Date posted: December 2, 2008
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 45.164
Questions?
Contact the staff of NEH’s Division of Public Programs at 202-606-8269 and
publicpgms@neh.gov. Hearing-impaired
applicants can contact NEH via TDD at 1-866-372-2930.
As part of the NEH’s
We
the People program, Interpreting America’s Historic Places grants support public humanities projects that exploit the evocative power of historic places to address themes and issues central to American history and culture, including those that advance knowledge of how the founding principles of the United States have shaped and been shaped by American history and culture for more than two hundred years. Interpreting America’s Historic Places planning grants support planning that leads
to the interpretation of a single historic site or house, a series
of sites, an entire neighborhood, a town or community, or a larger
geographical region. The place taken as a whole must be significant
to American history, and the project must convey its historic importance
to visitors. The audience for Interpreting America’s Historic Places
projects is the general public. (For other public humanities projects
that may not focus so closely on historic places, refer to the planning
grant guidelines for
America’s
Historical and Cultural Organizations.)
The goals of Interpreting America’s Historic Places grants
are to
- enhance lifelong learning in American history by connecting nationally significant events,
people, ideas, stories, and traditions with specific places;
- foster the development of interpretive programs for the public that address central events, themes, and issues in American history; and
- encourage consultation with humanities scholars and history organizations in the development of heritage tourism destinations.
Interpreting America’s Historic Places projects should
- interpret a place that played a significant role in American history;
- enrich the visitor experience at one or more historic places by interpreting these places in light of broader themes in American history;
- make use of the specific features of one or more historic places—the site, its location, buildings, or other natural or built
features—as integral parts of the proposed interpretation;
- be based on sound humanities scholarship;
- involve humanities scholars in all phases of development and implementation;
- approach the subject thematically, analytically, and interpretively through an appropriate variety of perspectives;
- interest broad audiences; and
- employ appealing and accessible program formats that will actively engage the public in learning.
Applicants with experience in developing and implementing humanities programs are encouraged to apply. But applicants without such experience—examples might include economic development agencies and agencies of local, state, or tribal governments—are also encouraged to apply. Such applicants are, however, encouraged to work in close partnership with at least one partner organization that does have experience in developing and implementing humanities programs.
Project formats for Interpreting America’s Historic Places planning grants might include visitor orientation exhibits, interpretive displays and labeling, revised scripts and education training materials for docents, publications such as brochures or guidebooks, interpretive driving or walking trails or tours, annotated itineraries, trail signage, video or audio displays, on-site interactive media, and digital products.
Applications that make use of new and emerging technologies are encouraged. Digital projects should do more than simply provide a digital archive of material. They should offer new ways of contextualizing and interpreting information that engage public audiences interactively in exploring humanities ideas and questions. Applications may, for example, include plans to create Web sites, PDA tours and resources, podcasts, virtual environments, wiki formats or others that utilize user-generated content, virtual imaging, GIS mapping, online scholar-led discussions, video on demand, streaming video, games, or other digital components. Digital components should rest on sound humanities scholarship and enhance the project’s humanities content in ways that take unique advantage of the chosen technology.
Support is also available for projects that build new programs around previously funded NEH projects, creating complementary formats that will add new dimensions to the original project. A film project, for example, might be enhanced by a project that interprets one or more historic places. A visitor’s experience of a place might be deepened and extended to virtual visitors through a content-rich companion Web site. A well-interpreted historic place might expand its visitor experience through stronger interpretive connections with other historic places. Projects that would develop film, radio (including related podcasts), or television programs as the primary grant product should follow separate guidelines for
America’s Media Makers.
NEH especially encourages Chairman’s Special Award projects that promise to reach exceptionally large audiences. Such projects might
- combine diverse and wide-ranging interpretive formats that attract new audiences or expand and deepen in new ways an audience’s engagement with American history and culture;
- tie a variety of historic places together coherently within a broad, multithematic interpretive framework; or
- build on collaboration among statewide or regional agencies or organizations (e.g., parks and recreation systems,
heritage areas, state humanities councils, etc.).
The following are possible examples of these kinds of projects:
The historic home of a U.S. president reconceptualized its site interpretation in a new visitors center and Web site that situated the house within a broader context. In addition, a small traveling exhibition concerning the house and the president’s legacy was created, to reach venues throughout the country. The Web site was enhanced to include virtual tours and significant historical background.
