NEH Grant Programs
Summer Stipends: Online applications accepted through October 1, 2009 at www.grants.gov. These guidelines describe the program and how to prepare an online application apply at: http://www.grants.gov/
Advice for Applicants to Upcoming NEH Grant Competitions
Some applicants for NEH grants report that they have recently had difficulty submitting their applications through Grants.gov; they found that the system has periodically been slow and unresponsive. This problem exists because Grants.gov—the system used by applicants to the grant programs of most federal government agencies—has recently had to deal with an unusually high volume of applications. The system has therefore been overloaded. Unfortunately, the problem is expected to continue at least through mid-summer, when system upgrades are scheduled to be installed.
In response to this problem, NEH offers the following advice to prospective applicants. We strongly urge you not to submit your application on the day of the deadline, but instead to submit your application early. If applications are submitted over a period of time, the load of applications should be more manageable for Grants.gov. Applying early will also give you a margin for error, should you need help from Grants.gov to resolve a technical problem when you attempt to submit your application. If possible, you should also plan to submit your application outside of normal business hours on the East Coast. Grants.gov tends to work more smoothly in the early morning, in the evening, and especially on weekends.
Successfully receiving your application is very important to us, so we hope that this advice will be helpful to you. And if you continue to have problems with Grants.gov, please contact NEH division or office staff, using the contact information provided in the program guidelines. We apologize for any inconvenience that you may encounter in submitting your application.
To check on the current status of Grants.gov, please consult the Grants.gov blog.
Date posted: April 15, 2009
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 45.160
Type of Award:
Successful applicants receive an outright award of $6,000 for two consecutive months of full-time research and writing.
Questions?
Contact NEH’s Division of Research Programs at 202-606-8200 or stipends@neh.gov. Hearing-impaired applicants can contact NEH via TDD at 1-866-372-2930.
Grant Program Description
Summer Stipends 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, or other scholarly tools.
Summer Stipends support full-time work on a humanities project for a period of two months.
Summer Stipends support projects at any stage of development.
Summer Stipends are awarded to individual scholars. Organizations are not eligible to apply.
Summer Stipends may not be used for
  • research for doctoral dissertations or theses by students enrolled in a degree program;
  • specific policy studies or educational or technical impact assessments;
  • the preparation or publication of textbooks;
  • studies of teaching methods or theories, surveys of courses and programs, or curriculum development;
  • inventories of collections;
  • works in the creative or performing arts (e.g., painting, writing fiction or poetry, dance performance, etc.);
  • projects that seek to promote a particular political, philosophical, religious, or ideological point of view; or
  • projects that advocate a particular program of social action.
Applications may address the holdings or activities of a single institution or may involve collaboration. In all cases, projects should be designed to facilitate sharing, exchange, and interoperability of humanities information and products.
Providing Access to Grant Products
As a taxpayer-supported federal agency, 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 Summer Stipends 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, NEH gives preference to those that provide free access to the public. Detailed guidance on access and dissemination matters can be found in Section IV, Final Product and Dissemination, below.
III. Award Information
Summer Stipends provide $6,000 for two consecutive months of full-time research and writing. Recipients must work full-time on their projects for these two months, and may hold other research grants supporting the same project during this time. Summer Stipends normally support work carried out during the summer months, but arrangements can be made for other times of the year.
Those with questions are encouraged to contact the Summer Stipends staff at stipends@neh.gov.
Cost Sharing
NEH Summer Stipends do not require cost sharing.
Eligibility
The Summer Stipends program accepts applications from researchers, teachers, and writers, whether they have an institutional affiliation or not. Applicants with college or university affiliations must, however, be nominated by their institutions (see the “Nomination of college and university faculty” section, below).
Only individual applicants are eligible to apply for Summer Stipends.
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. Graduate students seeking support for a degree in the humanities should consider the Department of Education's Jacob K. Javits Fellowship Program. 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.
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 immediately preceding the application deadline are also eligible.
