Linguistics

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Linguistics Program is a federal funding initiative administered through the Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences (SBE/BCS). As part of NSF’s broader mission to promote the progress of science, the program focuses specifically on basic scientific research in the domain of human language. This includes research on the grammatical properties of individual human languages and natural language more broadly, spanning fields such as syntax, semantics, morphology, phonetics, and phonology. The program supports a wide range of theoretical and methodological perspectives, particularly encouraging interdisciplinary research that intersects linguistics with other scientific domains. Funded projects often investigate how language interfaces with cognition, society, neurobiology, and computation. Sample research questions include psychological mechanisms behind language perception and production, the computational architecture enabling fluent and incremental language processing, and the biological and social foundations of language development and change. Funding is available for several types of proposals. These include standard research proposals from scholars holding a PhD or equivalent degree, Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement (LING-DDRI) proposals, and CAREER proposals intended for early-career faculty. The program also supports conferences, provided they are submitted in accordance with NSF’s policies as outlined in the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG). Applications must align with NSF’s mandate to fund basic research; therefore, the program does not support projects focused on clinical outcomes, pedagogical tool development, or applied policy objectives. Additional collaborative opportunities exist through the Dynamic Language Infrastructure programs, co-administered with the National Endowment for the Humanities, which target the documentation and analysis of endangered or understudied languages. These solicitations accept both standard and dissertation-level proposals and aim to enhance linguistic and cultural diversity research infrastructure. To apply, full proposals must be submitted via Research.gov or Grants.gov, following the guidelines in the current PAPPG or NSF Grants.gov Application Guide. Although there are currently no active due dates, the program anticipates recurring funding cycles. All submitted proposals must meet NSF formatting and content standards as described in the relevant guidelines. Deadlines, when established, will be posted on the NSF website, and applicants are responsible for confirming they are using the current PAPPG for submission. For further information, applicants can contact Wilson de Lima Silva (Program Director) at [email protected] or (703) 292-7096, or Kenyatta Johnson (Program Specialist) at [email protected] or (703) 292-4850. Though no new deadlines are currently listed, the program is expected to announce new application periods and encourages prospective applicants to monitor the program page and sign up for NSF updates.