A state historical agency coordinated efforts to link state historic sites together in order to explore common themes and ideas on the occasion of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War. During the sesquicentennial year, sites will be linked statewide via a Web site that offers information on the individual programs, suggestions for driving tours, and additional content that helps contextualize the sites as they relate to larger historical events.
Each project should be guided by a team of advisers who have helped develop the project’s concepts and themes. The advisory team’s expertise normally complements that of the applicant’s staff. The team must include humanities scholars. As needed, it may also include others with experience and knowledge appropriate to the project’s formats or technical requirements. Competitive proposals have a variety of scholars representing a wide range of humanities perspectives. In contrast, projects that rely on a single consultant are not competitive.
Planning grants can be used to plan, refine, and develop the content and interpretive approach of historic-place interpretation projects that reach broad audiences. Applicants should have already begun consulting with scholars to help shape the humanities content of the project and with other programming advisers appropriate to the project’s format.
Planning grants may support all activities connected with project planning, including
- meeting with scholars and advisers, program partners, and representatives of target audiences or other key personnel involved in the project to maintain progress in planning, develop and review content and design, share expertise, and identify additional resources;
- conducting focus groups or other forms of preliminary audience evaluation;
- beta testing of digital formats;
- conducting research at other sites or collections;
- drafting of text for labels, signage, brochures, publications, or other interpretive materials;
- preliminary design of interpretive materials or Web sites;
- preparing the associated programs and materials for dissemination;
- developing a proposal for implementation; or
- planning for training for docents, discussion coordinators, or other relevant interpretive leaders for the project.
Planning grants for Interpreting America’s Historic Places may not be used for the following types of programs or activities:
- single-site temporary exhibitions;
- purchase of art, artifacts, or collections;
- professional development;
- programs in foreign countries;
- dramatic adaptations of literary works;
- programs primarily for students in formal learning environments;
- projects that will satisfy requirements for educational degrees or formal professional training;
- general operations, renovation, restoration, rehabilitation, or construction;
- projects primarily devoted to basic background research on the subject, as opposed to actual refinement of the interpretive ideas and formats;
- projects for preservation, cataloging, or archiving rather than public programming;
- projects that seek to persuade participants of a particular political, philosophical, religious, or ideological point of view;
- projects that advocate a particular program of social action; or
- print publications that are not an integral part of a larger set of interpretive activities for which funding is being requested.
Providing Access to Grant Products |
|
As a taxpayer-supported federal agency, NEH endeavors to make the products of its awards available to the broadest possible audience. Our goal is for scholars, educators, students, and the American public to have ready and easy access to the wide range of NEH award products. Such products may include traveling exhibitions, reading and discussion programs, long-term museum installations, historic site interpretation, community programs in the humanities, digital tools, Web sites, and the like. For projects that lead to the development of Web sites, all other considerations being equal, NEH gives preference to those that provide free access to the public.
|
Successful applicants will be awarded a grant in outright or matching funds, depending on the applicant’s preference and the availability of NEH funds.
Awards typically last for a period of twelve months. Awards typically do not exceed $40,000. Awards of up to $75,000 are, however, available for Chairman’s Special Award projects that have exceptional significance and promise to reach exceptionally wide audiences through any of the following:
- collaboration with multiple institutional partners;
- a wide-ranging combination of diverse formats (i.e., exhibitions, reading and discussion programs, digital formats,
lecture series, symposia, neighborhood tours, curriculum guides, publications, and broadcast media); or
- programming at a large number of venues.
Please note that NEH support for a project in an early stage does not imply commitment for ongoing support. Proposals for successive phases of a project must be submitted separately and are evaluated independently.
Cost Sharing
Although cost sharing is not required, NEH is rarely able to support the full costs of projects approved for funding. In most cases, NEH grants cover no more than 50-60 percent of project costs.
(
Learn more about different types of grant funding.)
Any U.S. nonprofit organization with IRS 501(c)(3)
tax-exempt status is eligible, as are state and local governmental agencies.
Individuals are not eligible to apply.
