Dynamic Language Infrastructure – NEH Documenting Endangered Languages
🏛 U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Jul 28, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for organizations and researchers documenting endangered languages and supporting linguistic communities. Eligible applicants include universities, colleges, nonprofit organizations, and individual researchers. Projects must focus on creating language resources, conducting fieldwork, or developing technology for endangered language documentation. Both domestic U.S. languages and international language documentation are supported.
The program prioritizes work that produces lasting, shareable language materials. Teams should include native speakers and community members as collaborators. Applicants should demonstrate institutional support for sustained language work.
Geographic scope is global, though U.S.-based institutions must lead applications. Funding supports research, archiving, training, and infrastructure development. Projects typically run 1-3 years.
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Program description
This funding partnership between the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) supports projects to develop and advance knowledge concerning dynamic language infrastructure in the context of endangered human languages — languages that are both understudied and at risk of falling out of use. Made urgent by the imminent loss of roughly half of the approximately 7,000 currently used languages, this effort aims to exploit advances in human-language technology to build computational infrastructure for endangered language research. The program supports projects that contribute to data management and archiving, and to the development of the next generation of researchers. Funding can support fieldwork and other activities relevant to the digital recording, documentation and analysis, and archiving of endangered language data, including the preparation of lexicons, grammars, text samples, and databases. Funding is available in the form of one- to three-year senior research grants and conference proposals. Fellowship support is available through a separate funding opportunity administered by NEH.
Note: a conference proposal should generally be submitted at least a year in advance of the scheduled date of the conference. For additional information about creating and submitting conference proposals, please refer to PAPPG Chapter II. E.9.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
Demographic focus
How to apply
Application links
Required documents
- NSF proposal cover sheet (SF-424)
- Project narrative and technical description
- Budget and budget justification
- Curriculum vitae of key personnel
- Letters of support from partner institutions and community leaders
- Data management and sharing plan
- Letters of commitment from native speaker collaborators
Program contact
- 👤 U.S. National Science Foundation
- 📧 grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov
- 📞 703-292-4203
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 47.070 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
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$975,888,088
-
$376,000,000
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$146,395,788
-
$84,249,997
-
$78,999,134
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$38,082,925
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$37,758,328
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$37,023,406
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$36,793,220
-
$31,497,099
Top States by Funding
- CO 6 awards $1,049.0M
- TX 9 awards $651.6M
- IL 10 awards $304.8M
- CA 17 awards $237.2M
- IN 3 awards $93.7M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 47.070). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2024 | $965,230,000 | |
| 2025 | $916,340,000 | |
| 2026 est. | $331,630,000 |
FAQ
Who can apply for this grant?
Universities, colleges, nonprofits, museums, and individual researchers with institutional affiliation are eligible. International researchers may apply through U.S. partner institutions.
What activities does this grant fund?
Language documentation fieldwork, corpus creation, archival infrastructure, technology development, and community language programs. Training for the next generation of linguists is also supported.
When is the deadline?
The deadline is September 15, 2026. Check NSF.gov for any updates or rolling deadlines.
How competitive is this program?
Moderately to highly competitive. Strong applications include partnerships with native speaker communities and clear plans for data preservation.
What is the typical funding range?
Awards typically range from $50,000 to $300,000+. Budget depends on project scope, fieldwork location, and staffing needs.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Involve native speakers and community members as partners, not just research subjects. This strengthens impact and competitiveness.
- Plan for long-term data archiving from day one. Funders expect materials to be publicly accessible.
- Include a timeline for fieldwork, transcription, analysis, and dissemination. Be realistic about project phases.
- Show how your work contributes to linguistic knowledge and benefits the speaking community directly.
- Build partnerships with institutions that have archival infrastructure (universities, digital repositories).
⚠️ Common mistakes
Applications fail when they treat language communities as data sources only, not partners. Lack of detailed archival or preservation plans weakens competitiveness. Underestimating fieldwork costs or timelines leads to budget rejection.
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