According to the 1965 National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act, “The term 'humanities’ includes, but is not limited to, the study of the following: language, both modern and classical; linguistics; literature; history; jurisprudence; philosophy; archaeology; comparative religion; ethics; the history, criticism and theory of the arts; those aspects of social sciences which have humanistic content and employ humanistic methods; and the study and application of the humanities to the human environment with particular attention to reflecting our diverse heritage, traditions, and history and to the relevance of the humanities to the current conditions of national life.”

U.S.-German research can include research that involves interconnected topics that relate to the history and culture of the U.S. and Germany The phrase also refers to collaborative research involving scholars from the U.S. and Germany working together in any discipline of the humanities.

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation, or DFG) is the central, self-governing research funding organization that promotes research at universities and other publicly financed research institutions in Germany.

The DFG serves all branches of science and the humanities by funding research projects and facilitating cooperation among researchers.

This unique NEH/DFG collaborative funding opportunity allows institutions to collaborate on an application and request joint-funding from both agencies. If your application is successful, funding for the U.S. partner will be provided by NEH, while funding for the German partner will be provided by DFG. NEH does not provide support to foreign institutions or organizations.

Yes. Applicants are encouraged to seek other financial support. We do ask that you tell us about proposals to other funding sources so we understand the project's financial picture.

Yes, you may request additional support in a subsequent funding cycle.

NEH treats all applications as new applications. Evaluators will not have access to the previous application; therefore, proposals for renewed funding must discuss the project anew. Be sure to describe the work accomplished with previous NEH funding and be clear about the specific activities and products of the new grant.

No. To be considered, an application must be accepted by Grants.gov at or before the deadline.

Specialists and non-specialists will review your proposal. Show how the project relates to scholarship in the project's field, and describe its methodology with reference to current standards and best practices, but explain the goals and procedures in simple, understandable terms for non-specialists.

Do not assume that the project's significance to research, education, or public programming will be evident to readers. Provide specific examples of important documents or artifacts in the collections and describe how the collections have been used or could be used once they are made accessible. Discuss the need for the proposed reference work or research tool and give examples of studies or activities that could be conducted with the aid of such a resource.

Letters of support from persons who know or have used the collections or who can attest to the need for the proposed reference work or research tool can help make the case for the importance of a project.

Explain the tasks for the project's staff and provide a schedule for the completion of the work, which may be presented as a narrative or a chart. Depending on the project, the description of the work plan may be organized by type or duration of activity (e.g., three-month intervals.) The plan should be presented in enough detail to demonstrate that you have thoroughly considered each step of the project and that you are ready to begin. By describing in detail the responsibilities of the project's personnel, you will justify the corresponding allocation of staff time, as shown in the project's budget, and the qualifications and experience required of the project's staff, as reflected in résumés and job descriptions.

Yes. Many projects require early consultation with scholarly advisers and technical experts to plan for the implementation. The collaboration of highly qualified and experienced people makes it more likely that evaluators will endorse an application.

Explain how the applicant institution intends to broaden its base of support for the project beyond NEH funding to cover such costs. Strategies may include creating a special fund or an endowment for the project, adopting membership fees in consortial efforts, requiring user licenses, or establishing collaborative agreements to support permanent positions or services. Additionally, you should discuss the commitment of the sponsor(s) to maintain access to the project over time. If your project will yield a digital product, discuss your plans for preserving digital data over the long term.

You may request copies of the comments by evaluators. A revised application should take into consideration the issues they raised. However, a resubmitted application will be reviewed by persons who will not have knowledge of or access to the previous application file.