NEH generally does not award grants to other federal entities or to
applicants whose projects are so closely intertwined with a federal entity
that the project takes on characteristics of the federal entity’s own
authorized activities. This does not preclude applicants from using grant
funds from, or sites and materials controlled by, other federal entities
in their projects.
If an application for a project is already under review, another application
for the same project cannot be accepted.
Ineligible applications will not be reviewed.
HOW TO PREPARE YOUR APPLICATION
Application advice and proposal drafts:
Prior to submitting a proposal, you are encouraged to contact program officers who
can offer advice about preparing the proposal, supply samples of funded applications,
and review preliminary proposal drafts. NEH recommends that drafts be submitted at least six weeks
before the deadline so that staff will have adequate time to respond. Staff comments are not
part of the formal review process and have no bearing on the final outcome of the proposal,
but previous applicants have found them helpful in strengthening their application.
Drafts should not be submitted via Grants.gov.
Your application should consist of the following parts:
- Table of contents
List all parts of the application with corresponding page numbers.
- Budget
Using the
instructions, complete the
budget form (14-page PDF). If you wish,
you may attach separate pages with notes to explain any of the budget items in more detail.
Applicants are advised to retain a copy of the PDF containing their budget form.
- Narrative
The narrative should not exceed twenty single-spaced pages, with one-inch margins. At least 11-point type should be used. The narrative should contain the following, in this order:
- The nature of the request
Briefly summarize your project in one or two paragraphs. Describe the subject,
the interpretive format(s), and the main themes. State the amount of money
requested from NEH and the total project budget. Identify any related public
programs that are part of the project. Explain the appropriateness of the
project for your organization.
Applications that build on previously funded NEH projects by adding new program formats must describe
the previous project’s components, explain what the new formats would be, show how they would effectively
enhance the previous project, and explain how audiences would be reached and how new interpretive
possibilities would be added.
For exhibitions, outline the expected size (i.e., square footage and approximate number of objects), anticipated opening date, and venues.
- Project introduction
Identify the place to be interpreted and explain what makes it nationally significant.
What happened there, and why is it important? What central themes or issues in American history
will the project address? Identify the historical subject matter of the project, its interpretative
approach, and its use of significant humanities themes.
Explain why the project will engage the public and what you expect people to learn.
How are the specific attributes of the place—the site, its location, buildings, landscape,
or other natural or built features—an integral part of the public’s learning experience?
Indicate whether the place has received a “Preserve America,” “Save America’s Treasures,” or
“America’s Heritage Rivers” designation, and note briefly how national historic significance
or interpretation was part of that designation.
Note other significant awards or designations (e.g., National Historic Landmark, National Heritage Area, or state-designated historic landmark or heritage area).
Give a brief history of the project to date (e.g., any previous funding from any other sources, development activities, research already completed, consultation with scholars or other advisers, contacts with partner organizations, and other related activities). If appropriate, describe the relationship of the project to others on the topic, and explain what its unique
contribution would be. How does this proposed interpretation differ from what was previously available at this historic place?
- Description
Describe the assets of the site(s) (e.g., buildings, natural features, landscape, collections of objects, images, documents) and how they will be used effectively to convey
the project’s themes.
If necessary, discuss how permission or rights will be obtained for key materials and the likely costs of obtaining those rights.
Describe each component (e.g., interpretive display, publication, signage, Web site, lecture series, hands-on activity, radio or film production, etc.), and explain how each will fulfill the project goals and engage particular audiences. Explain why these particular programs have been chosen and how they will complement the project.
For Web-based or other digital projects, describe the humanities content, including the principal figures, events, issues, and themes to be explored and the humanities scholarship to be used. Explain how the organization and presentation of material would enhance users’ understanding of the content. If the project relies substantially on user-generated content, include a description of how the project would use humanities scholars and draw upon humanities scholarship. In addition, outline the criteria and process to be used for selecting the content that will ultimately be made available to the public.
Web sites should be designed in accordance with accepted standards for accessibility and usability by members of the general public, including those with visual and other disabilities.
Include examples of existing projects (such as Web sites) that you would use as models for your proposed project. All applicants must include a sample of previous work from the individuals who would be most involved in the design and production of the digital components.
(Please see the instructions for sending
work samples below.)
