Intrepid Foundation 2025 Impact Grants

November 2025

Intrepid Travel’s non-profit has made its biggest-ever grant distribution, made possible by the generosity of Intrepid travellers. 

Intrepid Travel’s non-profit, The Intrepid Foundation, has awarded more than AU$700,000 worth of impact grants to 16 NGO partners as part of its 2025 grant program. In the Foundation’s most extensive grant distribution to date, the grants unlock additional funding for conservation, animal welfare, equality and community-building projects across 15 countries. They’re backed by more than AU$300,000 in traveller donations matched dollar for dollar by Intrepid, with additional support from corporate donor Eurail. 

Now in its third year, The Intrepid Foundation’s annual grant program invited its 54 partners across more than 40 countries to pitch project ideas that deepen community impact. Submissions were reviewed by an Intrepid panel of four team members from across the business who shortlisted finalists before more than 700 Intrepid employees cast their votes. This year the Foundation also introduced a new public voting Traveller’s Choice grant, which received more than 1,400 votes from travellers around the world.   

The Travellers Choice grant went to the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation in Vietnam, which works to fight the causes of human trafficking and will direct the funds to supporting 20 families in Vietnam to build sustainable incomes. Eurail funded two grants which went to AMURTEL, to support refugee and migrant mothers in Greece, and to Cooperativa Coraggio in Italy, to train 20 young people in agroecology and eco-hospitality, with five earning paid internships.Other recipients include PAC Colombia, World Animal Protection Thailand, and Sagamartha Next in Nepal.  

General Manager of The Intrepid Foundation, Biheng Zhang, said: 

“It’s inspiring to hear how our NGO partners plan to use these grants to create impact on the ground – from helping restore marine environments in Thailand to creating an empowerment program for migrant women in Greece and enabling better health screenings in Colombia.” 

“What makes it even more special is that this funding is largely thanks to travellers who chose to donate one per cent of their trip cost at the time of booking – a powerful reminder of what we can achieve when we come together and that even small contributions can go a long way to create meaningful change.” 

Last year’s grant program, which distributed over AU$260,000, won the Best Grants Program at the 2025 Workplace Giving Australia Awards. 2024 grant recipients included the Adelante Foundation which provided 100 micro-loans and financial literacy training to more than 500 women in Honduras; Patinaai Osim which expanded its training hub in Kenya to create employment opportunities for rural women; and Save Vietnam's Wildlife which established a breeding program in Cuc Phuong National Park for the endangered Owston’s civet.  

Highlights from this year's impact grant projects: 

Awamaki, Peru 

Awamaki collaborates with women artisans in remote Quechua communities in Peru to help them create and run their own small businesses. They’ve received impact grants to help support their local communities for the last three years. This year, their AU$14,356 grant will help increase income opportunities for Andean women by equipping them with the skills and marketing materials to produce and sell naturally dyed craft yarn. 

Sagarmatha Next, Nepal 

Sagarmatha Next help responsibly remove waste from the Everest Region in Nepal. Their AU $50,000 grant was awarded to create a learning centre in Kathmandu, focused on waste management to inspire the younger generation to recycle and care for the environment. 

World Animal Protection Thailand, Thailand 

World Animal Protection Thailand advocates for animal welfare across Thailand. The AU$50,000 grant they received will be used to support the country's threatened Dugong population by rehabilitating the marine environment – the animal’s food source – in four key areas of Thailand’s Andaman coast. 

Greening Australia, Australia 

Through large-scale, on-ground restoration, Greening Australia aims to rebuild and regenerate ecosystems across Australia. Their AU$50,000 grant will be used to restore up to 20 hectares of threatened vegetation in Tasmania’s Northern Midlands. The project will support biodiversity and provide critical habitat for endangered species such as the Tasmanian Devil and Eastern Barred Bandicoot. 

Cooperativa Coraggio, Italy 

Cooperativa Coraggio have regenerated 22 hectares of abandoned public land on the outskirts of Rome in Italy. With their 2025 impact grant, they will create the Coraggio Agri-School to train 20 young people annually in agroecology and eco-hospitality. This project blends education and environmental restoration offering a replicable model of low-impact innovation rooted in the community and conservation. 

For more information on The Intrepid Foundation impact grants, visit: https://www.theintrepidfoundation.org/impactgrants