Research funding for language documentation

Smithsonian Ten-Week Graduate Student Fellowship in Anthropology

• Restrictions: for graduate students; “Research topic must be focused on contemporary indigenous communities, linguistics and endangered languages, or cultural diversity”; should demonstrate active connection with the holdings of the National Museum of Natural History
• Grant type: 10 weeks (in D.C.); $8,000 stipend; $4,000 research allowance; relocation allowance as appropriate
• Typical deadline: early November; application through the Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program

ELDP Individual Graduate Scholarships

• Restrictions: for graduate students; specific to language documentation projects
• Grant type: 12-36 months, may include stipend
• Special application requirements: 2 letters of recommendation; statement of support from host institution
• Typical deadline: mid January

ELDP Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship

• Restrictions: specific to language documentation projects; early stage researchers (less than 5 years post PhD)
• Grant type: maximum £150,000 (may include salary), 12-24 months
• Special application requirements: 2 letters of recommendation; statement of support from host institution
• Typical deadline: mid January

APS/NASI Predoctoral Fellowship

• Restrictions: graduate students only
• Grant type: 12-month residential fellowship including desk space at the APS Library & Museum; $25,000 stipend (plus benefits), $5,000 research/travel funding
• The APS also offers short term Digital Knowledge Sharing Fellowships for scholars & Indigenous communities collaborating on digital projects and Residence Fellowships for scholars working with APS Library collections.
• Typical deadline: late January

APS/NASI Postdoctoral Fellowship

• Restrictions: PhDs only
• Grant type: 12-month residential fellowship including desk space at the APS Library & Museum; $45,000-60,000 stipend (may include health benefits), $5,000 research/travel funding
• The APS also offers short term Digital Knowledge Sharing Fellowships for scholars & Indigenous communities collaborating on digital projects and Residence Fellowships for scholars working with APS Library collections.
• Typical deadline: late January

International Dissertation Research Fellowship

• Restrictions: US-based graduate students only; restricted to dissertation research conducted outside the US
• Grant type: 9-12 months (minimum of 6 months research outside the US); average $22,000 (may include living expenses)
• Special application requirements: 2 letters of recommendation; potentially a language evaluation
• Typical deadline: early November

NSF Dynamic Language Infrastructure Senior Research Projects

• Restrictions: US-based senior researchers only
• Grant type: $12,000-$150,000, 1-3 years
• Special application requirements: data management plan & letter of collaboration from archive
• Typical deadline: mid September

ELDP Major Documentation Project Grants

• Restrictions: specific to language documentation projects; graduate students should apply for Individual Graduate Scholarships
• Grant type: £150,000 (may include salaries/stipends), 6-36 months
• Special application requirements: 2 letters of recommendation; statement of support from host institution
• Typical deadline: mid January

Laura W.R. Appell Fellowships

• Restrictions: for documentation of oral literatures and traditional ecological knowledge; for building a long term relationship with a community
• Grant type: up to $40,000

Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowship

• Restrictions: US-based students in humanities or social science departments; intended for early candidacy, “at least two years remaining”; aims to encourage “innovative approaches” to the dissertation
• Grant type: 1-year; $40,000 stipend, $8,000 research costs
• Typical deadline: early November

Marjorie Boulton Fellowships

• Restrictions: Preference for candidates in N. American and the global south (doctoral and post-doctoral categories); focus on interlinguistics, linguistic justice, intercultural communication, Esperanto
• Grant type:$10,000 award, may be held concurrently with other fellowships
• Typical deadline: early June, with awards announced in July

ELF Language Legacies

• Restrictions: “The language involved must be in danger of disappearing within a generation or two.”
• Grant type: one-year period, average of $2,000
• Typical deadline: mid March
• Special application requirements: two letters of support (including one from a community member, if the researcher is not part of the community)

Foundation for Endangered Languages

• Restrictions: FEL members only; priority to revitalization projects
• Grant type: $1,000 grants

Awesome Foundation

• Grant type: $1,000
• Special application requirements: Must be awesome! This is a non-traditional funding source.
• Typical deadline: rolling deadline (grants awarded monthly)

Jacob’s Research Fund

• Restrictions: “linguistic and anthropological research on aboriginal peoples of North and South America” (priority given to Pacific Northwest); may be used for research and documentation, but not purely applied research
• Grant type: $3,000 for individuals, $6,000 for groups
• Special application requirements: 2 letters of recommendation
• Typical deadline: mid February

Louis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research

• Restrictions: US-based graduate students only
• Grant type: up to $5,000
• Special application requirements: 2 letters of recommendation
• Typical deadline: mid October

Tinker Field Research Grants

• Restrictions: to support students doing early fieldwork in Latin American
• Grant type: awarded through a university’s Latin American studies program; usually for less than $2,000

APS Phillips Fund for Native American Research

• Restrictions: for very early-career scholars and graduate students writing theses/dissertations; “research in Native American linguistics, ethnohistory, and the history of studies of Native Americans, in the continental United States and Canada”
• Grant type:
• Typical deadline: early March

NSF Dynamic Language Infrastructure DDRIG

• Restrictions: US-based graduate students only; restricted to dissertation research
• Grant type: maximum $15,000 in direct costs; up to 24 months
• Special application requirements: requires advisor as PI; data management plan & letter of collaboration from archive
• Typical deadline: rolling deadline

ELDP Small Grants

• Restrictions: specific to language documentation projects
• Grant type: maximum £10,000, 12 months
• Special application requirements: 1 letter of recommendation; statement of support from host institution
• Typical deadline: mid January

ELF Native Voices Endowment Grants

• Restrictions: restricted American Indian Nations whose ancestors had contact with the Lewis & Clark Expedition; grantees must be enrolled tribal members or associated with tribal government/school language programs; grants may be used for education programs, individual language study, or documentation
• Grant type: 1-3 years, $2,500-$10,000 per year
• Special application requirements: supporting letters (including one from appropriate governing body); statement of ethics approval
• Typical deadline: mid October

Jacob’s Research Fund Kinkade Grants

• Restrictions: “linguistic and anthropological research on aboriginal peoples of North and South America” (priority given to Pacific Northwest); may be used for research and documentation, but not purely applied research
• Grant type: $9,000 for an intense period of fieldwork
• Special application requirements: 2 letters of recommendation
• Typical deadline: mid February

Firebird Fellowship

• Restrictions: for documentation of oral literatures and traditional ecological knowledge; ideally for 9-12 months of fieldwork
• Grant type: up to $10,000

Endangered Material Knowledge Programme (EMKP)

• Restrictions: this grant is specifically for documenting the creation and use of objects; they acknowledge that language recording may be involved, but do not fund it directly; PI must have official affiliation
• Grant type: small grants up to £15,000 (1 year) and large grants up to £70,000 (1-2 years)
• Special application requirements: requires institution with an ethics board; contact info for external reviewers
• Typical deadline: late January

NSF/NEH Dynamic Language Infrastructure–Documenting Endangered Languages Fellowship

• Restrictions: US-based researchers only; students are not eligible
• Grant type: $5,000/month stipend for 6-12 months (does not include research-specific funds)
• Typical deadline: late September