If your application is for the higher Chairman’s Special Award level of funding, explain why the institutional collaborations, number of program formats, or broad reach to audiences make the project a good candidate for additional
planning funds. Explain why it would be unusually significant and appealing and why it would have exceptionally broad reach nationally.
Projects with oral histories should discuss how the project will adhere to the guidelines of the
Oral History Association. They should include an outline of proposed topics for the interviews,
a list of the people to be interviewed or a description of the criteria for their selection,
the plans for their recruitment, a description of the qualifications of the interviewers,
a discussion of how the interviews will complement existing resources, and a copy of
the permission or release form.
- Audience
Discuss how the project will broaden public engagement in the humanities.
Describe the expected participants or audiences for each project component or
site, including any targeted or hard-to-reach groups. Explain the plans for
publicizing the project. Outline audience evaluation procedures.
- Organization History
Provide a short profile of your organization and other major partner organizations.
These descriptions should include the
- institutional mission, origin, and size;
- annual operating budget;
- annual number of visitors (for museums and historic sites);
- special characteristics and current activities; and
- humanities resources (such as collections or staff).
Limit this profile to one page for major partners and a half page
for each of the other collaborating organizations. If the institutions involved have
any prior experience in cooperating with one another, describe that experience and
the nature of those partnerships.
- Project team
Provide a comprehensive overview of the project team, including staff members, scholars,
and other program experts. Using short paragraphs,
describe the qualifications and contributions of each project team member and
indicate how their expertise is suited to the project. Organize the paragraphs
into two sections: one for staff from your institution and one for outside consultants.
Include specific details on the responsibilities of each collaborating organization when appropriate.
Résumés (two pages or less) for each person listed and letters of commitment from consultants
should be included in the appendices.
- Work plan
Provide a detailed month-by-month schedule of the specific tasks and the individuals responsible for them. It is often helpful to present this section in a grid format. Clearly indicate when the planning team will meet; explain the expected results of each meeting.
- Fundraising plans
If cost sharing is proposed, explain how your organization will meet its share of the costs and outline your fund raising plans.
- Samples of previous digital work
For Web-based or other digital projects, provide examples of previously completed work. If members of the digital team have not worked together before, separate samples should be submitted for each principal member.
Append a page to the end of the narrative describing the sample or samples of the companion digital component
and indicating the roles played by each person on the digital team. In addition, please specify the platform
on which the sample component is designed to operate.
If the digital work is on a Web site, provide the URL and clearly indicate that this Web site is your work sample.
If the sample work is on a DVD or CD, follow the instructions in the “How to Submit Supplementary Materials” section below.
- Appendices
The following information should appear in the application’s appendices:
- résumés (two pages or less) of all key project staff and consultants;
- letters of commitment from consultants and collaborating organizations;
- a bibliography of sources;
- documentation of awards and designations; and
- if appropriate, a description of the collections or archives upon which the project is based, if not already covered in the narrative.
- Supplementary materials
Applicants may include supplementary materials, such as slides
(up to ten, with brief captions), photographs, catalogs, or sample
work for presentation at the panel meeting. See the instructions below
on how to submit these materials.
How to Submit Your Application via Grants.gov
Register or Verify Registration with Grants.gov
Applications for this program must be submitted via
Grants.gov. Before using Grants.gov for the first time, each organization must register with the Web site to create an institutional profile. Once registered, your organization can then apply for any government grant on the Grants.gov Web site.
If your organization has already registered and you have verified that your registration is still valid, you may skip this step. If not, please see our handy
checklist to guide you through the registration process.
We strongly recommend that you complete your registration at least two weeks before the application deadline, as it takes time for your registration to be processed.
If you have problems registering with Grants.gov, call the Grants.gov help desk at 1-800-518-4726.
Download the Free Adobe Reader software
To fill out a Grants.gov application package, you will need to download
and install the current version of Adobe Reader. The latest version of Adobe Reader,
which is designed to function with PCs and Macintosh computers using a variety of popular
operating systems, is available at no charge from the Adobe Web site
(
www.adobe.com).
Once installed, the current version of Adobe Reader will allow you to view and fill out Grants.gov
application packages for any federal agency. If you have a problem installing Adobe Reader, it
may be because you do not have permission to install a new program on your computer. Many
organizations have rules about installing new programs. If you encounter a problem, contact
your system administrator.
