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Date posted: April 11, 2008
Date modified: August 14, 2008 *
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
(CFDA) Number: 45.161
(CFDA) Number: 45.161
Draft Proposals:
Program staff recommend that draft proposals be submitted six weeks before the deadline. Time constraints may prevent staff from reviewing draft proposals submitted after that date.
Questions?
Contact NEH's Division of Research Programs at 202-606-8200 and research@neh.gov. Hearing-impaired applicants can contact NEH via TDD at 1-866-372-2930.
NEH Fellowships at Digital Humanities Centers (FDHC) support collaboration between digital centers and individual scholars. An award provides funding for both a stipend for the fellow while in residence at the center and a portion of the center's costs for hosting a fellow. Awards are for periods of six to twelve months. The intellectual cooperation between the visiting scholar and the center may take many different forms and may involve humanities scholars of any level of digital expertise. Fellows may work exclusively on their own projects in consultation with center staff, collaborate on projects with other scholars affiliated with the center, function as “apprentices” on existing digital center projects, or any combination of these. The results of the collaboration may range from “proof of concept” to finished product.
The aims of the program are to 1) support innovative collaboration on outstanding digital research projects; 2) expand digital literacy and expertise; 3) promote the work of digital humanities centers; and 4) encourage broad and open access to the humanities.
FDHC grants are made to digital humanities centers and, therefore, a staff member of the digital humanities center must serve as the project director. Prospective fellows must apply through a digital center. Centers may submit one application per deadline; individual scholars may apply in collaboration with only one digital center per deadline. Awards support the scholar's fellowship in residence as well as a portion of the center’s direct and indirect costs of hosting such fellowships. The scholar in residence may not be employed by, or associated with, the institution that houses the center.
Providing Access to Grant Products
As a taxpayer-supported federal agency, the NEH endeavors to make the products of its grants 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 grant products. All other considerations being equal, the NEH gives preference to projects that provide free access
to the public. Detailed guidance on dissemination matters can be found in the Dissemination section below.
Fellowships at Digital Humanities Centers may not be used for: :
- specific policy studies or educational or technical impact assessments;
- projects that seek to promote a particular political, philosophical, religious, or ideological point of view;
- projects that advocate a particular program of social action;
- cataloging or producing inventories of collections;
- research in educational methods, tests, or measurements;
- recurrent meetings of professional organizations, societies, and scholarly organizations; or
- support for publication costs or publication subvention.
The Endowment currently sponsors two agency-wide programs—We the People and Digital
Humanities—and one special initiative, Rediscovering Afghanistan.
Below is information on each.
The NEH encourages applications in these three areas of special interest.
Proposals will be evaluated through NEH's established review process and will not receive special consideration.
We the People
To help Americans make sense of their history and of the world around them, NEH established the We the People program.
NEH encourages applications that explore significant events and themes in our nation's history and culture and
that advance knowledge of the principles that define America. To learn more about We the People,
visit the program's Web site.
Digital Humanities
NEH welcomes applications for humanities projects that use digital technology or study its impact.
Digital technologies offer humanists new methods of conducting research, conceptualizing relationships,
and presenting scholarship. Digital humanities projects deploy these technologies and methods to
enhance our understanding of a topic or issue. NEH also is interested in projects that study
the impact of digital technology on the humanities—exploring the ways in which it changes
how we read, write, think, and learn. Learn
more about the NEH Office of Digital Humanities.
Rediscovering Afghanistan
NEH invites applications for projects that focus on Afghanistan's history and culture.
The special initiative is designed to promote research, education, and public programs
about Afghanistan and to encourage United States institutions to assist Afghanistan in efforts
to preserve and document its cultural resources. Learn
more about the initiative.
Awards include funding for both a stipend for the fellow in residence and a portion of the center's cost for hosting a fellow. Fellows receive stipends of $4,200 per month for periods of six to twelve months of work. Centers may receive up to $4,200 per month to cover direct and indirect costs. The maximum award for a twelve month grant, therefore, is $100,800: $50,400 for the fellow's stipend and $50,400 for the direct and indirect costs of administering the fellowship.
Cost Sharing
Cost sharing is not required. NEH, however, is rarely able to support the full costs of projects approved for funding. Cost sharing includes cash contributions to the project by the applicant and third parties, as well as in-kind contributions, such as donated goods and services. Cost sharing also includes gift money raised to release federal matching funds.
