The National Geographic Society, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations in the world.
Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical conservation, and the study of world culture and history. The National Geographic Society's logo is a yellow portrait frame—rectangular in shape—which appears on the margins surrounding the front covers of its magazines and as its television channel logo. Through National Geographic Partners (a joint venture with the Walt Disney Company), the society operates the magazine National Geographic, multiple TV channels, a website, worldwide events, and other media operations.
Overview
The National Geographic Society was founded on January 13, 1888 "to increase and diffuse geographic knowledge". It is governed by a board of trustees whose 33 members include distinguished educators, business executives, former government officials and conservationists. The organization sponsors and funds scientific research and exploration. National Geographic maintains a museum for the public in its Washington, D.C., headquarters.
It has helped to sponsor popular traveling exhibits, such as the early 2010s King Tut exhibit featuring artifacts from the tomb of the young Egyptian Pharaoh. The Education Foundation gives grants to education organizations and individuals to improve geography education. The Committee for Research and Exploration has awarded more than 11,000 grants for scientific research and exploration.
National Geographic has retail stores in Washington, D.C., London, Sydney, and Panama. The locations outside of the United States are operated by Worldwide Retail Store S.L., a Spanish holding company.
The society's media arm is National Geographic Partners, a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company and the society, which publishes a journal, National Geographic in English and nearly 40 local-language editions. It also publishes other magazines, books, school products, maps, and Web and film products in numerous languages and countries. National Geographic's various media properties reach more than 280 million people monthly. Its efforts are supported by a wide range of individual, charitable, governmental and corporate donors, including the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, Gates Foundation, Lockheed Martin, Pfizer, National Endowment for the Humanities and many others.
History
The National Geographic Society began as a club for an elite group of academics and wealthy patrons interested in travel and exploration. On January 13, 1888, 33 explorers and scientists gathered at the Cosmos Club, a private club then located on Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C., to organize "a society for the increase and diffusion of geographical knowledge." After preparing a constitution and a plan of organization, the National Geographic Society was incorporated two weeks later on January 27. Gardiner Greene Hubbard (co-founder of AT&T) became its first president and his son-in-law, Alexander Graham Bell (also co-founder of AT&T), succeeded him in 1897.
In 1899, Bell's son-in-law Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor was named the first full-time editor of National Geographic magazine and eventually elected as the president of the society in 1920. Grosvenor resigned as editor and president in 1954 and served as chairman of the organization's board until his death in 1966. Members of the Grosvenor family have played important roles in the organization since. Bell and Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor devised the successful marketing notion of society membership and the first major use of photographs to tell stories in magazines.
The chairman of the National Geographic Society currently is Jean Case. Michael Ulica is president. Jill Tiefenthaler is the chief executive officer. The editor-in-chief of National Geographic magazine is Susan Goldberg. Gilbert Melville Grosvenor, a former chairman, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005 for his leadership in geography education.
In 2004, the National Geographic Society Headquarters in Washington, D.C., was one of the first buildings to receive a "Green" certification from Global Green USA. The National Geographic received the prestigious Prince of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities in October 2006 in Oviedo, Spain.
National Geographic Expeditions was launched in 1999 to fulfill one of its missions and for the proceeds to go towards its mission.
In 2006, the society purchased Hampton-Brown, an English-as-a-second-language educational material publisher, using a good part of its endowments. However, the publisher did not generate much profit. By 2009, the society's endowments were about $200 million.
National Geographic Ventures, its commercial arm, launched a music division, National Geographic Music and Radio, in 2007. The society formed in October 2007 National Geographic Entertainment division to include its entertainment units.
In 2013, the society was investigated for possible violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act relating to their close association with an Egyptian government official responsible for antiquities."US investigates National Geographic over 'corrupt payments' to Egypt's keeper of antiquities", David Usborne. The Independent. October 28, 2013. Retrieved January 28, 2017
On September 9, 2015, the society announced that it would re-organize its media properties and publications into a new company known as National Geographic Partners, which would be majority-owned by 21st Century Fox (21CF) with a 73% stake. This new, for-profit corporation, would own National Geographic and other magazines, as well as its affiliated television networks—most of which were already owned in joint ventures with 21CF. As a consequence, the society and 21st Century Fox announced on November 2, 2015, that 9 percent of National Geographic's 2,000 employees, approximately 180 people, would be laid off, constituting the biggest staff reduction in the society's history. Later, The Walt Disney Company assumed 21CF's share in National Geographic Partners, following the completion of Disney's acquisition of most of 21CF assets on March 20, 2019. On June 29, 2023, National Geographic laid off the remaining staff writers for their magazine and announced their publications would no longer be sold at physical newsstands in the United States in 2024. In a statement to the press, a spokesperson for the society said that the company will continue to publish a monthly magazine "dedicated to exceptional multi-platform storytelling with cultural impact" through the work of freelance writers and the few remaining editors on staff.
