Funding for language research

Community-oriented Grants

CLA Community Research Grant

Deadline: May 1, 2025 and following
Award: $1,500 per person (up to 2) or $4,000 per group (3 or more)

Indigenous community members and associates from any region of North, Central, or South America are encouraged to apply for a CLA Community Research Grant to visit the California Language Archive (and possibly also the Bancroft Library) to consult linguistic archival materials. Grants are intended to cover the full costs of travel (airfare and/or gas), lodgings (4 nights), and meals for groups (usually 3-4 people) that will spend three days in the CLA. Individuals are also welcome to apply. Research visits will begin in the fall of 2025.

To apply, email a proposal to scoil-ling@berkeley.edu with separate sections addressing all of the following prompts (two-page, single-spaced maximum). Proposals will be evaluated after the May 1 deadline, with notice sent by May 20. Proposals submitted after May 1 will be evaluated and possibly accepted if funding remains. Please do not hesitate to reach out to the same email address or call 510-642-8891 with questions (for example, about group size) in advance of the deadline.

List the name(s) of the member(s) of your research group, the name(s) of the language(s) of interest, and a range of dates for your visit.
Describe your study of or work with language up to now.
Describe your current language-related project that motivates your research visit.
List or summarize the items and/or collections in CLA (and possibly Bancroft) holdings that you will consult. (If materials are digitized, describe your reason(s) for visiting in person.)
Describe how the listed materials benefit your current project.

The Community Research Grant program is generously supported by Arcadia and the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians.

Richenda Ervin and Jonathan Geary (Shingle Springs) consulting the Hans Jørgen Uldall Papers on the Nisenan Language (October 2022)

Grants for Berkeley Affiliates

Oswalt Endangered Language Grant

Deadline: January 10, 2025
Award: up to $7,500

Berkeley students, faculty members, and staff (in any department) are invited to apply for an Oswalt Endangered Language Grant. This funding comes through the Robert L. Oswalt Graduate Student Support Endowment for Endangered Language Documentation, given in memory of Robert L. Oswalt (Ph.D. UC Berkeley 1961) by his widow and sons. It is restricted to Berkeley affiliates, for linguistic fieldwork on endangered languages (anywhere in the world). Proposal guidelines will be circulated closer to the submission deadline.

Apply here: https://forms.gle/nZZz9wKGZPApzSci8.

Robert Oswalt with Kashaya speaker Essie Parrish (1960) (image source)

CLA Language Revitalization Grant

Deadline: January 10, 2025
Award: up to $5,000