The Endangered Language Documentation Programme (ELDP) aims to support the documentation and preservation of endangered languages across the globe. This initiative provides grants to individuals worldwide, including linguists, linguistic anthropologists, and community members skilled in linguistic documentation, facilitating the recording of endangered languages to safeguard these languages for future generations.
The ELDP grant program focuses on supporting a variety of documentation activities to preserve endangered languages. Offering grants up to 10,000 €, it is open to a wide array of projects. These can range from conducting fieldwork, developing or completing pilot projects, to preliminary or supplementary research. ELDP encourages applications from community members, local scholars, students of the spoken/sign languages, and seeks to fund collaborative projects. The ideal project results include comprehensive documentation accessible to both the language community and the scientific community, utilizing standard formats for ease of access and long-term preservation. Grant-funded projects are expected to produce a collection of digital video and audio recordings, texts, and materials beneficial to both linguistic and cultural understanding, fostering further development in documentation methodologies.
Applicants are highly recommended to develop documentation that supports communities in preserving and enhancing their languages. This approach may enhance the potential for leveraging ELDP funding alongside revitalization funding from other sources.