To obtain a
printed version of these |
guidelines, call
202-606-8446, send an |
e-mail to info@neh.gov, or
write to |
NEH, Office of Communications |
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue,
NW, |
Washington, DC
20506. | | |
Date posted: March 3, 2008
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
(CFDA) Number: 45.160
Questions?
Contact NEH's Division of Research Programs at 202-606-8200 or
fellowships@neh.gov. Hearing-impaired applicants can contact NEH via TDD at 1-866-372-2930.
Fellowships support individuals pursuing advanced research that is of value to scholars and general audiences in the humanities.
Recipients usually produce articles, monographs, books, digital materials, archaeological site reports, translations, editions, and other scholarly tools.
Fellowships support continuous full-time work for a period of six to twelve months.
Fellowships may not be used for:
- curricular or pedagogical methods, theories, or surveys;
- preparation or revision of textbooks;
- projects that seek to promote a particular political, philosophical, religious, or ideological point of view;
- projects that advocate a particular program of social action;
- works in the creative and performing arts, i.e., painting, writing fiction or poetry, dance performance, etc.; or
- doctoral dissertations or theses.
Providing Access to Grant Products
As a taxpayer-supported federal agency, the NEH endeavors to make the products
of its awards 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. For the Fellowships program,
such products may include 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.
Detailed guidance on access and dissemination matters can be found in Section V.,
Final Product and Dissemination, below.
The Endowment currently sponsors one agency-wide program, We the People, and two special initiatives, Rediscovering Afghanistan and the Digital Humanities Initiative. Below is information on each. The NEH encourages applications in these three special areas of interest. Proposals will be evaluated through NEH's established review process and will not receive special consideration.
We the People Grant Program
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.
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.
Digital Humanities Initiative
NEH is interested in receiving applications for 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 is also 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 initiative.
Fellowships cover periods lasting from six to twelve months at
a stipend of $4,200 per month. The maximum stipend is $50,400 for a twelve-month
tenure award period. Applicants should request tenure award periods that suit their
schedules and the needs of their projects. A request for an award period shorter than
twelve months tenure period will not improve one's chances of receiving an award
fellowship.
Recipients may begin their awards as early as January 1, 2009, and as late as
July 1, 2010.
The award period must be continuous, and award recipients must work full time
on their projects. Teaching assignments or other major activities may not be undertaken
during the fellowship period. NEH permits part-time awards only in exceptional
circumstances, which might include unusual institutional administrative duties that
cannot be relinquished or hardships unforeseen at the application deadline.
Cost Sharing
NEH Fellowships do not require cost sharing.
The Fellowships program accepts applications from researchers, teachers, and writers regardless of their institutional affiliations.
All applicants 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. Applicants who have
satisfied all the requirements for a degree and are awaiting its conferral may apply,
but such applicants need a letter from the dean of the conferring school or their
department chair attesting to the applicant's status as of May 1, 2008. This letter
must be faxed to the Fellowships program at 202-606-8204.
Citizenship
All U.S. citizens, whether they reside inside or outside the United States, are eligible to apply.
Foreign nationals who have been living in the United States or its jurisdictions for at least the
three years prior to the application deadline are also eligible.
Projects Previously Supported by NEH
You may apply for funding for a project that has previously received NEH Fellowship support.
NEH will ask evaluators to review the accomplishments from the prior fellowship
and determine if the project warrants additional support.
Concurrent Grants from Other Organizations
Recipients may simultaneously hold non-NEH-administered fellowships
or grants in support of the same project during their award period, including
sabbaticals and grants from their own institutions.
Multiple Applications
Applicants may compete concurrently in the following programs for individuals in a given year:
Successful Fellowships applicants who plan research in the LOC collections may be offered a jointly
funded NEH-LOC Kluge Center Fellowship. However, applicants successful
in more than one of the NEH-administered programs listed above may hold only ONE award
for any given calendar or federal fiscal year.
Ineligible applications will not be reviewed.
Applications must be submitted between March 3 and the May 1, 2008, deadline.
Application Advice:
Because of the large number of applications, the Fellowships staff is not able to read and comment on draft proposals.