Download the Application Package
To submit your application,
you will need to download the application package from the Grants.gov
Web site. You can download the application package at any time.
(You do not have to wait for your Grants.gov registration to
be complete.) Click the button at the right to download the
package.
Save the application package to your computer’s hard drive. To open the application package, select the file and double click. You do not have to be online to work on it.
You can save your application package at any time by clicking the “Save” button at the top of your screen.
Tip: If you choose to save your application package before you have completed it, you may receive an error
message indicating that your application is not valid if all of the forms have not been completed. Click “OK” to save your work and complete
the package another time. You can also use e-mail to share the application package with members of your organization or project team.
The application package contains three forms that you must complete in
order to submit your application:
- Application for Federal Domestic Assistance - Short
Organizational (SF-424 Short)—this form asks for basic
information about the project, the project director, and the
institution.
- Supplementary Cover Sheet for NEH Grant Programs—this form asks for additional information about the project director,
the institution, and the budget.
- NEH Attachment Form—this form allows you to
attach your narrative, budget, and the other parts of your application.
HOW TO FILL OUT THE
APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE SF-424 SHORT FORM
Select the form from the menu and double click to open it. Please
provide the following information:
- Name of Federal Agency: This will
be filled in automatically with “National Endowment for the Humanities.”
- Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: This
will be filled in automatically with the CFDA number and title of the
NEH program to which you are applying.
- Date Received: Please leave blank.
- Funding Opportunity Number: This will be filled in
automatically.
- Applicant Information: In this section, please
supply the name, address, employer/taxpayer identification number
(EIN/TIN), DUNS number, Web site address, and congressional district of
the institution. Also choose the “type” that best describes your
institution (you only need to select one).
If your institution is located, for example, in the 5th Congressional
District of your state, put a “5.” If your institution doesn’t have a
congressional district (e.g., it is in a state or U.S. territory that
doesn’t have districts or is in a foreign country), put a “0” (zero).
All institutions applying to federal grant programs are required to provide
a DUNS number, issued by Dun & Bradstreet, as part of their application.
Project directors should contact their institution’s grant administrator
or chief financial officer to obtain their institution’s DUNS number.
Federal grant applicants can obtain a DUNS number free of charge by
calling 1-866-705-5711. (
Learn more about the
requirement.)
- Project Information: Provide the title of your
project. Your title should be brief, descriptive, and substantive. It
should also be informative to a nonspecialist audience. Provide a brief
description of your project. The description should be written for a
nonspecialist audience and clearly state the importance of the proposed
work and its relation to larger issues in the humanities. List the
starting and ending dates for your project.
- Project Director: Provide the Social Security
Number, name, title, mailing address, e-mail address, and telephone and
fax numbers for the project director.
Disclosure of Social Security
Numbers is optional. NEH uses them for internal application processing
only.
- Primary Contact/Grants Administrator: Provide the
contact information for the official responsible for the administration
of the grant (e.g., negotiating the project budget and ensuring
compliance with the terms and conditions of the award). This person is
often a grants or research officer or a sponsored programs official.
Normally, the Institutional Grants Administrator is not the same person
as the Project Director. If the project director and the grant
administrator are the same person, skip to item 9.
- Authorized Representative: Provide the contact
information for the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) who is
submitting the application on behalf of the institution. This person,
often called an “Authorizing Official,” is typically the president, vice
president, executive director, provost, or chancellor. In order to
become an AOR, the person must be designated by the institution’s
E-Business Point of Contact. For more information, please consult the
Grants.gov user guide, which is available at: www07.grants.gov/applicants/app_help_reso.jsp.
HOW TO FILL OUT THE SUPPLEMENTARY COVER SHEET FOR NEH GRANT PROGRAMS
Select the form from the menu and double click to open it. Please
provide the following information:
- Project Director: Use the pull-down menu to select
the major field of study for the project director.
- Institution Information: Use the pull-down menu to
select your type of institution.
- Project Funding: Enter your project funding
information. Note that applicants for Challenge Grants should use the
right column only; applicants to all other programs should use the left
column only.
- Application Information: Indicate whether the
proposal will be submitted to other NEH grant programs, government
agencies, or private entities for funding. If so, please indicate where
and when. NEH frequently cosponsors projects with other funding sources.
