Date posted: January 9, 2009
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 45.168
Questions?
Contact Dwan Reece at 202-606-8254 or via
e-mail at fedstate@neh.gov. Hearing-impaired applicants can contact NEH via TDD at 1-866-372-2930.
We the People Project Grants for State Humanities Councils support programs sponsored by state humanities councils that explore significant events and themes in American history and culture, and that advance knowledge of the principles that define America. Councils are encouraged to think of ways to explore themes related to We the People through both new and existing programs. To learn more about We the People, visit the program’s Web site.
Projects may combine a variety of programming formats and should reach as broad an audience as possible. Projects may include
Providing Access to Grant Products
As a taxpayer-supported federal agency, 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. Such projects may include reading and discussion programs, traveling exhibitions, teachers’ institutes, conferences, speakers’ bureaus, community programs in the humanities, digital tools, Web sites, and the like. For projects that lead to the development of Web sites, all other considerations being equal, the NEH gives preference to those that provide free access to the public.
Successful applicants will be awarded a grant in outright funds, matching funds, or a combination of the two, depending on the request of the applicant. The award amount for a council will not exceed the amount of FY 2009 funding that has been allocated to the council for We the People programming. The grant period may run between twelve and eighteen months. In determining the grant period, applicants should refer to Articles 12 and 6 of the General Terms and Conditions for Awards to Organizations. The grant period is the span of time designated in the grant award, or an amendment thereto, during which the grantee has the authority to obligate grant funds and undertake project activities. Normal grant beginning dates are determined by the National Council meeting at which the application is considered. Applications received by the March 17, 2009, deadline will be considered at the National Council meeting in May and should have a beginning date no earlier than July 1, 2009. Applications received by the May 5, 2009, deadline will be considered at the National Council meeting in July and should have a beginning date no earlier than September 1, 2009. However, when the grantee determines that it is necessary, project costs may be incurred in the ninety-day period prior to the beginning date of the grant period. For more on this provision, see Article 6.
Cost Sharing
Cost sharing is not required unless the council is requesting federal matching funds. In this case, gift funds equal to the amount of matching funds must also be included in the budget and expended on project activities. Both the gift funds and the federal matching funds must be expended solely on We the People project activities during the grant period.
(Learn more about different types of grant funding.)
Only the 56 state humanities councils are eligible to apply. These councils are independent nonprofit organizations that operate in the United States, the U.S. territories, and Washington, DC. The 56 councils have been established in accordance with NEH's authorizing legislation.
Ineligible applications will not be reviewed
HOW TO PREPARE YOUR APPLICATION
Application advice and proposal drafts
Applicants may submit by e-mail (to fedstate@neh.gov) a draft of the narrative and budget sections of their proposals. The staff recommends that proposal drafts be submitted by February 17, 2009, for proposals that are to be submitted at the March 17th deadline, and by April 4, 2009, for proposals that are to be submitted at the May 5th 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. Although this preliminary review is not part of the formal evaluation process and has no bearing on the final outcome of the proposal, previous applicants have found it helpful in strengthening their applications. 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. All documents should have one-inch margins and should use a 12-point font. Your application should consist of the following parts:
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 that
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.
Download the Application Package
The application package contains three forms that you must complete in order to submit your application:
To assist applicants, Grants.gov provides a helpful
troubleshooting page.
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:
HOW TO FILL OUT THE SUPPLEMENTARY COVER SHEET FOR NEH GRANT PROGRAMS
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 http://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 narrative. Please
name the file “narrative.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 2: To this button, please attach your project rationale. Please name the file “rationale.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 3: To this button, please attach your budget. Please name the file “budget.pdf”.
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.
To assist applicants, Grants.gov also provides a helpful troubleshooting page.
Deadlines
Applications must be received by Grants.gov by March 17, 2009 (for projects beginning July 2009), or by May 5, 2009 (for projects beginning September 2009).
Grants.gov will date- and time-stamp your application after it is fully uploaded. Applications submitted after the relevant date will not be accepted.
Evaluation Criteria
Grant proposals should demonstrate how the project
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 letter in June 2009 (for the March deadline) and August 2009 (for the May deadline). Institutional grants administrators and project directors of successful applications will also receive at that time award documents by mail.
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.
Please note that We the People Project Grants for State Humanities Councils are subject to the General Terms and Conditions for Awards to Organizations, and not the General Terms and Conditions for General Support Grants to State Humanities Councils. Some of these provisions may be different from the ones outlined for a state humanities council’s general operating support. For example, fundraising costs, which are an allowable cost in a council's grant for general operating support, cannot be charged to a project grant.
Reporting Requirements
A schedule of report due dates will be included with the award document.
Interim and final performance reports 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:
Dwan ReeceFederal/State Partnership National Endowment for the Humanities 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20506 202-606-8254 fedstate@neh.gov
If you need help using Grants.gov, contact:
Grants.gov: http://www.grants.gov
Grants.gov help desk: support@grants.gov Grants.gov customer support tutorials and manuals : http://www.grants.gov/CustomerSupport Grant.gov support line: 1-800-518-GRANTS (4726) Grants.gov troubleshooting tips
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 that 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.
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