Smithsonian Recovering Voices Program Community Research Grants (Due Sept. 15)

The Recovering Voices Program is now accepting applications for our Community Research Grants program.  The purpose of the Community Research Grant program is to support indigenous communities in their efforts to save, document, and enliven their languages, cultures, and knowledge systems. 

Grants bring groups of community scholars to the Smithsonian to examine specific objects, specimens,  and documents related to their heritage, and engage in a dialogue with Smithsonian staff, in order to recover and revitalize their language and knowledge. Interdisciplinary projects are encouraged.

Award Amount 
Applicants may request up to $10,000 (US).

Deadlines 
Proposals are reviewed twice a year. Proposals received by February 15 will be reviewed for projects beginning after July 1, and proposals received by September 15 will be reviewed for projects beginning after January 1. Award notification will be made approximately one month after the proposal deadlines.

Evaluation Criteria 
1) The significance and importance of the project, and the contribution it will make, if successful, to the research of endangered languages and/or knowledge systems, their documentation or their potential revitalization.
 
2) The appropriateness, and effectiveness of the proposed project’s methods.
 
3) The feasibility of the research with the proposed timescale and requested resources
 
4) The ability of the applicant(s) to bring the project to fruition, as evidenced not only in the application itself, but also in their previous track record.  

5) What Smithsonian collections are being used in the project?
 
6) The level of community engagement involved in the research. How does this project build-upon previous work? 

For more information about how to apply and sample budget documents, contact recoveringvoices@si.edu
 
Or write to 

Recovering Voices Program
Department of Anthropology
Smithsonian Institution MRC 112
P.O. Box 37012
Washington, DC 20013-7012