Cultural Anthropology Program Senior Research Awards

The Cultural Anthropology Program Senior Research Awards (CA-SR), administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF), seeks to support empirically grounded and theoretically driven research that deepens understanding of human social and cultural variability. Administered through NSF’s Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences and specifically the Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences, this program is part of the federal government’s broader mandate to fund basic scientific research. The CA-SR initiative does not support applied or clinical projects with direct service goals; instead, it focuses on theory-generating and theory-testing work that advances anthropological science. Researchers are encouraged to submit proposals that aim to create broadly generalizable findings about human societies through rigorous, systematic research across all subfields of cultural anthropology. The CA-SR program welcomes a wide range of methodological approaches including, but not limited to, ethnographic fieldwork, archival analysis, remote sensing, surveys, experimental research, collection of bio-markers, mathematical modeling, computational simulations, and the use of extant databases. Proposals may explore topics like urbanization, climate-society interactions, socio-ecological system resilience, human mobility, kinship, disease transmission, material culture, language, and more. The program particularly values convergent research that integrates multiple disciplinary perspectives, as well as projects that include research training for pre- and post-doctoral scholars or support collaboration among anthropologists and other scientific communities. NSF expects proposals to be submitted either through Research.gov or Grants.gov. Proposals must comply with the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) relevant at the time of submission. While Letters of Intent and preliminary proposals are not required, all applicants are encouraged to discuss their research topics with program officers via email summaries prior to submission to ensure alignment with program goals. Full proposals must include sections on intellectual merit, broader impacts, ethical considerations, and results from prior NSF support, where applicable. For TREES (Trans-disciplinary REsearch in Environmental Social Science) proposals, an additional management plan is required. Senior Research Awards typically last up to 36 months and rarely exceed $120,000 annually. Budgets must align closely with the proposed research activities and may include support for salaries, travel, research assistance, participant incentives, equipment, and publication costs. No voluntary cost-sharing is allowed. The program also supports other specialized funding tracks, including CAREER awards (minimum $400,000 for up to five years), Scholars Awards (up to $75,000), and TREES proposals (usually $200,000–$250,000 annually). EAGER and RAPID proposals may be considered for urgent or exploratory research but must meet strict eligibility criteria and funding caps (typically below $50,000 and $30,000 respectively). Eligibility for CA-SR is open to accredited U.S. institutions of higher education (including community colleges), independent non-profit non-academic organizations, and federally recognized Tribal Nations. There are no restrictions on who may serve as Principal Investigator, nor is there a limit on the number of proposals an institution or PI may submit. Reviewers assess proposals using the NSF’s two primary merit review criteria: Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts. Proposals must clearly articulate their scientific contribution, research design, and broader societal impacts. Proposals are reviewed twice a year with target deadlines of January 15 and August 15, annually. These recurring deadlines allow applicants to plan for future submissions even if they miss the current cycle. Successful applicants will receive standard or continuing grants, and notification of award decisions is typically made within six months. Annual and final reports are required for all awards. For more information or proposal assistance, applicants can contact any of the listed program officers: Jeffrey W. Mantz, Tarini Bedi, Jeremy Koster, or business specialist Cori J. Jacildone.

Highlight theory-testing contributions to anthropological science; broader impacts should include meaningful community engagement or educational outcomes; avoid proposals focused solely on applied solutions without theoretical advancement.