(Learn more about different types of grant funding.)
Each application will inclulde one digital humanities center and one individual scholar.
Center eligibility is limited to:
- Digital humanities centers affiliated with either American institutions of higher education or U.S. nonprofit organizations or institutions with IRS 501(c)(3) tax exempt status.
Individual scholar eligibility is limited to:
- U.S. citizens; and
- foreign nationals who have been living in the United States or its jurisdictions for at least the three years immediately preceding the application deadline.
All individual scholars must have completed their formal education by the application deadline. While applicants need not have advanced degrees, individuals currently enrolled in a degree-granting program are ineligible to apply.
Centers may submit one application per deadline; individual scholars may apply in collaboration with only one digital center per deadline.
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.
Individual scholars may apply for other NEH awards, including Fellowships, Faculty Research Awards, and Summer Stipends. The Endowment will not, however, provide two simultaneous awards for the same project.
Ineligible applications will not be reviewed.
Application advice and proposal drafts
Applications should be completed jointly by the scholar and the digital humanities center and submitted by the center.
Applicants may submit by e-mail (research@neh.gov) a draft of the narrative sections of their proposal at least six weeks before the deadline. A response cannot be guaranteed if the draft arrives later. The preliminary proposal gives an applicant the opportunity to receive staff comments about the substance and format of the application. These comments are not part of the formal review process. Once NEH has received a formal application, its staff will not comment on its status except with respect to questions of completeness or eligibility.
You will prepare your application for submission via Grants.gov just as you would a paper application.
Your application should consist of the following parts:
- Statement of significance and impact
Provide a one-page abstract written for a nonspecialist audience stating clearly the importance of the proposed work in the digital context, the project’s significance for larger issues in the humanities, and the character and importance of the collaboration.
- Description of the Host Digital Humanities Center
Provide a three-page overview of the center’s history and mission, describing its intellectual and institutional goals, as well as its main areas of scholarly focus and digital expertise. Provide a short description of recently completed and ongoing digital humanities projects. Describe the center’s sources of funding and any existing fellowships programs.
- Narrative
Provide a narrative description and intellectual justification for the project and a work plan. Narrative descriptions should not exceed twelve double-spaced pages. All pages should have one-inch margins and the font size should be no smaller than eleven point.Your narrative should address the following topics:
- Intellectual significance of the proposed project
Provide a description of the project, including its contribution to the digital humanities, and its value to scholars and general audiences in the humanities. Address how the project will contribute to the long-term mission of the center.
- History, scope, and duration of the project
Provide a concise history of the project, including information about preliminary research or planning, previous related work, previous financial support, publications produced, and resources or research facilities available. It is anticipated that work on projects initiated during the term of the fellowship will continue after the period of the grant. The applicant should describe plans for that work and probable sources of support for subsequent phases of the project. Describe the scope of the project activities, the relationship of the project to other published and ongoing work in the field, and indicate the major issues to be addressed. Address the extent to which the project will take an innovative digital approach towards meeting its objectives. Applicants should provide a rationale for the compatibility of their methodological approach with the intellectual goals of the project and the needs of future users. If the proposed fellowship includes work on an existing project at the Center, describe how that work will enhance the fellow's scholarly interests and support the center's goals.
- The use of digital technologies
Provide a clear explanation of how the project will use digital technologies to accomplish its goals. Detail how the project’s approach is unique or builds on existing models, and how the ultimate project results will be of value to scholars and general audiences in the humanities.NEH views the use of open source software as a key component in the broad distribution of exemplary digital scholarship in the humanities. If either the start-up project or the long-term project is not predicated on generally accessible open source software, explain why and also explain how the Endowment's dissemination goals will still be satisfied by the project.
- Importance of the collaboration
Describe the value of the collaboration between the resident fellow and the digital humanities center. Explain the respective roles of the center and the fellow, and the extent and duration of the cooperation envisioned. Describe the resources and research facilities available to the project, and discuss the ways in which the collaboration may serve as a model for future endeavors.
- Staff
Identify the project director and collaborators who would work on the project during the proposed grant period, and describe their responsibilities, qualifications, and digital expertise. Append résumés for the principal collaborators as described below in Item 4.
- Final product and dissemination
Describe the plans for disseminating the project results through various media (printed articles or books, presentations at meetings, electronic media or some combination). Applicants should also discuss how the project's ultimate product is likely to be disseminated and what provisions will be made for its long-term maintenance.
