The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced the Cultural Anthropology Program Senior Research Awards (Funding Opportunity Number: 25-502). This program aims to support fundamental research in cultural anthropology to advance understanding of human social and cultural variability. Researchers can propose projects employing a variety of methodologies, including ethnographic fieldwork, surveys, remote sensing, biomarker collection, experimental research, archival research, and computational modeling. The primary goal is to generate empirically grounded findings that contribute to anthropological science and theory development.

The program encourages proposals from all subfields of cultural anthropology that contribute to building a more robust scientific understanding of human society and culture. However, the focus must be on theory-generating or theory-testing research. Proposals centered on clinical practice, applied policy, or immediate applications without advancing anthropological theory will not be supported.

Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education (both two-year and four-year institutions), non-profit, non-academic organizations such as museums and research labs, and federally recognized Tribal Nations. Special conditions apply for international branch campuses of U.S. institutions.

The NSF expects to award approximately 40 grants with an estimated total program funding of $4 million. There is no specified ceiling or floor for individual awards. The deadline for submitting proposals is January 15, 2025.

This program offers a significant opportunity for researchers in cultural anthropology to advance their work and contribute to a deeper scientific understanding of cultural and social phenomena.