III. Eligibility
VII. Points
of Contact
VIII. Other
Information
• Budget
instructions
(5-page PDF) • Budget
form
(14-page PDF) • Sample applications
º University of Pennsylvania
(31-page PDF) º Character Description
Language Project (55-page PDF) º University of Maryland, Level I
(16-page PDF) º University of Virginia, Level II
(19-page PDF) 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. The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) invite applications to the Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants program. This program is designed to encourage innovations in the digital humanities. By awarding relatively small grants to support the planning stages, NEH aims to encourage the development of projects that are particularly innovative and promise to benefit the humanities.
In an effort to foster new collaborations and advance the role of cultural repositories in online teaching, learning, and research, this program is cosponsored by IMLS. NEH and IMLS encourage library and museum officials—as well as scholars, scientists, educational institutions, and other nonprofit organizations—to apply for these grants and to collaborate when appropriate.
Proposals should be for the planning or initial stages of
digital initiatives in any area of the humanities. Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants may involve
Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants should result in plans, prototypes, or proofs of concept
for long-term digital humanities projects prior to implementation.
Two levels of awards will be made in this program. Level I awards are small grants designed to fund brainstorming sessions, workshops, early alpha-level prototypes, and initial planning. Level II awards are larger grants that can be used for more fully-formed projects that are ready to begin implementation or the creation of working prototypes. Applicants must state in their narrative which funding level they seek. NEH will set aside funds for each of the two levels, and more awards will be made in the Level I category. Applicants should carefully choose the funding level appropriate to the needs of the proposed project. See Section II, Award Information, for more details.
Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants support full-time or part-time activities for periods up to eighteen months. Support is available for various combinations of scholars, consultants, and research assistants; project-related travel; and technical support and services. Up to 20 percent of the total grant may also be used for the acquisition of computing hardware and software. All grantees are expected to communicate the results of their work to appropriate scholarly and public audiences. In order to facilitate dissemination and increase the impact of the projects that are ultimately developed through Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants, applicants are strongly encouraged to employ open-source and fully accessible software.
Successful applicants will be expected to create a “lessons learned” white paper. This white paper should document the project, including lessons learned, so that others can benefit from the grantees’ experience. This white paper will be posted on the NEH or IMLS Web site.
Types of projects not supported
Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants cannot be used for
Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants have two levels of funding:
Level I Grants range from $5,000 to $25,000 in outright funding.
Level II Grants range from $25,001 to $50,000 in outright funding.
In the narrative, applicants must specify which level of funding they seek.
Cost Sharing
Cost sharing is not required for Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants. However, applicants are welcome to use cost sharing for start-up projects in which the total budget exceeds the NEH grant limit. Cost sharing consists of the cash contributions made to the project by the applicant and third parties, as well as third party in-kind contributions, such as donated services and goods. (Learn more about different types of grant funding.)
Subsequent Project Phases
As the name implies, Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants support the initial phases of digital projects. Other NEH funding programs can support subsequent phases; however, the receipt of a Digital Humanities Start-Up Grant does not imply (let alone guarantee) continued support beyond the completion of the grant.
Eligibility is limited to
Individuals affiliated with an eligible institution must apply through an institution,
ordinarily their own institution. Adjunct faculty may apply as individuals.
Degree candidates may not be project directors.
Project directors may submit only one application to this program at a time,
although they may participate in more than one Digital Humanities Start-Up Grant.
They may also apply for other NEH awards.
When two or more institutions or organizations collaborate on a project, one of them must serve as the lead applicant and administer the grant on behalf of the others.
NEH generally does not award grants to other federal entities or to applicants whose projects are so closely intertwined with a federal entity that the project takes on characteristics of the federal entity’s own authorized activities. This does not preclude applicants from using grant funds from, or sites and materials controlled by, other federal entities in their projects.
Ineligible applications will not be reviewed.
HOW TO PREPARE YOUR APPLICATION
Application advice and proposal drafts:
Prior to submitting a proposal, applicants are encouraged to contact program officers who can offer advice about preparing the proposal and review draft proposals. These comments are not part of the formal review process and have no bearing on the final outcome of the proposal, but applicants have found them helpful in strengthening their applications. Program staff recommends that draft proposals be submitted six weeks before the deadline. Time constraints may prevent staff from reviewing draft proposals submitted after that date. Draft proposals may be submitted by e-mail attachment at odh@neh.gov.
You will prepare your application for submission via Grants.gov just as
you would a paper application. Your application should consist of the following parts:
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). 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.
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.
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 it, you may receive
an error message indicating that your application is not valid if all of the forms have not been completed.
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 three forms that you must complete in order to submit your application:
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
Select the form from the menu and double click to open it. Please provide the following information:
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, many available low-cost and free software packages will do so. To learn more, go to http://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 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 table of contents. Please name the file “contents.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 2: To this button, please attach your list of project participants. Please name the file “participantslist.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 3: To this button, please attach your abstract. Please name the file “abstract.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 4: To this button, please attach your narrative. Please name the file “narrative.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 5: To this button, please attach your budget. Please name the file “budget.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 6: To this button, please attach your biographies. Please name the file “biographies.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 7: To this button, please attach your letters of commitment and support. Please name the file “letters.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 8: To this button, please attach your appendices, if any. Please name the file “appendices.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 were 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 will appear. The confirmation page indicates that you have submitted your application to Grants.gov and includes a tracking number. 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.
Deadlines
Program staff recommends that draft proposals be submitted four weeks before the deadline. Time constraints may prevent staff from reviewing draft proposals submitted after that date.
Applications must be received by Grants.gov on or before April 8, 2009. Grants.gov will date- and time-stamp your application after it is fully uploaded. Late applications will not be reviewed.
Evaluation of the application will take into account both the activities proposed for the start-up project and
the long-term project goals.
Evaluators are asked to apply the following criteria.
Late applications will not be reviewed.
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 notices
Applicants will be notified by e-mail in September 2009. Institutional grants administrators and project directors of successful applications will also receive at that time award documents by mail. Applicants may obtain the evaluations of their applications by sending an e-mail to odh@neh.gov.
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.
Reporting Requirements
A schedule of report due dates will be included with the award document.
A final performance report will be required and interim reports may be required, depending on the length of the grant period. Further details can be found in Performance
Reporting Requirements (formerly Enclosure 2).
A Federal Cash
Transactions Report (two-page PDF) will be due within thirty days after the end of each calendar quarter. A final Financial Status
Report (two-page PDF) will be due within ninety days after the completion date of the award period. Further details can be found in Financial
Reporting Requirements (formerly Enclosure 1).
A white paper will be required. This white paper should document the project, including lessons learned, so that others can benefit. This white paper will be posted on the NEH or IMLS Web site.
For awards to individuals, a
Final Financial Status Report for Individuals (two-page PDF) will be due within ninety days after the completion date of the award period. Further details can be found in Financial Reporting
Instructions for Individuals (one-page PDF).
If you have questions about the program, contact the ODH Staff at: odh@neh.gov. Because NEH’s ODH staff is dispersed across the agency, for a fast response please contact the program first by e-mail. Applicants wishing to speak to a staff member by telephone should provide in the e-mail a telephone number and a preferred time to call.
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.
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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