However, potential applicants may discuss with the staff specific concerns or questions that arise
during the preparation of their proposals. Contact NEH's Division of Research Programs
at 202-606-8200 or
fellowships@neh.gov. Hearing-impaired applicants can contact NEH via TDD at 1-866-372-2930.
Once an application has been submitted, the staff will not comment on it except with respect to issues of completeness and eligibility.
NEH does not accept applications by e-mail or fax.
You will prepare your application for submission via Grants.gov just as you would a paper application.
In addition to forms described in Step 4 below, your application should consist of the following five parts:
- Narrative—Not to Exceed Three Single-Spaced Pages
Applicants should provide an intellectual justification for their
projects, conveying the ideas, objectives, methods, and work plan.
A simple statement of need or intent is insufficient. Applications
exceeding this page limit will not be reviewed. Format pages with
one-inch margins and with a font size no smaller than eleven point.
The narrative should not assume specialized knowledge and should
be free of technical terms and jargon.
In the course of writing a narrative, applicants should address
the following areas:
- Research and Contribution
Describe the intellectual significance of the proposed project, including its value to
scholars and general audiences in the humanities. Explain the basic ideas, problems,
or questions examined by the study. If the area of inquiry is new to the applicant,
provide reasons for working in it. Explain how the project will complement, challenge,
or expand relevant studies in the field.
- Methods and Work Plan
Clarify the part or stage of the project that will be supported
by the fellowship. Provide an overview of the project and describe
what will be accomplished during the award period. Supply a
brief work plan. For book projects, explain how the final
project will be organized. If possible, provide a brief
chapter outline. For digital projects, describe the
technologies that will be used and developed, and how
the scholarship will be presented to benefit audiences
in the humanities.
- Skills and Materials
Specify the level of competence in the languages or digital technologies needed
for the study. Describe where the study will be conducted and what research
materials will be used. If relevant, specify the arrangements for access to
archives, collections, or institutions that contain the necessary
resources.
- Final Product and Dissemination
Describe the intended audience and the intended results of the project. If relevant,
explain how the results will be disseminated and why these means are appropriate to the
subject matter and audience. For example, discuss publishing arrangements and publicity
plans. If the project has a Web site, please provide the URL.
The Endowment expects grantees to provide broad access to all grant products, insofar as
the conditions of the materials and intellectual property rights allow. In the case of
digital products NEH strongly encourages projects that will offer free public access to
online resources. 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.
- Bibliography—Not to Exceed One Single-Spaced Page
The bibliography should consist of primary and secondary sources that relate directly to the project.
Include works that pertain to both the project’s substance and its theoretical or
methodological approaches. Do not include titles that are cited in the
application narrative. Evaluators will use the bibliography to assess
your preparation in the subject area.
- Résumé—Not to Exceed Two Single-Spaced Pages
Your résumé should provide the following:
- Current and Past Positions.
- Education: List degrees, dates awarded, and titles of theses or dissertations.
- Awards and Honors: Include dates of tenure. If you have received
support from NEH, indicate the dates and the results.
- Publications: Include full citations for publications and presentations.
- Other Relevant Professional Activities and Accomplishments.
- Appendix—Only for Editions, Translations, or Database Projects, or for Proposals that Include Visual Materials
- Editions or Translations: Provide a sample of the original text
(one page) and the edited or translated version (one page).
- Database Projects: Provide a sample entry (one page).
- Visual Materials: Provide a sample (one page) in .pdf format,
not .jpg or other common graphic format.
- Reference Letters—Must Be Submitted Online to NEH Not Later Than June 6, 2008
Based on the information provided in the application, NEH contacts the
referees by e-mail requesting that they submit their letters online
(see Step 4 below).
Applicants are responsible for providing referees with relevant materials.
Letters of reference are more highly regarded if they address the
specific proposed activity and how well the candidate is suited to undertake it.
Ideally, referees should come from different institutions.
All applicants for Fellowships must submit their proposals through
Grants.gov, the central federal government portal for
all grant applications. To do so, applicants must have a computer with Internet access and
the current version of the free Adobe Reader. (Please note: Grants.gov no longer requires use of the
PureEdge Viewer software.) 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).
Applicants have reported greatest success using PCs running Microsoft Internet Explorer or
Netscape as their Internet browsers. What follows is a step-by-step guide for submitting
your Fellowships application through Grants.gov.