Recent grants and fellowships held by the applicant
Individuals who have held a major fellowship or research grant or its equivalent within the last three academic years prior to the deadline are ineligible. A “major fellowship or research grant” is a postdoctoral research award that provides a stipend of at least $15,000. Sabbaticals and grants from an individual’s own institution and stipends and grants from other sources supporting study and research during the summer are not considered major fellowships.
Recipients of a Summer Stipend in 2005 or after are ineligible.
Previously supported projects
Individuals who have received Summer Stipends prior to 2005 may apply to support a new stage in their projects. These applications do not receive special consideration and will be judged by the same criteria as others in the competition. However, NEH will ask evaluators to review the accomplishments from the prior Summer Stipends award and determine if the project warrants additional support.
Nomination of college and university faculty
Faculty members teaching full-time at colleges and universities must be nominated by their institutions to apply for a Summer Stipend. Once faculty members are nominated by their institutions, they may submit their applications via Grants.gov. Each college and university in the United States and its jurisdictions may nominate two faculty members. Any faculty member is eligible for nomination.
Each institution must announce its nominating procedures to all prospective applicants. Prospective applicants should become familiar with their institution’s nomination procedures before the October 1 application deadline. Each institution should designate a nominating official, usually an academic vice president or dean. Nominating officials will receive an e-mail message soon after the application deadline, asking them to confirm the status of all individuals who require nomination.
Applicants exempt from nomination
The following individuals may apply online without a nomination:
  • independent scholars not affiliated with a college or university;
  • college and university staff members who are not faculty members and will not be teaching during the academic year preceding the award tenure; and
  • adjunct faculty, part-time faculty, and applicants with academic appointments that terminate by the summer of the award tenure.
Multiple Applications
Applicants may not receive both an NEH Summer Stipend and an NEH Fellowship (or an NEH Faculty Research Award, or an NEH Fellowship for Advanced Social Science Research on Japan) in the same federal fiscal year (October 1, 2009-September 30, 2010).
Individuals may not apply for a Summer Stipend and a Teaching Development Fellowship in a given calendar year.
Ineligible applications will not be reviewed.
Application and Submission Information
Applications must be submitted on or before the October 1, 2009, deadline.
HOW TO PREPARE YOUR APPLICATION
Application Advice
Prior to beginning, applicants should review the evaluation criteria listed below in Section V and consult the Frequently Asked Questions.
Because of the large number of applications, the Summer Stipends 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 the NEH Division of Research Programs at 202-606-8200 or stipends@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.
All applications must be downloaded, completed, and submitted via Grants.gov. In addition to the forms described in Step 4 below, your application should consist of the following six parts.
  1. 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 the 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 Summer Stipend. 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.
      Applicants requesting funding for the development, acquisition, preservation, or enhancement of geospatial data, products, or services must conduct a due diligence search on the Geospatial One-Stop (GOS) Portal (http://www.geodata.gov) to discover whether their needed geospatial-related data, products, or services already exist. If not, the proposed geospatial data, products, or services must be produced in compliance with applicable proposed guidance posted at http://www.fgdc.gov.
    • 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.
      If the final product will appear in a language other than English, explain how access and dissemination will be affected.
      NEH 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, NEH gives preference to those that provide free access to the public.
  2. 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. Evaluators will use the bibliography to assess your knowledge of the subject area.
  3. 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. If you have received prior support from NEH, indicate the dates of these grants and the publications that resulted from them.
    • Publications: Include full citations for publications and presentations
    • Other Relevant Professional Activities and Accomplishments.
  4. 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.
  5. Reference Letters—Must Be Submitted Online to NEH Not Later Than October 20, 2009
    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.
  6. Nomination Status Confirmation—Must Be Submitted Online to NEH Not Later Than October 20, 2009
    Based on the information provided in the application, NEH contacts the nominating official by e-mail, requesting confirmation of your nomination status. Officials must confirm all nominations by October 20, 2009. When they have done so, both nominating officials and applicants will receive a confirmation via e-mail. NEH will declare ineligible all applicants who do not fit one of the exempt categories and do not have their nomination status confirmed.
