Archaeological and Ethnographic Field Research | 20220928 RFW

Opportunity Information: Apply for 20220928 RFW

The Archaeological and Ethnographic Field Research program is a discretionary grant opportunity offered by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) through its Division of Research Programs. It is designed to fund hands-on, empirical fieldwork in archaeology and ethnography that advances questions with clear significance for the humanities. Projects may take place either in the United States or abroad, as long as the research is grounded in humanities-driven inquiry and produces outcomes that contribute meaningfully to humanistic knowledge and interpretation.

A central goal of the program is to support the direct costs of conducting field research, recognizing that high-quality archaeological and ethnographic work often depends on resources that are difficult to cover through standard research budgets. While NEH expects that findings will ultimately be shared with broader audiences through publications and other forms of dissemination, the funding is specifically structured to help researchers reach the point where those scholarly products become possible. In practical terms, the grant can be used for field expenses such as travel to and from research sites, lodging and other accommodations, hiring and paying field staff, and obtaining or leasing necessary equipment. The program also allows salary replacement for the project director and collaborating scholars, which is especially important for enabling sustained time in the field and supporting intensive research phases that require release from other duties.

The opportunity is listed under Funding Opportunity Number 20220928 RFW and is categorized as a grant within the humanities funding activity area (CFDA 45.161, noted as Humanities and aligned with Cultural Affairs in CFDA classifications). The award ceiling is $150,000, and NEH anticipated making around six awards under this specific cycle. The opportunity record shows a creation date of June 9, 2022, with an original application closing date of September 28, 2022.

Eligibility is broad and includes a range of public and nonprofit entities that commonly sponsor or administer research projects. Eligible applicants include state governments, county governments, city or township governments, and special district governments, as well as public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education. Federally recognized Native American tribal governments are eligible, reflecting NEH's inclusion of tribal entities as potential lead applicants for research of humanistic importance. Nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in that nonprofit category) are also eligible to apply, which can include museums, research institutes, cultural organizations, and other nonprofit entities capable of managing grant-funded fieldwork.

Overall, this program is best understood as targeted support for the field-based portion of humanities research projects in archaeology and ethnography. It prioritizes projects that need on-the-ground data collection and documentation and that can reasonably demonstrate how the resulting evidence will be analyzed and interpreted to address larger humanities questions. The funding structure signals NEH's emphasis on enabling the research process itself, not just the final publication stage, by covering the real-world logistical and staffing costs that make fieldwork possible.

• The National Endowment for the Humanities in the humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Archaeological and Ethnographic Field Research" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 45.161.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 09, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 28, 2022. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $150,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for 20220928 RFW

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