Summer Stipends
The questions are grouped into four categories: I. Eligibility, II. Other Fellowship Opportunities, III. Application and References, and IV. Using Grants.gov.
1. I am an independent scholar. What are my chances of receiving a Summer Stipend?
Your chances are the same as any other applicant’s. All applicants must propose a significant project as well as present evidence of their qualifications, including publications, presentations, and other relevant experiences.
2. I am a graduate student. Am I eligible to apply for a Summer Stipend?
No. If you have successfully defended your dissertation, however, and are waiting for your degree to be conferred, you are eligible 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, attesting to the applicant’s status as of October 1, 2009. This letter must be faxed to the Summer Stipends program at 202-606-8204; alternatively, a PDF version of the signed letter may be included as an attachment to an e-mail message sent to stipends@neh.gov.
3. Does NEH support projects whose results will be written in a language other than English?
Yes. Applicants with projects that will be written in a language other than English must explain how access and dissemination will be affected.
4. May I apply to translate a work into English if other English translations already exist?
Yes. In the proposal narrative, provide a rationale for a new translation.
5. I am involved in a collaborative project. Can collaborators split a Summer Stipend?
No. Each collaborator must submit a separate application, and panelists will be asked to evaluate each application on its own merit. Applicants may wish to apply for a Collaborative Research Grant. Guidelines for Collaborative Research Grants are located here.
II. Other Fellowship Opportunities
Does NEH offer additional funding opportunities for individual scholars in the humanities? Does NEH collaborate with other institutions to provide additional funding for individual scholars in the humanities?
NEH Fellowships and NEH Faculty Research Awards support individual scholars for periods of six to twelve months. Fellowships are open to scholars who have completed their formal education, regardless of their institutional affiliation. Faculty Research Awards are open only to faculty members at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Institutions with High Hispanic Enrollment, and Tribal Colleges and Universities. Applicants apply directly to NEH.
NEH also collaborates with several organizations to offer support for research:
Library of Congress (LOC) – John W. Kluge Center Fellowships
Projects that draw on the collections of the Library of Congress are eligible for support.
Interested applicants should apply directly to LOC’s Kluge Center Fellowships Program.
Japan-United States Friendship Commission (JUSFC) – Fellowship Program for Advanced Social Science Research on Japan
Subjects may include modern Japanese political economy, international relations and society, and United States-Japan relations.
Applicants may consult the JUSFC Web site for additional information. Application
guidelines are located here.
NEH Grants for Fellowships Program at Independent Research Institutions
Projects to be undertaken at independent centers for advanced study, libraries, and museums in the United States, and research centers overseas, are eligible for support. Individual scholars must apply directly to the institutions themselves. Available here is a list of currently funded institutions.
NEH and National Science Foundation Fellowships Program for Documenting Endangered Languages (DEL)
Projects on endangered languages are eligible for support. A full description of the DEL program is located here.
III. Application and References
1. What help is available for preparing the proposal?
Because of the large number of applications, NEH staff members are not able to comment on draft proposals. NEH staff will, however, answer questions about preparing your proposal and about your eligibility. Staff members may be reached at (202) 606-8200 and at stipends@neh.gov.
Applicants may also request copies of previously funded applications. Consult the list of projects and select one that is relevant to your own work. Send your request to stipends@neh.gov. Please include a full citation for the requested proposal.
The requested information will be sent as promptly as possible by e-mail.
2. I applied for a grant last year and my proposal was unsuccessful. Will I be at a disadvantage if I reapply?
No. NEH encourages previous applicants to reapply and does not inform panelists that a proposal was unsuccessful in a previous competition. Moreover, NEH employs different panelists each year.
3. My project is interdisciplinary. What is the most effective way of characterizing it for the review process?
NEH supports proposals that cross disciplinary boundaries.When selecting the project field, choose one area that best captures the central focus of the proposal.When selecting references, choose two who can most effectively attest to the strengths of the proposal.
4. My referee is unable to submit a letter online. Is there an alternative?
NEH strongly encourages referees to submit their letters online. If this is not possible, referees may e-mail letters to stipends@neh.gov or fax them to 202-606-8204.
1. How do I know if I have submitted my application successfully?
After you sign and submit the application, a confirmation page appears that includes the Grants.gov tracking number and other important information. Note the Grants.gov tracking number and save or print the confirmation page for your records.
You will receive four e-mail messages from Grants.gov:
“Grants.gov Submission Receipt”
“Grants.gov Submission Validation Receipt”
“Grants.gov Grantor Agency Retrieval Receipt”
“Grants.gov Agency Tracking Number Assignment”
The first three messages are normally sent within 24 hours of the submission, but minor delays could occur in the event of heavy system usage. The final message is sent approximately one week after the application deadline.
The final e-mail message contains instructions on how to retrieve the Agency (NEH) Tracking Number. Note the Agency (NEH) Tracking Number and save or print the message for your records. Include the Agency (NEH) Tracking Number in further correspondence regarding the application.
If you do not receive these messages, or if the messages indicate that the application has been rejected, contact Grants.gov (www.grants.gov) at 1-800-518-GRANTS (4726) or support@grants.gov. Include the Grants.gov tracking number in correspondence regarding the application.
2. I have downloaded the NEH Supplementary Information for Individuals form, but I can’t save it, or the information that I enter disappears. What should I do?
You are probably using an older version of the Adobe Reader. To download the current version, visit www.adobe.com.