Cultural Anthropology Program Senior Research Awards

The Cultural Anthropology Program Senior Research Awards (CA-SR) is administered by the U.S. National Science Foundation within the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences and the Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences. The program supports fundamental and systematic anthropological research designed to increase understanding of the causes, consequences, and complexities of human social and cultural variability. The solicitation explicitly applies to senior research proposals and related categories but excludes Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants, which are covered under a separate program. The program welcomes proposals from researchers across all subfields of cultural anthropology, covering research at any temporal or spatial scale. Supported methodologies may include ethnographic field research, surveys, remote sensing, biomarker collection, laboratory and experimental work, archival research, materials analysis, computational modeling, and other appropriate tools. The overarching goal is to support empirically grounded projects producing generalizable knowledge beyond case studies to contribute to a more robust anthropological science. The program prioritizes theory-generating and theory-testing research, not applied work focused solely on clinical or policy solutions. Funding is anticipated at approximately $4,000,000 annually, supporting 30 to 40 awards depending on availability of funds. Senior research projects may request up to three years of support, with budgets rarely exceeding $120,000 annually. Proposals may request funds for salaries, travel, research assistance, equipment, participant incentives, and publication costs, but budgets must align with project scope. Additional mechanisms supported by the program include CAREER awards, scholars’ training awards, conference proposals, community-engaged research supplements, TREES projects, and exploratory or rapid-response proposals, each with separate budgetary guidelines. Eligibility is limited to U.S. institutions of higher education, including two- and four-year colleges and community colleges, acting on behalf of faculty members; nonprofit, non-academic research organizations such as museums and laboratories; and federally recognized Tribal Nations. Proposals may also involve international collaborators if justified. There are no restrictions on who may serve as a principal investigator, nor limits on the number of submissions by individuals or organizations. Applications must be submitted via Research.gov or Grants.gov, following the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide. No letters of intent or preliminary proposals are required. The program operates on two annual target dates: January 15 and August 15, recurring each year. Proposals are evaluated under the NSF merit review criteria of intellectual merit and broader impacts, with specific attention to advancing anthropological theory. Reviewers also consider data management, ethical considerations, and plans for dissemination. Administrative conditions follow standard NSF requirements. Awardees must comply with reporting rules, including annual and final project reports submitted through Research.gov. Program officers listed for inquiries include Jeffrey W. Mantz (jmantz@nsf.gov, 703-292-7783), Tarini Bedi (tbedi@nsf.gov, 703-292-8499), Jeremy Koster (jkoster@nsf.gov, 703-292-8740), and Cori J. Jacildone (cjacildo@nsf.gov, 703-292-7388). The program continues to emphasize broadening participation in STEM, supporting diverse applicants and projects that advance both science and inclusion.