ELF, established in 1996 as a 501(c)3, aims to support endangered language preservation and documentation. It funds projects globally through grants to individuals, tribes, and museums, focusing on the development of indigenous radio programs, recording of oral histories, and the creation of literacy materials for endangered language teaching programs.
The Sharing Language Diversity Fellowship offered by ELF is designed to support emerging linguists and their Indigenous partners in making annotated research materials publicly accessible. This fellowship encourages the archiving of linguistics and cultural materials in trusted repositories, promoting Open Access and the free sharing of both data and research outcomes, in alignment with community consent. Aiding in the preservation of Indigenous languages, the fellowship provides up to $30,000 for documentation and responsible archiving of Indigenous languages, with a requirement to make the materials public within three years of funding.