Native Voices Endowment Grants
Native Voices Endowment Grants support tribal communities and Native language learners with education, documentation, recording, and training to revitalize Indigenous languages connected to the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Funder: Endangered Language Fund
Due Dates: October 15, 2026 (Full application)
Funding Amounts: $250–$20,000 budget; one-year grants
Summary: Supports documentation, revitalization, and study of eligible Native American languages connected to the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Key Information: Principal investigators must be enrolled tribal members or tribal college employees.
Description
The Endangered Language Fund administers the Native Voices Endowment to revitalize and perpetuate the Indigenous languages of American Indian Nations connected to the 1803–1806 Lewis and Clark Expedition. The endowment is a Lewis and Clark Expedition Bicentennial Legacy funded through revenue from the U.S. Mint’s 2004 Lewis and Clark Commemorative Coin.
Grants support language education, curricula, documentation, and recording for revitalization. Past successful proposals have included recordings of elder speakers, immersion classes, books, and films. The program also supports individual Native language study, mentor-apprentice arrangements, and scholarships or travel for training that advances documentation or revitalization of an eligible language.