STEP 1: Register with Grants.gov
All applicants for NEH Fellowships must register with Grants.gov as individual users.
If you have already registered as an individual and you have verified that your registration
is still valid, you may skip this step. If not, follow the instructions below.
We strongly recommend
you complete or verify your registration at least one week before the application deadline, as it takes time for
your registration to be processed. If you have problems registering with Grants.gov, contact the
Grants.gov help desk at 1-800-518-4726 or
support@grants.gov.
The registration process has two components. The first is to register with the Grants.gov Credential
Service Provider; the second is to record your username and password with
Grants.gov
itself.
20080501-FA
Click the button that says "Register." You are automatically redirected to the site of ORC, Inc., the Credential Service Provider for Grants.gov. Click on "Get Your Credential Here" and complete the form provided. Submit the form and verify your information.
You must create a username and password that will be required when you submit your application to NEH.
Your password must contain at least one uppercase letter, one special character (such as # or %), and one
number.
Enter your username and password to get to the User Profile page. Select "Individual." Please note that
Grants.gov will automatically include a DUNS number for you.
Fill in your name, e-mail, phone, and title, and select "Submit." You will receive on-screen confirmation
that you have registered successfully. You may now use your username and password to submit your application.
STEP 2: Download the current version of the free Adobe Reader
To fill out your application, you will need to download and install the current version of the free Adobe Reader. To download the Reader or update
the Reader already installed on your computer, go to
www.adobe.com. Click on "Get Adobe Reader" and then "Download Now." Once installed, this software will allow you to view and fill out Grants.Gov application packages for any federal agency.
STEP 3: Download the Application Package
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 to the right to download
the package.
Save the application package to your computer's hard drive. Like any
other file on your computer, the NEH Fellowships application can be selected, opened, and saved; you do not have to be online to work on it. |
You can save your work 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 will receive a message indicating that your application is not valid. Click "OK" to save your work and complete the package another time.
The application package contains two forms that you must complete in order to submit your application
- Application for Federal Assistance SF424-Individual—this form asks for basic information about the project and the applicant.
- NEH Attachment Form—this form allows you to attach your narrative, bibliography, résumé, and appendix.
In addition, you need to download the
NEH Supplemental Information for Individuals form. This form—in Portable Document Format (.pdf)—can be found
here.
STEP 4: Prepare the Application Forms
A complete application includes the following items:
- A completed SF424-Individual Form; and
- An Attachments Form to which you must attach a completed NEH Supplemental Information
for Individuals form, project narrative, bibliography, résumé, and appendix (these
attachments are described at length elsewhere in these guidelines).
How to Fill Out the SF424-Individual Form
Select the SF424-Individual Form in the Mandatory Documents field of
the application package. Move it to the Mandatory Documents for Submission
field using the right-facing arrow button. Click the "Open Forms" button
to begin using the form. Provide the following information:
Name of Federal Agency: This will be filled in automatically.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: This will be filled in automatically.
Date Received: Please leave blank.
Funding Opportunity Number: This will be filled in automatically.
Applicant Information: Supply the name, address, telephone, and other contact information for the applicant.
For question "e," please enter the number of your Congressional district.
For example, if you live in the 5th Congressional District of your state,
enter "5." If you don't have a Congressional district (i.e., you are in
a state or U.S. territory that doesn't have districts or you are in a
foreign country), enter a "0" (zero). To determine your Congressional
district, visit the House of Representatives Web site at
www.house.gov and use the "Find
Your Representative" tool.
Disclosure of all or part of your Social Security Number is optional. Funded applicants will be required to supply their full Social Security Number after the competition is completed.
Project Information: Enter the title of your project. Your title should be brief, descriptive, and informative to a non-specialist audience. Provide a description of your project not to exceed 1,000 characters written for a non-specialist audience and stating the importance of the proposed work to larger issues in the humanities. Enter the starting and ending dates for your project.
Check the box "By signing this Application. . . ".
Use the "Close Form" button at the upper left of the form to save your work and return to the main menu.
How to Fill Out the NEH Supplemental Information for Individuals Form
This form can be downloaded and saved to your computer in Portable Document Format (.pdf)
here. Open the form and provide the following information:
Applicant's Field of Study: From the drop-down menu, choose the field of study that best describes your area of expertise.
Project Field of Study: From the drop-down menu, choose the field of study that best describes the field of your project.
Address Information: Please indicate if the mailing address given on the SF424-Individual Form is your home or work address.
Institution: If you are not affiliated with an institution, please click "No" and continue to the Reference Letter section. If you are affiliated with an institution of higher education, please complete the
information for that institution. Applicants are strongly encouraged to include their institution's DUNS number
and TIN/EIN number. These numbers are generally provided by an institution's sponsored research office and greatly
improve efficiency when processing your application.
Reference Letters: Provide the names, e-mail addresses, and
affiliations for your two recommenders. After the deadline, NEH will
contact these individuals, requesting that they write their letters of
recommendation. Letters must be submitted online not later than June 6, 2008.
Nominating Official: Please leave this section blank.
How to Use the NEH Attachments Form
The component parts of your application must be attached to the Attachments Form in Portable Document Format (.pdf). NEH cannot accept attachments in their original word processing, graphic, or spreadsheet formats. If you do not have access to 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 the completed NEH Supplemental
Information for Individuals form. Please name the file "NEHinfo.pdf".
ATTACHMENT 2: To this button, please attach your project narrative. Please name the file "narrative.pdf".
ATTACHMENT 3: To this button, please attach your bibliography. Please
name the file "bibliography.pdf".
ATTACHMENT 4: To this button, please attach your résumé. Please name
the file "resume.pdf".
ATTACHMENT 5: To this button, please attach your appendix. Appropriate appendices include translation samples and/or graphics files. Please name the file "appendix.pdf".
No other attachments should be included. Applications submitted with additional attachments or with attachments that exceed the length limitations will not be entered into the competition.
STEP 5: Upload Your Application to Grants.gov
When you have completed the SF424-Individual Form and attached the component parts of your application to the Attachments form, save your work to activate the "Submit" button. You are now ready to upload your application package to NEH via Grants.gov.
To submit your application, click the "Submit" button. Your computer will automatically connect to the Internet, and you will be asked to supply your username and password (see Step 1 above). Once you have successfully entered your username and password, electronically sign and submit your application. When you click the "Sign and Submit Application" button, your application package will be uploaded to Grants.gov.
Please note: Past NEH applicants have reported slower response times from
Grants.gov during the high usage periods between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time.
They have also reported difficulties using non-supported browsers, such as
Mozilla Firefox or Safari. Grants.gov is designed for optimal performance using
a PC with MS Internet Explorer or Netscape browsers.
After the upload is complete, a confirmation page, which includes a Grants.gov tracking number, will indicate that you have submitted your application to Grants.gov. 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. Eastern Time on the day of the deadline.
That way, should you encounter technical problems, 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 for NEH Fellowships must be received by Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m.
Eastern Time on May 1, 2008. Grants.gov will date and time stamp your application
after it is fully uploaded. Applications submitted after that date will not be
accepted.
Evaluators are asked to apply the following five criteria when judging the quality of applications.
- The intellectual significance of the proposed project, including its value to scholars and general audiences in the humanities.
- The quality or promise of quality of the applicant's work as an interpreter of the humanities.
- The quality of the conception, definition, organization, and description of the project and the applicant's clarity of expression.
- The feasibility of the proposed plan of work, including, when appropriate, the soundness of the dissemination and access plans.
- The likelihood that the applicant will complete the project.
Fellowships support projects at any stage of development.
The Endowment expects grantees to provide broad access to all grant products, insofar as the conditions of the materials and intellectual property rights allow. 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.
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 of the result of their application by letter or e-mail in early December 2008.
They may obtain reasons for the funding decision by sending a letter or e-mail to NEH,
Division of Research Programs, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Room 318, Washington, D.C. 20506
or
fellowships@neh.gov.
Responsibilities of Award Recipients
Award Conditions
Reporting Requirements
A final performance report will be due within 90 days after the completion date of the
award period. The final report form is
available
online and electronic submission is required via NEH's Web site.
If you have questions about the program, contact:
Division of Research
Room 318
National Endowment for the Humanities
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20506
202-606-8200
fellowships@neh.gov
Hearing-impaired applicants can contact NEH via TDD at 1-866-372-2930.
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.