Providing this information will not prejudice the review of your
application.
For Type of
Application, check “new” if the application requests a new period of funding, whether for a new project or the next phase of a project previously funded by NEH. Check “supplement” if the application requests additional funding for a current NEH grant. If requesting a supplement, provide the current grant number. Before submitting an application for a supplement, applicants should discuss their request with an NEH program officer.
For Project Field
Code, use the pull-down menu to select the humanities field of
the project. If the project is multidisciplinary, choose the field that
corresponds to the project’s predominant discipline.
HOW TO USE THE NEH
ATTACHMENT FORM
You will use this form to attach the various files that make up your application.
Your attachments must be in Portable Document Format (.pdf). We cannot accept attachments in their original word processing or spreadsheet formats. If you don’t already have software to convert your files into PDFs, there are many low-cost and free software packages available. To learn more, go to
http://www.neh.gov/grants/grantsgov/pdf.html.
When you open the NEH Attachment Form, you will find 15 attachment buttons, labeled “Attachment 1”
through “Attachment 15.” By clicking on a button, you will be able to choose the file from your
computer that you wish to attach. You must name and attach your files in the proper order so that we
can identify them. Please attach the proper file to the proper button as listed below:
ATTACHMENT 1: To this button, please attach your table of contents.
Please name the file “contents.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 2: To this button, please attach your budget. Please name the file “budget.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 3: To this button, please attach your narrative. Please name the file “narrative.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 4: To this button, please attach your résumés. Please name the file “resumes.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 5: To this button, please attach your letters of commitment. Please name the file “letters.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 6: To this button, please attach your bibliography. Please name the file “bibliography.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 7: To this button please attach your documentation of awards and designations. Please name the file “documentation.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 8: To this button, please attach your description of collections or archives. Please name the file “description.pdf”.
Use the remaining buttons to attach any additional materials (if appropriate). Please give these attachments meaningful file names and ensure that they are PDFs.
You may include links via URL in these files, but do not embed any additional PDF files within any of the PDF attachments.
UPLOADING YOUR APPLICATION
TO GRANTS.GOV
When you have completed all three forms, use the right-facing arrow to move each of them to the “Mandatory Documents for Submission”
column. Once they have been moved over, the “Submit” button will activate. You are now ready to upload your application package
to Grants.gov.
During the registration process, your institution designated one or more AORs (Authorized Organization Representatives).
These AORs typically work in your institution’s Sponsored Research Office or Grants Office. When you have completed your
application, you must ask your AOR to submit the application, using the special username and password that was assigned to
him or her during the registration process.
To submit your application, your computer must have an active connection to the Internet. To begin the submission process, click the “submit” button. A page will appear, asking you to sign and submit your application. At this point, your AOR will enter his or her username and password. When you click the
“sign and submit application” button, your application package will be uploaded to Grants.gov. Please note that it may take some time to upload your application package, depending on the size of your
files and the speed of your Internet connection.
After the upload is complete, a confirmation page, which includes a tracking number, will
appear, indicating that you have submitted your application to Grants.gov. Please print this
page for your records. The AOR will also receive a confirmation e-mail.
NEH suggests that you submit your application no later than 5:00 p.m.
Eastern Time on the day of the deadline. That way, should you encounter a
technical problem of some kind, you will still have time to contact the
Grants.gov help desk for support. The Grants.gov help desk is open Monday
to Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time at 1-800-518-4726. You
can also send an e-mail to
support@grants.gov.
HOW TO SUBMIT SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS
In addition to any required work samples, applicants may also include supplementary materials, such as slides (up to ten, with brief captions), photographs, catalogs, CD-ROMs, etc., for presentation at the panel meeting. Please provide seven copies of each item. If you are sending supplementary materials, please include in your Grants.gov submission a list of the materials to be sent separately. Send the materials to
Interpreting America’s Historic Places: Planning Grants
Division of Public Programs
National Endowment for the Humanities
Room 426
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20506
202-606-8269
To identify the proposal that the samples accompany, indicate the title of the project, the name of the project director, and the applicant institution.
NEH continues to experience lengthy delays in the delivery of mail by the U.S. Postal Service, and in some cases materials are damaged by the irradiation process. We recommend that supplementary materials be sent by a commercial delivery service to ensure that
they arrive intact by the receipt deadline.