- Plan of work
Describe the specific tasks that will be accomplished during the grant period and identify the staff members involved. Detail the working relationship between the resident scholar and digital center staff, including the amount of time center staff will devote to the project.
- Intellectual significance of the proposed project
- Resúmés
Include a resúmé not exceeding two pages each for the proposed fellow and the center personnel contributing to the project. Resúmés should include information about education, employment, relevant scholarly production and accomplishment, language competence, and technology skills.
- Project budget
Using the NEH Budget form, indicate the amount of funding requested. Fellows' stipends are calculated at a flat rate of $4,200 per month for periods of six to twelve whole months. Applicant Digital Humanities Centers can claim up to an equal amount of the stipend in direct and indirect costs. These costs should be itemized.
- Bibliography
Include a brief, one-page bibliography for the proposed project.
When preparing an application, applicants should consult the Review Criteria.
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 you complete or verify 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.
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 non-specialist audience. Provide a brief description of your project. The description should be written for a non-specialist 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 (i.e., 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 (applicants should discuss their request with a NEH program officer before submitting such an application).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 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 Statement of Signficance and Impact. Please name the file "Significance.pdf".
ATTACHMENT 2: To this button, please attach any Description of the Host Digital Humanities Center. Please name the file "Description.pdf".
ATTACHMENT 3: To this button, please attach your Narrative. Please name the file "Narrative.pdf".
ATTACHMENT 4: To this button, please attach your Project Budget. Please name the file "Budget.pdf".
ATTACHMENT 5: To this button, please attach your project Bibliography. Please name the file "Bibliography.pdf".
ATTACHMENT 6: To this button, please attach your resúmés for project personnel.
Please name the file "Resumes.pdf".
Do not embed any additional files within any of the attachments.
Use the remaining buttons to attach any additional materials (if appropriate). Please give these attachments meaningful file names and ensure that they are PDFs.
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.
Applications must be received by Grants.gov by September 15, 2008.
Grants.gov will date/time stamp your application after it is fully uploaded. Applications submitted after that date will not be accepted.
- The intellectual significance of the project, including its value to scholars and general audiences in the humanities.
- The quality or promise of quality of the visiting fellow’s work in the digital humanities.
- The appropriateness of the proposed collaboration between fellow and center, including the quality of resources provided by the center, the anticipated intellectual contribution of the fellow to the center, and the potential benefit to the fellow.
- The feasibility of the proposed work plan, including the sustainability of the project beyond the grant period.
- The accessibility and interoperability of the final product.
All other considerations being equal, preference will be given to projects that provide free online access to digital materials produced with grant funds.
Late applications will not be reviewed.
Review and Selection Process
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 by e-mail of the decision by March 15, 2009. Applicants
may obtain the reasons for funding decisions on their applications by sending an e-mail
message to research@neh.gov.
Administrative requirements
Before submitting an application, applicants should review their responsibilities as an award recipient and the lobbying certification requirement.
Award Conditions
The requirements for awards are contained in the General Terms
and Conditions for Awards to Organizations, any specific terms and conditions contained in
the award document, and the applicable OMB circulars
governing federal grants management.
Reporting Requirements
A schedule of report due dates will be included with the award document.
A final performance report from the digital humanities center that incorporates a report by the visiting fellow will be required. Further details can be found in Performance Reporting Requirements (formerly Enclosure 2).
A Federal Cash Transactions Report (2-page PDF) will be due within 30 days after the end of each calendar quarter. A final Financial Status Report (2-page PDF) will be due within 90 days after the completion date of the award period. Further details can be found in Financial Reporting Requirements (formerly Enclosure 1).
If you have questions about the program, contact:
Division of Research Programs
Room 318
National Endowment for the Humanities
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20506
202-606-8200
research@neh.gov
Room 318
National Endowment for the Humanities
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20506
202-606-8200
research@neh.gov
If you need help using Grants.gov, contact:
Grants.gov: www.grants.gov
Grants.gov help desk: support@grants.gov
Grants.gov customer support tutorials and manuals: www07.grants.gov/applicants/app_help_reso.jsp
Grant.gov support line: 1-800-518-GRANTS (4726)
Grants.gov help desk: support@grants.gov
Grants.gov customer support tutorials and manuals: www07.grants.gov/applicants/app_help_reso.jsp
Grant.gov support line: 1-800-518-GRANTS (4726)
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.