List of original founders The 33 original founders of the National Geographic Society in 1888:
Cleveland Abbe Frank Baker Marcus Baker John Russell Bartlett Charles J. Bell Rogers Birnie William Dall Arthur Powell Davis Clarence Dutton Henry Gannett Samuel Gannett Grove Karl Gilbert George Brown Goode James Howard Gore Adolphus Washington Greely Edward Everett Hayden Henry Wetherbee Henshaw Gardiner Greene Hubbard Willard Drake Johnson George Kennan George Wallace Melville Clinton Hart Merriam Henry Mitchell Robert Muldrow II Herbert Gouverneur Ogden John Wesley Powell William Bramwell Powell Israel Russell Winfield Scott Schley Almon Harris Thompson Gilbert Thompson Otto Hilgard Tittmann James Clarke Welling
Although Alexander Graham Bell is sometimes discussed as a founder, he was actually the second president, elected on January 7, 1898, and serving until 1903.
Activities Support for research and projects The society has helped sponsor many expeditions and research projects over the years.
Awards Hubbard Medal
The Hubbard Medal is awarded by the National Geographic Society for distinction in exploration, discovery, and research. The medal is named for Gardiner Greene Hubbard, the first National Geographic Society president. The Hubbard Medal has been presented 44 times , the most recent award going to Peter H. Raven.
Alexander Graham Bell Medal
The National Geographic Society also awards, rarely, the Alexander Graham Bell Medal, for exceptional contributions to geographic research. The award is named after Alexander Graham Bell, scientist, inventor of the telephone and the second president of the NGS. Up to mid-2011, the medal has been twice presented:
1980: Bradford Washburn and wife Barbara Washburn 2010: Roger Tomlinson and Jack Dangermond
National Geographic Museum The society operates the National Geographic Museum, located at 1145 17th Street, NW (17th and M), in Washington, D.C. The museum features changing exhibitions featuring the work of National Geographic explorers, photographers, and scientists. There are also changing exhibits related to natural history, culture, history or society. Permanent exhibits include artifacts like the camera Robert Peary used at the North Pole and pottery that Jacques Cousteau recovered from a shipwreck. In early 2023, the museum closed for a major renovation; it reopened on June 26, 2026, and is now known as the National Geographic Museum of Exploration.
National Geographic Explorers program The NGS names individuals as "Explorers" or "Youth Explorer" for "exceptional individuals in their fields who receive funding and support from the Society to illuminate and protect our world through their work in science, exploration, education, and storytelling." They consist of scientists or content producers, such as photographers and filmmakers. National Geographic Explorers have included: Angela Busheska (2021) Jen Guyton, American photographer and ecologist Suaad Al Harthi, conservation scientist and executive director of the Environment Society of Oman (ESO)
Commercial ventures
National Geographic Partners, a for-profit joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which owns a 73% stake) and the society (which owns 27%), was established in 2015 to handle commercial activities of the society, including television channels worldwide (which were already co-owned by the society and Fox) and magazine publications. The Walt Disney Company assumed 21CF's share of National Geographic Partners in March 2019.
Most of National Geographic Partners' businesses predate the establishment in 2015, and even the launch of National Geographic Channel in Asia and Europe by the original News Corporation (of which 21st Century Fox is one of the successors) in the late 1990s.
The society formed in October 2007 National Geographic Entertainment division to include Cinema Ventures, Feature Films, Kids Entertainment, Home Entertainment and Music & Radio divisions. Music and Radio division president David Beal was appointed head of Nat Geo Entertainment.
Publications National Geographic
The National Geographic Magazine, later shortened to National Geographic, published its first issue in October 1888, nine months after the society was founded, as the society's official journal, a benefit for joining the tax-exempt National Geographic Society. Starting with the February 1910 (Vol XXI, No. 2) issue, the magazine began using its now famous trademarked yellow border around the edge of its covers.
There are 12 monthly issues of National Geographic per year. The magazine contains articles about geography, popular science, world history, culture, current events and photography of places and things all over the world and universe. National Geographic magazine is currently published in 40 local-language editions in many countries around the world. Combined English and other language circulation is around 6.8 million monthly, with some 60 million readers. The society has held a minority interest in the magazine since 2015.
Other publications In addition to its flagship magazine, the society publishes several other periodicals: