Interpreting America's Historic Places

What makes a project a good fit for an Interpreting America's Historic Places grant? You should apply for an Interpreting America's Historic Places grant if:

• the place itself played a significant role in American history;
• the proposed interpretation of the place addresses central themes and issues in American history;
• the project enriches the visitor experience at one or more historic places by linking the story of those places with broader themes in American history; and
• the specific attributes of the place—the site, its location, buildings, or other natural or built features—are an integral part of the proposed story.

May I use an Interpreting America's Historic Places grant to support preservation activities? No. Interpreting America's Historic Places grants support projects that interpret—not preserve—historic places.

What counts as a "historic place"? A historic place might be a single historic site, a series of sites, an entire neighborhood, a community or town, or a larger geographical region.

What makes a historic place "nationally significant"? A nationally significant place could be:

• a site or definable area where events that played a significant role in the nation's history occurred;
• the home of a nationally significant person, family, or group;
• the gathering site of a nationally significant group of people (e.g., a religious sect, political party, social reform organization);
• a water or land route for trade, travel, communication, or migration in our nation's history;
• a site or area that played a significant role in the nation's economic history (e.g., for industry, agriculture, ranching, shipping, tourism, logging, or mining);
• a site or area that was home to a significant strain of American thought, music, literature, architecture, or another aspect of cultural history; or
• a site or area that is important for understanding significant themes and issues in American political and social history, (e.g., the American Revolution, immigration, civil rights, education, or public health).

If I am planning another kind of public humanities project, not interpreting an historic place as defined above, where should I apply? If you are planning to develop a museum exhibition, library program, public discussion forum, discussion series based on reading or film-viewing, multi-faceted conferences or symposia, stand-alone Web sites, and other digital projects, the most appropriate program is America’s Historical and Cultural Organizations

Where should I apply if I want to produce a media project? If you are planning to produce a radio program, film, television series, or podcast for broad regional or national distribution over broadcast media or the Internet, the most appropriate program is the Media program. However, Interpreting America’s Historic Places is the most appropriate grant program if you are producing media projects as one part of interpreting a historic place.

How do I know whether my project is more appropriate for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) or the National Endowment for the Humanities? If your project involves the creation of musical compositions, dance, painting, poetry, short stories, novels, or projects that focus on arts performance or training, then NEA would be a better choice for your application. NEH supports projects that provide an analytical, reflective, or historical perspective on the arts.

What is a humanities scholar? Someone who has an advanced degree in a discipline of the humanities is generally considered a scholar. Scholars can provide context for the project's issues and identify relevant humanities themes and ideas.

When should I consult scholars about a project? As a general rule, the earlier scholars are involved in a project the better. Usually projects recommended for funding are ones in which scholars have helped shape the project's conceptual framework.

Is it okay to rely on a single scholar for a project? Projects that depend on input from a single scholar are not as competitive. Working with a number of scholars allows projects to explore a diverse range of interpretive possibilities.

How do I find the right scholarly advisors for a project? There are a variety of ways to find scholars for your project. Check with your local college or university to see if any faculty members have relevant expertise or could suggest the names of other scholars. You can also peruse bookstores to see who has written about topics related to your project. State humanities councils often maintain lists of scholars who have participated in public programs. You can also contact professional associations or consult published directories of scholars. Finally, ask for samples of funded projects to see what kinds of scholars have participated in other projects.

May I apply for more than one NEH grant for my project? Yes. You may apply to support different phases and activities of your project. For example, an institution may apply for a preservation grant to stabilize its collections, a challenge grant to support a capital improvement program, or a consultation, planning, or implementation grant to mount an exhibition. You may apply for planning or implementation grants, either singly or in sequence, but you may not submit a second proposal for a project if the outcome of your prior application is still pending. For example, if an applicant institution has a planning grant application pending, it may not apply for an implementation grant for the same project until it has heard the outcome of the planning grant.

Do I need to apply for a planning grant before I apply for an implementation grant? No. You may apply for any type of grant that is appropriate for the developmental stage of your project. Although many applicants find it beneficial to obtain planning funds before applying for implementation, it is not required.

How long does the application review take? The review of planning and implementation applications takes approximately 6-7 months.

How long a grant period should I request? The grant period for consultation grants and planning grants is normally about twelve months. Implementation projects normally run from two to three years, although this varies depending on the project.

If I receive NEH funding, may I also accept funding from other sources? Yes. Applicants are encouraged to seek funding from diverse sources. Submitting proposals to other funders has no bearing on how NEH reviews proposals. We do ask that you tell us about those applications so we understand the project's funding situation.

What are the differences between outright funds, matching funds, and cost sharing? Outright funds are awarded without being contingent on additional fund-raising. Matching funds require a grantee to obtain gift funds from third parties before federal funds are awarded. Cost sharing consists of the cash contributions made to projects by the applicant and third parties as well as third-party-in-kind contributions, such as donated goods and services. Cost sharing also includes gift money that will be raised to release federal matching funds. Learn more about different types of grant funding.

May K-12 students participate in Interpreting America's Historic Places projects? Yes. Although the general public should be your main audience, you may feature ancillary programs for K-12 students or prepare curricular packets for use in schools, especially for museum projects.

Are program officers available via phone or e-mail to answer questions? Yes. Applicants are encouraged to contact a program officer to discuss applications prior to their submission. Program officers may also look at drafts of proposals and share samples of previously funded projects. The staff can be reached at 202-606-8269 or publicpgms@neh.gov.

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 202-606-8269 or publicpgms@neh.gov.