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The primary objective of the Cultural Anthropology Program is to support fundamental, systematic anthropological research and training to increase understanding of the causes, consequences and complexities of human social and cultural variability. The Cultural Anthropology Program welcomes proposals from researchers in all sub-fields of cultural anthropology and research at any temporal or spatial scale. Methodologies and approaches employed may include ethnographic field research, surveys, remote sensing, the collection of bio-markers, experimental research inside or outside of laboratory settings, archival research, the analysis of materials collections and extant data bases, mathematical and computational modeling and other research tools as appropriate for the proposed research. The overarching research goals should be to produce empirically grounded findings that will be generalizable beyond particular case studies and contribute to building a more robust anthropological science of human society and culture. The U.S. National Science Foundation's mandate is to support basic scientific research. Basic research in cultural anthropology means theory-generating and theory-testing research that creates new knowledge about human culture and society. Therefore, the Cultural Anthropology Program cannot support research that takes as its primary objective improved clinical practice, applied policy or other immediate application. Research that seeks to advance scientific cultural anthropological theories in a way that advances use-inspired objectives may be supported, but the theory-advancing objectives must be clearly at the center of the proposal. A proposal to use anthropological methods and approaches only to find solutions to social, medical or other problems without specifically proposing to make a theory-testing or theory-expanding contribution to anthropological science will be returned without review.
Funding Opportunity Number: 25-502. Assistance Listing: 47.075. Funding Instrument: G. Category: ST. Award Amount: $4M total program funding.
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Cultural Anthropology Program Senior Research Awards (CA-SR) | NSF - U.S. National Science Foundation Cultural Anthropology Program Senior Research Awards (CA-SR) Status: Waiting for new publication Important information for proposers and award recipients All proposals must be submitted in accordance with the requirements specified in the funding opportunity and in the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) and its supplements .
All NSF grants and cooperative agreements are subject to the applicable set of NSF award terms and conditions . NSF has updated its research security policies for NSF funded projects. Supports research aimed at understanding patterns, causes and consequences of human social and cultural variation, including research that has implications for confronting anthropogenic problems.
Supports research aimed at understanding patterns, causes and consequences of human social and cultural variation, including research that has implications for confronting anthropogenic problems.
The primary objective of the Cultural Anthropology Program is to support fundamental, systematic anthropological research and training to increase understanding of the causes, consequences and complexities of human social and cultural variability. The Cultural Anthropology Program welcomes proposals from researchers in all sub-fields of cultural anthropology and research at any temporal or spatial scale.
Methodologies and approaches employed may include ethnographic field research, surveys, remote sensing, the collection of bio-markers, experimental research inside or outside of laboratory settings, archival research, the analysis of materials collections and extant data bases, mathematical and computational modeling and other research tools as appropriate for the proposed research.
The overarching research goals should be to produce empirically grounded findings that will be generalizable beyond particular case studies and contribute to building a more robust anthropological science of human society and culture. The U.S. National Science Foundation's mandate is to support basic scientific research.
Basic research in cultural anthropology means theory-generating and theory-testing research that creates new knowledge about human culture and society. Therefore, the Cultural Anthropology Program cannot support research that takes as its primary objective improved clinical practice, applied policy or other immediate application.
Research that seeks to advance scientific cultural anthropological theories in a way that advances use-inspired objectives may be supported, but the theory-advancing objectives must be clearly at the center of the proposal.
A proposal to use anthropological methods and approaches only to find solutions to social, medical or other problems without specifically proposing to make a theory-testing or theory-expanding contribution to anthropological science will be returned without review.
Updates and announcements Video and slides from Cultural Anthropology funding opportunity webinars, May and July, 2022 Business Operations Specialist Additional program resources Dear Colleague Letter: High School Student Research Assistantships in the Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE-High) Sample successful Cultural Anthropology Program - Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant proposal Awards made through this program Browse projects funded by this program Map of recent awards made through this program Cultural Anthropology Program - Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (CA-DDRIG) Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE) Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences (SBE/BCS)
Key questions and narrative sections extracted from the solicitation.
Intellectual Merit Section (clearly labeled): Describe the potential contribution to anthropological theory beyond the specific research site, review existing knowledge, and provide a clear statement of the contribution and scientific significance
Broader Impacts Section (labeled separately): Describe effects beyond basic science and pathways for realizing broader impacts (e.g., policy communication, student engagement, public outreach, database development, underrepresented group participation)
Ethical Considerations Section (titled separately): Describe the ethical principles guiding research design and the ethical implications of implementation
Research problem statement with specific aims, questions, or hypotheses (recommended early in description)
Preliminary studies and their results
Research design: sites, data sources, collection methods, sample justification, and analysis approach
Project feasibility assessment and research timeline/schedule
Results from Prior NSF Support (required if PI had NSF funding ending within past 5 years): focus on intellectual merit and broader impacts outcomes
Scoring criteria used to review proposals for this grant.
According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Eligible applicants: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification). *Who May Submit Proposals: Proposals may only be submitted by the following: -Non-profit, non-academic organizations: Independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies and similar organizations located in the U.S. that are directly associated with educational or research activities. -Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs): Two- and four-year IHEs (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the US, acting on behalf of their faculty members. Special Instructions for International Branch Campuses of US IHEs: If the proposal includes funding to be provided to an international branch campus of a US institution of higher education (including through use of sub-awards and consultant arrangements), the proposer must explain the benefit(s) to the project of performance at the international branch campus, and justify why the project activities cannot be performed at the US campus. -Tribal Nations: An American Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, or community that the Secretary of the Interior acknowledges as a federally recognized tribe pursuant to the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994, 25 U.S.C. §§ 5130-5131. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows $4M total program funding. Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
Applications for Cultural Anthropology Program Senior Research Awards are due August 17, 2026. Build your timeline backwards from this date to cover registrations, approvals, and final submission checks.
Yes — Cultural Anthropology Program Senior Research Awards is offered by U.S. National Science Foundation and this listing comes from Grants.gov, an official U.S. federal source. Federal applications generally require registrations (for example SAM.gov or an agency submission portal), so allow extra lead time.
This opportunity targets applicants in Alaska. If your organization operates elsewhere, check the official notice for location requirements.
Applications go through the funder's official portal — the Apply Now link on this page goes there directly.
The solicitation lists 10 required documents: Project Summary, Project Description, Budget and Budget Justification (up to 5 pages), Biographical Sketches for all senior/key personnel, Facilities, Equipment & Other Resources, and Data Management and Sharing Plan (2 pages max, addressing FAIR and CARE principles), among others (the full list is in the Required Documents section on this page). Check the official notice for formatting and page-limit rules.
Past winners and funding trends for this program
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The Archaeology Program supports anthropologically relevant archaeological research to increase understanding of past behaviors. This means that the value of the proposed research can be justified within an anthropological context. It is the responsibility of the investigator to explain convincingly why the focus of their research is significant and has the potential to contribute to anthropological knowledge. The program sets no priorities by either geographic region or time period. It also has no priorities in regard to theoretical orientation or question. While the program, in order to encourage innovative research, neither limits nor defines specific categories of research, most proposals either request funds for field research or the analysis of archaeological material through multiple approaches. Funding Opportunity Number: 23-566. Assistance Listing: 47.075. Funding Instrument: G. Category: ST. Award Amount: $6M total program funding.
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