Samples will not be retained by the Endowment, and they will not be returned to the applicant.
Deadlines
Applications must be received by Grants.gov by January 28, 2009, for projects
beginning in September 2009. Grants.gov will date- and time-stamp your application
after it is fully uploaded. Applications submitted after that date will
not be accepted. Supplementary materials must also arrive at NEH by January 28, 2009, to be considered as part of the application.
Late applications will not be reviewed.
Evaluators are asked to apply the following criteria:
- Intellectual content: How well does the project deal with significant humanities themes?
Is it broadly conceived, based on sound scholarship, and appropriately analytical?
- Fit with Interpreting America’s Historic Places goals: Is the place significant to American history?
Does the applicant propose to incorporate attributes of the specific place—the site, its location, buildings, landscape,
or other natural or built features—as an integral part of the story? Does the proposed interpretation of the place
address central themes and issues in American history?
- Justification for higher funding: If the application requests a higher
Chairman’s Special Award level of funding, how convincing is the case that the project is exceptionally complex, appeals to a wide variety of audiences, offers thoughtful interpretation at multiple sites, or involves multiple institutional partners?
- Audience interest and reach: Does the applicant demonstrate that the proposed interpretation is likely to enhance a visitor’s experience of one or more places? Will the topic have broad public appeal and expand the public’s understanding of American history? Will the project draw in and engage audiences effectively? Could it be adapted for other places?
- Format: Are the program formats appropriate for presenting the events, ideas, and themes that will convey the national significance of the place? If the project involves multiple formats, how well do they complement and support one another? If the project relies substantially on user- or audience-generated content, is it clear how that material would be reviewed and made publicly available? If the project expands on a previously funded NEH project,
how well do the new formats complement and expand the original humanities content, and how well do they reach
different audiences?
- Resources: Have the appropriate materials and resources been clearly
identified? Are they the right ones for the project, and are they available?
- Project team: Does it have the necessary expertise, interpretive experience,
and technical skills? Has a team of humanities scholars been effectively involved? Are all the institutional
partners in place, and is there evidence that they will collaborate productively?
- Work plan: Is it realistic, clearly outlined, and efficient?
- Budget: Are the project’s costs realistic,
appropriate, and reasonable?
All other considerations being equal, preference will be given to projects that provide free access to materials produced with grant funds.
Knowledgeable persons outside NEH will read each application and advise the agency about its merits. The Endowment’s staff comments on matters of fact or on significant issues that otherwise would be missing from these reviews, then makes recommendations to the National Council on the Humanities. The National Council meets at various times during the year to advise the NEH chairman on grants. The chairman takes into account
the advice provided by the review process and, by law, makes all funding decisions.
Award notices
Applicants will be notified by mail in September 2009 of the decision. Institutional grants administrators and project directors of successful applications will also receive at that time award documents by mail. Applicants may obtain the evaluations of their applications by sending a letter or e-mail to NEH, Division of Public Programs, Room 426, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20506 or
publicpgms@neh.gov.
Administrative requirements
Award conditions
Reporting requirements
A schedule of report due dates will be included with the award document.
If you have questions about the program, contact:
Division of Public Programs
National Endowment for the Humanities
Room 426
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20506
202-606-8269
Privacy Policy
Information in these guidelines is solicited under the authority of the National Foundation on the Arts
and Humanities Act of 1965, as amended, 20 U.S.C. 956. The principal purpose for which the information
will be used is to process the grant application. The information may also be used for statistical research,
analysis of trends, and Congressional oversight. Failure to provide the information may result in the delay or
rejection of the application.
Application Completion Time
The Office of Management and Budget requires federal agencies
to supply information on the time needed to complete forms and also to invite comments on the
paperwork burden. NEH estimates the average time to complete this application is fifteen hours
per response. This estimate includes time for reviewing instructions, researching, gathering, and
maintaining the information needed, and completing and reviewing the application.
Please send any comments regarding the estimated completion time or any other
aspect of this application, including suggestions for reducing the completion time, to the Office
of Publications, National Endowment for the Humanities,
Washington, D.C. 20506; and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (3136-0134),
Washington, D.C. 20503. According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond
to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB number.