As part of the We the People initiative, NEH invites proposals for public programs that encourage intergenerational learning about and reflection on significant topics in U.S. history and culture. Grants will support programming tailored to youth and/or family audiences at museums, libraries, historical societies and sites, parks, and other places in the community. The projects should:
NEH encourages projects that:
Single-site project applications may be competitive if they are of exceptional scope and quality, if they hold unusual promise as models, or if they are conceived as "pilots" for larger-scale projects. Activities that take place at schools during regular school hours or as part of the school curriculum are not eligible. Sample Projects A national youth organization designs an intensive "History Summer Camp" program for elementary and middle school-aged children in four cities focused on life in colonial America, from agriculture to politics. Guided by local teams of educators and scholars, children spend three weeks visiting living history sites, botanical gardens, and farms in their areas, experiencing daily life in the colonies, "meeting" significant figures from early America such as Benjamin Franklin and Abigail Adams, and discussing key texts such as Thomas Paine's Common Sense. A network of senior centers and a state historical society engage five groups of teenagers from diverse communities in producing a documentary video based on interviews with African American seniors who served in the military during World War II. The teens work closely with two historians and a documentary filmmaker. They examine the connections between memory and history, investigate the wartime experiences of African Americans, and learn how scholars and filmmakers research and understand the past. The documentary video is used as a springboard for public discussions at a variety of venues, including senior centers, historical societies and libraries. An urban public library and a city museum create a series of intergenerational reading and discussion programs for recent immigrants and their children, exploring the immigrant encounter with America. Reading selections include diaries, historical newspaper accounts, poetry, fiction, and transcriptions of oral histories. The project team develops scholars' guides and lists of readings that can serve as models for other organizations developing similar collaborative projects. Return to Planning Grants, or Implementation Grants. |