The Fund awards grants to the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland to support their Fellowships in Urgent Anthropology. An inaugural five-year program of Fellowships was set up by the RAI in association with Goldsmiths' College, part of the University of London, which is the largest center for anthropological research in the United Kingdom. This enables researchers to have a six month period at Goldsmiths' College to write up their results on returning from field work.
Fellowships are for a minimum of one year and a maximum of two years.
The initial five-year program has been extended into a sixth year at Goldsmiths' College because of its outstanding success. It is intended after these six years to invite another United Kingdom university, as yet to be decided, to take responsibility for the program. The heads of Goldsmiths' anthropology department have agreed to maintain their interest and involvement in the program and give advice where appropriate. The selection of RAI Fellows is made by a panel composed of representatives from both the RAI and Goldsmiths' College. Academic oversight of the projects is provided by the senior members of the anthropology department of Goldsmiths' College.