Challenge Grants

My organization is unable to submit our application via Grants.gov, what should we do? Contact the program at challenge@neh.gov or 202-606-8309.

Is the deadline a receipt or a postmark deadline? The deadline is a receipt deadline.

May my institution apply for more than one challenge grant at a time? No. Only one application from any applicant will be entered in the grant competition.

My institution was awarded a challenge grant last year. May we apply this year? No. An institution may receive only one challenge grant at a time, and there is a four-year waiting period from the close of a challenge grant and the application for another. Past or current NEH challenge grants awarded through this program, however, have no bearing on eligibility to apply for special initiatives, We the People Challenge Grants in United States History, Institutions, and Culture and Digital Humanities Initiative Challenge Grants.

My institution held a prior regular NEH challenge grant. What is the matching requirement for us under a subsequent challenge grant? The matching requirement for subsequent challenge grants is four-to-one (four nonfederal dollars for every federal dollar). The higher matching ratio is not required, however, for either We the People Challenge Grants in United States History, Institutions, and Culture or Digital Humanities Initiative Challenge Grants; the match ratio for both special initiatives is three-to-one.

I'd like to send a draft proposal for NEH staff comment. How do I do that? While it is not mandatory to submit a draft, applicants are encouraged to do so six weeks before the deadline. Time restraints may prevent staff from reviewing draft proposals submitted after that date. The preferred method of submitting draft proposals is by e-mail attachment (challenge@neh.gov). Drafts may also be submitted by fax (202-606-8579) or commercial delivery service (Office of Challenge Grants, NEH Room 420, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W., Washington, D.C. 20506).

Should our institution include letters of support as part of our application or should they be sent separately? Letters of support or commitment should be included with the application, in an appendix, as one of the .pdf attachments to the Grants.gov application. If any letter cannot be converted to a .pdf document, it should be sent, with eight copies, to The Office of Challenge Grants, NEH - Room 420, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W., Washington, DC 20506. Letters sent separately must be received by the application deadline or they will no t be included in the application review.

Are in-kind donations permitted for matching an NEH Challenge Grant? Yes, subject to the limitation that the total of such donations can not exceed the federal portion of the grant (the federal portion is either 25% or 20% of the total grant, depending upon the required match). Digital Humanities Initiative Challenge Grants allow unlimited in-kind donations to count toward the required match. In-kind gifts or donated services are eligible only if the material or service provided is included in the approved challenge grant budget. Gifts of tangible property not included in the approved challenge grant budget must be converted to cash to qualify for match.

Are unrestricted gifts to my organization allowable for match? Yes, subject to the limitation that the total of such donations cannot exceed the federal portion of the grant (the federal portion is either 25% or 20% of the total grant, depending upon the required match). Unrestricted gifts, like restricted challenge gifts, must be donated during the grant period.

May I use a single challenge grant to fund more than one project, such as endowing a professorship and renovating the library? Yes, a singe challenge grant may be used to support more than one project. Program experience, however, strongly suggests that an application requesting support for unrelated projects does not compete well in the grant competition.

The application instructions include a financial summary form. May I submit a copy of my institution's audited financial statements instead of using the financial summary form? The financial summary form is a suggested format only, and you may create your own form or use an existing institutional form, so long as it provides the same kind of information, that is, a summary snapshot of income and expenditures over the last three years. Full audited accounts or reports are not useful for the program's purpose. Rather than sending the full records, applicants should extract and submit information of the kind that is on the NEH financial summary form.

We have contacted our state historic preservation officer (SHPO) as instructed, but she has not yet provided the necessary letter. May the application be submitted without the SHPO letter? Yes. The SHPO letter will be required, should the application be funded, before any federal funds can be released.

When will I hear whether my institution is being offered a challenge grant? Approximately seven months after the application deadline.