NSF Dynamic Language Infrastructure - NEH Documenting Endangered Languages
Supports U.S. higher-education, nonprofit research, and tribal organizations to document, archive, and analyze endangered human languages and to build related computational language infrastructure and researcher training, including fieldwork, lexicons, grammars, text samples, databases, and conference activities.
⚑ Conference proposals should generally be submitted at least one year before the conference date. · Award types include one- to three-year senior research grants and conference proposals. · International branch campus performance requires justification if funding is to be used there.
This is a humanities/computational language documentation program centered on endangered languages, lexicons, grammars, archiving, and language technology. IPPRA’s portfolio is public opinion, risk, weather, energy, security, and education policy evaluation, so this would not be their PI-level research.
JUDGED AGAINST THE ROSTER'S PUBLICATION DOSSIER · GPT-5.4-MINI · 2026-07-07
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 80 strong | technical depth: substantial; funds applied research |
| IPPRA | 65 good | outside portfolio topics; signature methods: community engaged; social/behavioral work is substantial; funds applied research; capped at 65 (limited social-science role) |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 25 weak | funds applied research; deep-tech content |
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.
Eligibility
*Who May Submit Proposals: Proposals may only be submitted by the following: -Non-profit, non-academic organizations: Independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies and similar organizations located in the U.S. that are directly associated with educational or research activities. -Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs): Two- and four-year IHEs (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the US, acting on behalf of their faculty members. Special Instructions for International Branch Campuses of US IHEs: If the proposal includes funding to be provided to an international branch campus of a US institution of higher education (including through use of sub-awards and consultant arrangements), the proposer must explain the benefit(s) to the project of performance at the international branch campus, and justify why the project activities cannot be performed at the US campus. - Tribal organizations and other American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian serving organizations.
*Who May Serve as PI:
There are no program-specificrestrictions or limits.
Apply
View on Grants.gov → CONTACT: U.S. National Science Foundation <grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov>
Proposal brief SEE AN EXAMPLE →
A one-page internal memo: fit assessment, submission requirements, document scaffold, and next steps dated back from the deadline — tailored to your project idea if you add one.
Proposal shell · National Science Foundation conventions SEE AN NSF EXAMPLE →
Funder-faithful document skeletons — National Science Foundation's document set with section headings, page limits, reviewer guidance, and writing prompts; add a project idea to get [DRAFT] starter bullets. Download as .md for Word or Overleaf.