Endangered Language Fund Grants

Deadline: 20 April 2011
Open to: researchers and language activists from any country, also institutions (no overheads covered)
Grant: less than $4,000 in size

The Endangered Language Fund provides grants for language maintenance and linguistic field work. The work most likely to be funded is that which serves both the native community and the field of linguistics. Work which has immediate applicability to one group and more distant application to the other will also be considered. Publishing subventions are a low priority, although they will be considered. Proposals can originate in any country. The language involved must be in danger of disappearing within a generation or two. Endangerment is a continuum, and the location on the continuum is one factor in our funding decisions.

Eligible expenses include consultant fees, tapes, films, travel, etc. Overhead is not allowed. Grants are normally for a one year period, though extensions may be applied for. Expect grants in this round are to be less than $4,000 in size, and to average about $2,000.

Eligibility

Researchers and language activists from any country are eligible to apply. Awards can be made to institutions, but no administrative (overhead, indirect) costs are covered.

Application Process

Applications must be submitted electronically. Applications must be received by April 20th, 2011. Decisions will be delivered by the end of May, 2011.

There is no form, but the information requested below should be included in the first page of an electronic document, preferably a PDF file. Email the single file containing all the material to: elf@endangeredlanguagefund.org

Required Information

COVER PAGE

The first page should contain:
Title of the project
Name of language and country in which it is spoken
Name of primary researcher
Address of primary researcher (include email and, if possible, phone.)
Amount requested
Present position, education, and native language(s).
Previous experience and/or publications that are relevant.

Include the same information for collaborating researchers, if any. This information may continue on the next page.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT
Beginning on a separate page, provide a description of the project. This should normally take two pages, single spaced, but the maximum is five pages. Be detailed about the type of material that is to be collected and/or produced, and the value it will have to the native community (including relatives and descendants who do not speak the language) and to linguistic science. Special consideration will be given to projects that involve children. Give a brief description of the state of endangerment of the language in question.

BUDGET
On a separate page, prepare an itemized budget that lists expected costs for the project. Eligible expenses include consultant fees, tapes, films, travel, etc. Overhead (indirect) costs are not allowed. Estimates are acceptable, but they must be realistic. Please translate the amounts into US dollars. List other sources of support you are currently receiving or expect to receive and other applications that relate to the current one.

LETTER OF SUPPORT
Two letters of support are recommended, but not required. These can be included in the electonric file or sent separately. Note that these letters, if sent separately, must arrive on or before the deadline (April 21st, 2011) in order to be considered. If more than two letters are sent, only the first two received will be read.

No mail or fax applications will be accepted. If you have any questions, please write to our address (300 George St., Suite 900, New Haven, CT 06511, USA) or email to: elf@endangeredlanguagefund.org

The official webpage.

2 thoughts on “Endangered Language Fund Grants

  1. Dear Sir/madam,
    I have just seen this advert, October 2012. I wonder whether you will shortly be holding another round of application. Over the past 15 years, I have been researching the Acholi language, mainly spoken in Northern Uganda but with similarities with other Nilotic languages spoken in Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The language has not been fully written and with the 24 years of war that has just ended, the means of propagation namely the elders and other speakers have been depleted. Moreover, the war that raged in the area lead to further mis-interpretation of the cultures (a basis for the fluency in the language) as you might have seen in the activities of the Lord's resistance Army, a party in the conflict. Please let me know whether you would be interested in sponsoring my study of 'The Structure of Acholi Language.' Recently I self-published Acholi Proverbs, following my earlier publication of 'Acholi for beginners.' It is a language I am passionate about and would like it preserved. Kind regards

    1. Dear Festo,
      Congratulations on your work researching the Acholi language, but unfortunately Mladiinfo is not in charge of the funding. We only inform others about the opportunities. Please see the original website of the Endangered Language Fund above to contact them for more information.
      Kind regards,
      Mladiinfo team

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