U.S. National Science Foundation · United States

Linguistics

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U.S. National Science Foundation expects to make awards, from a total budget of $6 million. Applications close on 15 Jan 2027. Eligible applicant types include unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility".

Deadline: 15 Jan 2027 (in 61 days)
Grant amount: $6 million total budget
Funding rate: No mandatory cost sharing stated; funding percentage not stated
Total budget: $6 million
Cost sharing: Not required
Likely applicant types: Companies, SMEs / start-ups, Non-profits, Universities & research, Public bodies, Individuals From source categories or programme rules; the call decides.
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation
Reference: PD-98-1311
Assistance listing: 47.075 Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences
Last checked: 13 Nov 2026

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About this call

The Linguistics Program supports basic science in the domain of human language, encompassing investigations of the grammatical properties of individual human languages, and of natural language in general. Research areas include syntax, semantics, morphology, phonetics and phonology.

The program encourages projects that are interdisciplinary in methodological or theoretical perspective, and that address questions that cross disciplinary boundaries, such as (but not limited to):

• What are the psychological processes involved in the production, perception, and comprehension of language?

• What are the computational properties of language and/or the language processor that make fluent production, incremental comprehension or rapid learning possible?

• How do the acoustic and physiological properties of speech inform our theories of natural language and/or language processing?

• What role does human neurobiology play in shaping the various grammatical properties of language?

Read the full text

• How does language develop in natural learning contexts across the life-span?

• What social and cultural factors underlie language variation and change?

Because NSF's mandate is to support basic research, the Linguistics Program does not fund research that takes as its primary goal improved clinical practice or applied policy, nor does it support work to develop or assess pedagogical methods or tools for language instruction.

The Linguistics Program accepts proposals for a variety of project types: research proposals from scholars with PhDs or equivalent degrees, proposals for Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement (LING-DDRI) awards, and CAREER proposals. We will also consider proposals for conferences. Funding requests for conference support should be submitted in accordance with the Conference Proposals section of Chapter II of NSF's Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) .

NSF's Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences (BCS), in partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities and in collaboration with programs in other NSF Directorates, supports efforts to develop and advance knowledge and infrastructure that will enable the analysis of languages that are both understudied and at risk of falling out of use. In recognition of the critical relevance of these languages to understanding the range and limits of human linguistic and cultural variation, BCS accepts research and dissertation proposals in response to solicitations NSF Dynamic Language Infrastructure - NEH Documenting Endangered Languages (DLI-DEL) and Dynamic Language Infrastructure - Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (DLI-DDRI) .

For more information about Multidisciplinary Research and Training Opportunities, please visit the SBE Office of Multidisciplinary Activities web site.

Who can apply

Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility"

Applicant categories are a starting point. The official call decides eligibility.

Topics

Science and Technology and other Research and Development

How to apply

Apply through the funder’s official page (link below); it states the procedure, documents and deadline.

From the call text

Who can apply: Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page
Company stage: Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page
Single applicant or consortium: Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page
Where applicants must be based: Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page
Where to apply: Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page

Contact

U.S. National Science Foundation · grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov · 703-292-4203

Official sources

Official call page · Funder's programme page

Facts on this page come from the official source and were last checked 13 Nov 2026. The funder's own documents, including later amendments, always take precedence.