The Documenting Endangered Languages (DEL) program is a partnership between the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop and advance knowledge concerning endangered human languages. Made urgent by the imminent death of an estimated half of the 6000-7000 currently used languages, this effort aims also to exploit advances in information technology. Awards support fieldwork and other activities relevant to recording, documenting, and archiving endangered languages, including the preparation of lexicons, grammars, text samples, and databases. DEL funding is available in the form of one- to three-year project grants as well as fellowships for six to twelve months. At least half the available funding will be awarded to projects involving fieldwork.
All DEL applications are submitted to NSF for review. Upon completion of the review process, the administration of awards is conducted separately by NEH or NSF.
Application materials are available on the National Science Foundation's website.
Program Statistics
In the last five competitions the NEH component of the Documenting Endangered Languages program received an average of 73 applications per year. The program made an average of 10 awards per year, for a funding ratio of 14 percent. (Note that NEH administers the program in partnership with the National Science Foundation, which also receives applications and makes awards.)
The number of applications to an NEH grant program can vary widely from year to year, as can the funding ratio. Information about the average number of applications and awards in recent competitions is meant only to provide historical context for the current competition. Information on the number of applications and awards in individual competitions is available from preservation@neh.gov.
Questions?
Program questions should be directed to NEH’s Division of Preservation and Access at 202-606-8570 or preservation@neh.gov. Hearing-impaired applicants can contact NEH via TDD at 1-866-372-2930.
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