Go to Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants guidelines Please consult the main guidelines for additional information about applying to this grant program, including award information, eligibility, application review, award administration, and points of contact. Deadline: April 8, 2009

The process for individuals applying via Grants.gov is slightly different from that used by institutions. These instructions will guide you through 1) the registration process; 2) downloading the Free Adobe Reader Software; 3) downloading the application package; and 4) completing the three required forms (the SF-424 short form, the supplementary cover sheet, and the NEH attachment form).

For all other aspects of the application, please refer to the main guidelines for that program.

Reminder: If you are affiliated with an institution, you MUST apply through that institution and not as an individual.

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:

1. Application for Federal Assistance SF-424 -- Individual -- this form asks for basic information about the project and the project director.

2. Supplementary Cover Sheet for NEH Grant Programs -- this form asks for additional information about the project director and the budget.
3. NEH Attachment Form -- this form allows you to attach your narrative, budget, and the other parts of your application.
To assist applicants, Grants.gov provides a helpful troubleshooting page.

1. Name of Federal Agency: This will be filled in automatically with “National Endowment for the Humanities.”
2. 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.
3. Date Received: Please leave blank.

4. Funding Opportunity Number: This will be filled in automatically.
5. Applicant Information: In this section, please supply the name, address, telephone, and other contact information for the applicant.

For question “e,” please put the number of your Congressional district. For example, if you live in the 5th Congressional District, put a “5.” If you don't have a Congressional district (e.g., you are in a state or U.S. territory that doesn't have districts or you are in a foreign country), put a “0” (zero).

Disclosure of Social Security Numbers at the time of application is optional. NEH uses them for internal application processing only. Please note, however, that if an application is approved for funding, an individual applicant must provide a Social Security Number to receive payment of grant funds.

6. Project Information: Provide the title of your project. Your title should be brief, descriptive, and substantive. It should also be informative to a nonspecialist audience. Provide a brief description of your project. The description should be written for a nonspecialist 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.
7. Check the box "By signing this Application. . . ".

1. Project Director: Use the pull-down menu to select the major field of study for the project director. (As an individual applicant, you are considered the “Project Director.”)
2. Institution Information: If you are not affiliated with an institution, please click “No.” If you are affiliated with an institution but are not applying through it (if, for example, you are an adjunct faculty member), please provide information about the institution at which you work. Use the pull-down menu to select the type that best fits your institution. Use “unknown” if none is applicable.
3. Project Funding: Please fill out the project funding boxes in the left-hand column (marked “Programs other than Challenge Grants”).
4. 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. Applicants requesting a supplement should provide the current grant number. Before submitting an application for a supplement, applicants should discuss their request with an NEH program officer.

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.

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, many available low-cost and free software packages will do so. To learn more, go to http://www.neh.gov/grants/grantsgov/pdf.html.

When you open the NEH Attachment Form, you will find fifteen 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:

Use the remaining buttons to attach any additional materials (if appropriate). Please give these attachments meaningful file names and ensure that they are PDFs.

When you have completed your application, you must submit the application using the special username and password that were assigned to you 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, you will enter your 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 will appear. The confirmation page indicates that you have submitted your application to Grants.gov and includes a tracking number. Please print this page for your records. You will also receive a confirmation e-mail.

NEH suggests that you submit your application no later than 5:00 p.m. EST 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 helpdesk for support. The Grants.gov help desk is open Monday to Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. EST at 1-800-518-4726. You can also send an e-mail to support@grants.gov.