Greenland. We spent the night there before starting home... We are finally back home and have had a chance to unpack, sort through footage and 2000 plus pictures. There has been a lot of media interest including: Daily Planet, CBC, explorers web, nau.com, The Telegram and montanismo.org.mx. Even Wild Chronicles and Wend Magazine have shown interest in covering a story on the Pittarak expedition. Thanks for all of your support, Eric, Curtis and Sarah -- www.pittarak.com		 COMPLETED
2006 Jennifer Murray & Colin Bodill (England) -- POLAR FIRST
Jennifer and Colin are attempting to be the first to fly a helicopter around the world from pole to pole. They crashed in Antarctica during their first attempt in 2003. Jennifer's philosophy: "we haven't failed until we stop trying." Jan 2006 - Jennifer's Diary -- www.polarfirst.com 		COMPLETED
2006 Felix Gedney (England) -- AFGHANISTAN MOTORCYCLE JOURNEY
July 2006, Felix Gedney and his friend attempted a motorcycle ride from Kabul in Afghanistan to Monchengladbach in Germany. The route from Afghanistan headed to Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and back through eastern Europe. The route leads through some of the most rugged, hot and remote parts of the world in the tracks of the Silk Route traders and the legendary players in the nineteenth century Great Game. They intended to forgo the traditional trans-Asian route through Pakistan and Iran for the high altitude passes of the Hindu Kush Mountains and Central Asia’s hottest place - the black sands of Turkmenistan’s Garagum Desert. They were two 17 year old single cylinder Yamaha Tenere motorcycles with no support other than what they could carry. They were limited to one month, and had to abandon the journey when Felix's friend was unable to obtain a visa for the second country. It will be interesting to see if Felix will try again at a later date. Felix Gedney - MA COMARRC, HQ ARRC, BFPO 140, UK -- gedney@compuserve.com -- www.longwayhome.org.uk 		ABORTED
2006 Paula Constant (Australia) -- TRANS SAHARA EXPEDITION
I started walking in London, in August 2004, with my husband, Gary. We walked 5000km through five countries to the South of Morocco, where the road ran out and the Sahara began. In September last year, we bought four camels and set off through Southern Morocco and the Western Sahara to Dakhla, on the Mauritanian border. My husband and I separated after a month in the desert. For the next six months, I walked with my two guides and four camels, 2,500km through the Sahara to Dakhla. My aim, as it has been from the beginning, was to live amongst the Saharawi Nomads, as they themselves live, traveling only by foot. In September 2006, In-Shallah, I will continue on my journey from West to East across the Sahara Desert with three camels and a guide through Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad and Sudan -- www.constanttrek.com 		PARTIALLY COMPLETED
2005 Rosie Swalepope (Wales) -- ROSIE AROUND THE WORLD
Apr 2005 - Currently crossing North America on foot. In August 2008, Rosie arrived in Wales and completed her journey by foot around the world. This has been an incredible journey -- www.rosiearoundtheworld.co.uk/ 		COMPLETED
2004 Ricky de Agrela & Alan Honeyborne (South Africa) -- SOUTH AFRICAN FREEDOM FLIGHT
Jan 2005 - Alan was killed tragically in May 2004 when his plane crashed in China. Ricky's aircraft was shipped to USA due to administrative problems in China and Russia. He completed his journey back to South Africa -- www.safreedomflight.com 		COMPLETED
2003 Jeff & Dan (USA) -- CLIMBING FOR CONSERVATION
Successful trip. All mountains climbed on time and funds were donated for conservation. Mar 2003 - trip synopsis -- http://www.altruisticadventures.org/africa2003.html 		COMPLETED
2002 Dougie Cairns (Scotland) -- DIABETES WORLD FLIGHT
Dougie's trip was a success. His book has been published, and he has been promoting it during tours of the USA in 2005. Feb 2003 - successful circumnavigation! -- www.diabetesworldflight.com 		COMPLETED
2001 Wan & Mou (Thailand) -- THAI BIKE WORLD
Jul2004 - crossing USA.  Feb2004 - in Mexico. Apr2005 - in Morocco. Nov2006 - in China. Jun2007 - in Vietnam. Nov2007 - completed safely back in Thailand after 5 years, 11 months and 1 day -- www.thaibikeworld.org		 COMPLETED