NSF Dynamic Language Infrastructure - NEH Documenting Endangered Languages

The NSF Dynamic Language Infrastructure – NEH Documenting Endangered Languages (DLI-DEL) grant program is a collaborative initiative between the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Both agencies recognize the critical urgency posed by the potential extinction of approximately half of the world's 7,000 languages. These languages are not only cultural treasures for the communities that speak them but also vital sources of data for linguists, anthropologists, cognitive scientists, and others studying human knowledge, behavior, and cognition. DLI-DEL aims to address this crisis by funding research and initiatives that record, document, analyze, and preserve endangered languages using cutting-edge technological and collaborative methodologies. The program supports three core emphasis areas: language description, infrastructure development, and computational methods. Projects under language description typically involve fieldwork to record languages using digital media, transcription, annotation, and development of lexicons, grammars, and databases. Infrastructure projects focus on digitizing and preserving documentary materials and developing tools or repositories to broaden access. Computational projects aim to create interoperable, web-based tools, including parsers, taggers, and speech recognizers, specifically tailored to the unique challenges posed by endangered languages, which often lack large digital corpora for training modern AI models. Interdisciplinary teams are encouraged, combining expertise from linguistics, computer science, anthropology, and more, often in direct partnership with speaker communities. Funding is offered through standard or continuing grants, with projects lasting one to three years and budgets up to $450,000. The total program budget is approximately $4.8 million annually, supporting about 20–25 awards. Projects that include community collaboration and training of native speakers in linguistics and digital archiving are prioritized. While language documentation can support revitalization, the DLI-DEL program itself does not fund revival efforts directly. Tribal groups focused on revitalization are directed to alternative resources, such as the Administration for Native Americans’ Native Language Program. Eligible applicants include U.S.-based institutions of higher education (including community colleges), non-profit non-academic organizations (e.g., museums, labs, professional societies), and tribal organizations. There are no limits on the number of submissions by organizations, but individuals may only be listed as a PI or co-PI on one senior research proposal per cycle (excluding conferences). Proposals must be submitted via Research.gov or Grants.gov and conform to the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide. FastLane is not an eligible submission portal for this opportunity. Applications require a detailed Project Summary and Project Description (up to 15 pages), a Data Management Plan (DMP), and a Statement of Consultation confirming community engagement and permissions. Conference proposals must be submitted at least a year in advance. All projects must demonstrate sustainable archiving plans with designated repositories and minimal access restrictions. The DMP must confirm arrangements with an official repository meeting ISO standards and include a completion timeline. Final project report approval is contingent upon successful archiving. This program has multiple deadlines per year for senior research and conference proposals: February 15 and September 15, annually. Given its recurring nature and the most recent deadline of September 15, 2025, the next anticipated cycle is February 2026. Applications must be submitted by that date, with awards typically announced within six months of submission. Contact points include Wilson de Lima Silva ([email protected]) and Kenyatta Johnson ([email protected]). Additional proposal preparation information and submission requirements can be found in the NSF's PAPPG and the solicitation itself.

Ensure your Data Management Plan specifies a qualified repository and archiving timeline. Explicitly address language endangerment and speaker community collaboration.