The Project Significance section is the final section of the proposal. It must include several subsections. First, you should restate your problem and why it is an important anthropological issue. Second, you should briefly justify again your case study and why it is the perfect place/collection/whatever to address the question. Third, you might state explicitly how your study differs from what has been done before and how it will enhance the existing literature. Finally, you MUST address the two review criteria as stated by NSF. These are:
Criterion 1: What is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity?
 | How will your study advance knowledge and understanding in anthropology or across several fields? |
| What are your qualifications to undertake this study? Do not go into a lot of detail on your education, but do state if you have special background qualifications or training, or if you have special access to the material for some reason. |
| How is your study creative or original? |
| How well conceived is your study? |
| Do you have access to the sites/collections/instruments/whatever to conduct the study? |
| Is there a pressing reason why this study needs to be conducted NOW? For instance, will the material be repatriated soon, the site be destroyed, or the samples disintegrate? |
Criterion 2: What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?
| How might your study advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training, learning? Here you must state clearly that the project will provide you with training! |
| How will your study broaden the participation of underrepresented groups (e.g. gender, ethnicity, geographic, etc.) in anthropology? |
| How will your study enhance the infrastructure for education and research (facilities, instrumentation, networks, partnerships)? |
| How will your results be disseminated to the broadest possible audience? Here discuss your future plans for publication and presentation, and be sure to include public involvement. |
| Does your study have benefits for society? |
Be creative in thinking about the significance of your study. Will you share the results with indigenous groups in the country in which you work? Might your results enhance signage at parks or be used for museum displays?
This section must be no more than 1 page in length!!!!