•	Endowment-Wide Programs and Initiatives

      I. Program Description

     II. Award Information

   III. Eligibility

   IV. Application and Submission

    V. Application Review

   VI. