Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants

My organization is unable to submit our application via Grants.gov, what should we do?

Contact the program for directions on how to apply at odh@neh.gov.

What do you mean by innovation?

Innovation is creating something new; it is being creative; it is a novel or interesting new approach to tackling a problem. Innovation can take many forms. Some funded Start-Up Grant projects are examples of technical innovation, such as the creation of a new piece of software to address a need in the humanities. In other cases, the innovation was not in creating a new piece of technology, but rather using existing technology in a new way. For example, an applicant took existing software used for some other purpose and demonstrated how it could be effectively used for humanities research. In other cases, the innovation was not in the technology, per se, but in the collaborative nature of the project, as with projects that brought together creative people from both technical and non-technical fields to address a longstanding humanities issue in a new way. True innovation is rare and it is often the case that any two people may disagree about what constitutes innovation. The applicant therefore needs to make a strong case for why the proposed project is innovative.

Is the deadline a receipt or a postmark deadline?

The deadline is a receipt deadline.

May my institution apply for more than one Digital Humanities Start-Up Grant at a time?

Yes. Institutions may apply for and hold more than one of these grants.

I am affiliated (e.g. as a faculty member) with an eligible institution. May I apply as an individual for a Digital Humanities Start-Up Grant?

Only adjunct faculty and those who are not affiliated with a U.S. nonprofit institution may apply as individuals. Individuals affiliated with a U.S. non-profit institution must ordinarily apply through that institution. If the project can be better hosted by a different U.S. non-profit institution, they may, however, apply through it.

I would 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. In order to guarantee NEH review of the draft, it should reach NEH at least six weeks before the deadline. The preferred method of submitting draft proposals is by e-mail attachment (odh@neh.gov). Drafts may also be submitted by fax (202-606-8411) or commercial delivery service (Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants, National Endowment for the Humanities, Office of Digital Humanities, Room 402, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W., Washington, D.C. 20506).

Should the project participants and our institution include letters of commitment as part of our application or should they be sent separately?

Letters of commitment should be included with the application.

Whom should I ask to provide letters of support?

Letters of support should come from persons who can objectively assess the importance of the project to the humanities. These persons should comment on the importance of project's subject area, the proposed methodology, or the technical plan. They should not be the project participants. Also, the letters should be submitted to the project director (not separately to NEH) and submitted with the application.

I would like to develop a new Web site to present material on a humanities topic. Is that the right sort of project for a Digital Humanities Start-Up Grant?

Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants are conceived as grants to support the initial phases of innovative approaches to the use of emerging technologies in the humanities. Projects that simply bring new materials to existing technologies are less likely than such innovations to receive support from Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants. If, however, your proposed work involves the early stages in the development of new Web technologies or new methods of indexing or incorporating metadata into an online collection, then you would appear to have a stronger case for a Digital Humanities Start-Up Grant.

The project that I have in mind seems compatible with the guidelines for another NEH grant opportunity, but it also seems to fit as a Digital Humanities Start-Up Grant. To which program should I apply?

Generally, projects that can be supported through other NEH grant opportunities and that correspond directly to the defined goals of the other grants probably should be addressed to the other programs. However, there are no rules to preclude an application, if appropriately modified to fit the guidelines, from being submitted to more than one NEH grant program. If you are not certain to which grant program you should apply, contact NEH's program staff for guidance. The staff for the Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants can be reached at odh@neh.gov.

I am not interested in developing new technologies, but I would like to use a Digital Humanities Start-Up Grant to begin a program to support new uses of existing technologies or to develop training programs in digital humanities tools for students, teachers, or researchers. Would those activities be supportable as Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants?

Yes.

Does NEH limit the amount of indirect cost that can be included as part of an institutional application for a Digital Humanities Start-Up Grant?

No. An institution may charge its negotiated rate in the application budget. The amount recovered as indirect cost is therefore included in the amount awarded for the grant; it is not added on top of the grant amount.

Is cost-sharing required for a Digital Humanities Start-Up Grant?

Cost-sharing is not required for Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants. However, applicants are welcome to use cost-sharing for start-up projects in which the total budget exceeds the NEH grant limit. Cost sharing consists of the cash contributions made to the project by the applicant and third parties, as well as third party in-kind contributions, such as donated services and goods.

I am a U.S. Citizen but also a full-time faculty member at a Canadian university. Can I apply?

Normally, full-time faculty members apply through their institution. However, since foreign institutions are ineligible, you would be allowed to apply as an individual.

I am a U.S. Citizen and an independent scholar. So I would like to apply as an individual. But I have lived out of the country for six years. Does that mean I am ineligible?

If you are a U.S. Citizen, you are eligible to apply. It does not matter how long you have lived abroad. Since you are an independent scholar who is unaffiliated with an institution, you can apply as an individual.

I am a foreign national and an adjunct faculty member at a U.S. university. I have lived in the U.S. for the past four years. Am I eligible to apply?

Yes. Since you have lived in the U.S. for at least the past three years, you are eligible to apply. Since you are an adjunct faculty member (not full-time) you have the option of applying as an individual rather than through your institution.

On the Supplementary Cover Sheet for NEH Grant Programs, question number 1 asks for the project director's major field of study. But we can not find our project director’s field of study listed in the drop-down menu. What should we choose?

If none of the listed fields seems to fit your project director’s major field of study, please choose “Interdisciplinary.”