We the People Challenge Grants
in United States History, Institutions, and Culture
Is the deadline a receipt or a postmark deadline?
The deadline is a receipt deadline.
May my institution apply for more than one We the People challenge grant at a time?
No. Only one application from any applicant will be entered in the grant competition.
My institution was awarded a We the People challenge grant last year. May we apply this year?
No. An institution may receive only one We the People challenge grant in any two-year period. You may apply next year.
My institution currently holds a regular NEH challenge grant. May we apply for a We the People
challenge grant before our current grant ends?
Yes. Past or current regular NEH challenge grants have no bearing on eligibility to apply for a We the People challenge grant.
My institution held a prior regular NEH challenge grant. What is the matching
requirement for us under a We the People challenge grant?
The matching requirement for all We the People challenge grants is three
to one (three nonfederal dollars for every federal dollar), regardless of
prior grants.
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. Draft proposals may be submitted by e-mail attachment (challenge@neh.gov), fax (202-606-8579), or overnight mail (Office of Challenge Grants, NEH Room 420, 1100
Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20506). Time constraints may prevent staff from reviewing draft proposals submitted later than six weeks before the application deadline.
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 not 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 may not exceed the federal
portion of the grant (the federal portion is 25% of the total grant). 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 may not exceed the federal portion of the grant (the federal portion is 25% of the total grant). 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 single challenge grant may be used to support more than one project. Program experience,
however, strongly suggests that an application requesting support for unrelated components
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 We the People challenge grant?
In September, approximately seven months after the application deadline.
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