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION VIA GRANTS.GOV
All applicants for Summer Stipends 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. 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). What follows is a step-by-step guide for submitting your application through Grants.gov.
STEP 1: Register with Grants.gov
All applicants must register with Grants.gov and create a username and password. Please note, though, that the Grants.gov registration process has recently changed.
For new applicants only: Applicants who have never registered as individual applicants at Grants.gov must go to: https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/IndCPRegister and enter this Funding Opportunity Number:
20091001-FT
Tip: NEH strongly recommends that you complete your registration at least one week before the application deadline. Grants.gov has provided easy step-by-step instructions (in pdf format) here: http://www.grants.gov/assets/IndvUserGuide.pdf.
For returning applicants only: Applicants who have registered as individuals for past competitions need not re-register with Grants.gov to submit their Summer Stipends proposals.
Applicants who lose their username and password can request a reminder at https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/secured/ApplicantLogin.jsp.
If you have problems registering with Grants.gov, contact the Grants.gov help desk at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov.
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. To open the application package, select the file and double click. You do not have to be online to work on it.
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 all the required forms, you may receive an error message indicating that your application is not valid. 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 two forms that you must complete in order to submit your application:
  1. Application for Federal Assistance SF424-Individual—this form asks for basic information about the project and the applicant.
  2. 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.
To assist applicants, Grants.gov provides a helpful troubleshooting page.
 
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 (if applicable) appendix. (These attachments are described at length elsewhere in these guidelines.)
How to Fill Out the SF-424 Short 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 nonspecialist audience. Provide a description of your project not to exceed 1,000 characters written for a nonspecialist 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:
Field of Project: From the drop-down menu, choose the field of study that best describes the field of your project.
Project Director Field of Study: From the drop-down menu, choose the field of study that best describes your area of expertise.
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 of higher education, 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 your application is being processed.
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 October 20, 2009.
Nominating Official: If applicable, provide the name, e-mail address, and affiliation for your nominating official. After the deadline, NEH will contact this person, requesting confirmation of your nomination status. Confirmation must be submitted online not later than October 20, 2009.
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, many low-cost and free software packages will do so. To learn more, go to 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, 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 (if applicable) your appendix. Appropriate appendices include editing, translation, or database samples and visual materials. 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.
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 message to support@grants.gov.
Deadlines
Applications for NEH Summer Stipends must be received by Grants.gov by 11:59 Eastern Time on October 1, 2009. Grants.gov will date- and time-stamp your application after it is fully uploaded. Applications submitted after that date will not be accepted.
Application Review
Evaluators are asked to apply the following criteria in assessing applications:
  1. the intellectual significance of the proposed project, including its value to scholars and general audiences in the humanities;
  2. the quality or promise of quality of the applicant’s work as an interpreter of the humanities;
  3. the quality of the conception, definition, organization, and description of the project and the applicant’s clarity of expression;
  4. the feasibility of the proposed plan of work, including, when appropriate, the soundness of the dissemination and access plans; and
  5. the likelihood that the applicant will complete the project.
Summer Stipends support projects at any stage of development.
Review and selection process
Knowledgeable persons outside NEH will read each application and advise the agency about its merits. NEH 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 Administration Information
Award notices
Applicants will be notified of the result of their application by letter or e-mail in early March 2010. They may obtain the evaluations of their applications by sending a letter or e-mail message to NEH, Division of Research Programs, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Room 318, Washington, D.C. 20506 or stipends@neh.gov.
Responsibilities of Award Recipients
Before submitting an application, applicants should review the NEH Research Misconduct Policy.
Award conditions
The requirements for awards are contained in the General Information on NEH Summer Stipends Awards, and any specific terms and conditions contained in the award document.
Reporting Requirements
A final performance report will be due within ninety days after the completion date of the award period. The final report form is available online, and electronic submission is required via the NEH Web site.
Points of Contact
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
stipends@neh.gov
Hearing-impaired applicants can contact NEH via TDD at 1-866-372-2930.
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 trouble shooting tips.
Other Information
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, DC 20506; and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (3136-0134), Washington, DC 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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