Funder: National Science Foundation
Due Dates: January 15, 2025 | July 15, 2025 (Full proposals) | Rolling (Conference proposals)
Funding Amounts: Estimated total program funding: $6,000,000 annually; individual award size and duration vary by project type.
Summary: Supports basic research on human language, including syntax, semantics, morphology, phonetics, phonology, and interdisciplinary studies in linguistics.
Key Information: Does not fund clinical, applied, or pedagogical research; open to research, dissertation, CAREER, and conference proposals.
Description
The National Science Foundation's Linguistics Program supports fundamental research in the science of human language. The program covers investigations into the grammatical properties of individual languages and natural language in general, with research areas including syntax, semantics, morphology, phonetics, and phonology. The program encourages interdisciplinary projects that address questions at the intersection of linguistics with psychology, computation, neurobiology, social sciences, and other fields.
Key research questions may include:
- Psychological processes in language production, perception, and comprehension
- Computational properties of language and language processing
- Acoustic and physiological aspects of speech and their theoretical implications
- Neurobiological influences on language structure
- Language development across the lifespan
- Social and cultural factors in language variation and change
The program does not fund research aimed primarily at clinical practice, applied policy, or the development/assessment of pedagogical methods or tools for language instruction.
Proposals are accepted for:
- Standard research projects (PhD or equivalent required)
- Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement (LING-DDRI) awards
- Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) proposals
- Conference support (see PAPPG for requirements)
The program also participates in initiatives to document and analyze understudied and endangered languages, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities and other NSF directorates.
Due Dates
- Full Research Proposals: January 15, 2025 and July 15, 2025 (annually)
- Conference Proposals: Accepted at any time (rolling submission)
- Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement (LING-DDRI) and CAREER: See specific program solicitations for deadlines
Funding Amount
- Estimated Total Program Funding: $6,000,000 annually
- Award Size: Varies by project type and scope; no explicit ceiling or floor specified
- Duration: Typically 1–3 years for research projects; varies for other proposal types
Eligibility
- Eligible Applicants: Unrestricted; open to individuals and organizations, subject to NSF policies
- Principal Investigators: Generally must hold a PhD or equivalent degree for research proposals
- Doctoral Dissertation Awards: For dissertation research, the student must be enrolled in a doctoral program at an eligible institution
- Conference Proposals: Open to qualified organizations
Application Process
- Submission Portal: Proposals must be submitted via NSF FastLane, Research.gov, or Grants.gov
- Guidelines: All proposals must adhere to the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG)
- Conference Proposals: Follow the Conference Proposals section in Chapter II of the PAPPG
- Special Solicitations: For projects on endangered languages, see DLI-DEL and DLI-DDRI
Additional Information
- The program is part of the Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences (SBE/BCS).
- Multidisciplinary and cross-disciplinary projects are encouraged.
- For information on previously funded projects, see the NSF Award Search.
- For information on related programs (e.g., Cognitive Neuroscience, Developmental Sciences), see the NSF Linguistics Program page.
External Links
Contact Information
For technical issues with Grants.gov: grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov