Cultural Anthropology Program Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants | Apply Online

NSF Cultural Anthropology DDRI (NSF 15-556) - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is this grant opportunity?

This opportunity is the National Science Foundation (NSF) Cultural Anthropology Program Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (DDRI). It supports doctoral dissertation projects that advance basic scientific knowledge about human social and cultural variability, with a focus on explaining the causes, consequences, and complexities of sociocultural life.

2) What is the main purpose of a DDRI award in Cultural Anthropology?

The DDRI mechanism is intended to enhance the quality, scope, or execution of dissertation fieldwork and analysis in ways that push anthropology forward as a science. In other words, it is designed to improve a dissertation research project rather than serve as a general fellowship or applied program implementation grant.

3) What kind of research does NSF expect from proposals in this program?

NSF emphasizes empirically grounded, theoretically engaged, and methodologically strong cultural anthropology research. The program is open to a full range of contemporary cultural anthropology approaches, as long as the work is clearly positioned to advance basic scientific understanding.

4) Is this program focused on basic research or applied outcomes?

This program emphasizes basic research rather than applied outcomes. NSF explicitly notes it does not fund projects whose primary goal is improving clinical practice or directly producing policy interventions.

5) Can a project focus on a real-world social problem?

Yes. Research may focus on real-world social problems, but the proposal must clearly explain how the project will test, refine, or expand anthropological theory. The theoretical payoff and generalizable insight must be central.

6) What happens if a proposal mainly describes or addresses a social issue without theory-building?

NSF indicates that if a project mainly uses anthropological methods to describe or address a social issue without making a broader theory-building contribution, it may be returned without review. This signals that theory-building and generalizable contributions need to be clearly articulated.

7) What topical areas does the program highlight as priorities?

The program highlights (but does not limit proposals to) themes such as:

• Sociocultural drivers of major human-caused environmental and socioeconomic processes (e.g., deforestation, desertification, land-cover change, urbanization, poverty)
• Resilience and robustness of sociocultural systems
• Conflict, cooperation, and altruism
• Links among economy, culture, migration, and globalization
• Variability and change in kinship and family norms and practices
• Cultural and social drivers of health outcomes and disease transmission
• Social regulation, governmentality, and violence
• Origins of complexity in sociocultural systems
• Language and culture (including orality and literacy), sociolinguistics, and cognition
• Careful, empirically rich ethnographic documentation

8) Are proposals limited to the listed priority themes?

No. The program notes that proposals are not limited to the listed priority areas. The key is that the project fits Cultural Anthropology DDRI goals and is empirically grounded, theoretically engaged, and methodologically strong.

9) Does the program encourage quantitative or computational methods?

Yes. The solicitation explicitly invites mathematically and computationally sophisticated studies of sociocultural systems, including social network analysis, agent-based modeling, multilevel models, and approaches that integrate agent-based simulations with geographic information systems (GIS).

10) Who is eligible to submit a proposal?

Proposals must be submitted by U.S.-based, accredited doctoral degree-granting universities or colleges, using normal institutional submission channels. This is a dissertation improvement mechanism and follows specific institutional and role requirements.

11) Who should be listed as the Principal Investigator (PI) and Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI)?

The dissertation advisor (or advisors) must serve as the Principal Investigator (PI). The doctoral student must be listed as the Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI).

12) Who is expected to write the proposal?

Even though the advisor is the PI of record, the doctoral student must be the author of the proposal. This reflects that the dissertation design and intellectual work should be driven by the student.

13) Does the student have to be a U.S. citizen to be eligible?

No. The student must be enrolled at a U.S. institution, but does not need to be a U.S. citizen. This makes the opportunity accessible to international doctoral candidates in U.S. programs.

14) How many awards does NSF anticipate making, and what is the estimated total funding level?

The opportunity anticipated around 50 awards with an estimated total funding level of $800,000.

15) Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. The program does not require cost sharing or matching.

16) What NSF portfolio or program area is this opportunity associated with?

This is a discretionary NSF grant program within the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences portfolio. The CFDA number is 47.075.

17) What is the funding opportunity number (solicitation number)?

The funding opportunity number is NSF 15-556.

18) When was the solicitation posted, and what dates are listed for closing and archiving?

The announcement was originally posted in March 2015. It lists a current closing date of January 15, 2016, and an archive date extending to September 14, 2029.

19) Where should applicants look for the official requirements and full announcement?

NSF directs applicants to the NSF publication associated with the solicitation (15-556) for the full announcement and official requirements.

20) Where can applicants get technical support for submission?

NSF provides general technical support via grants.gov support channels.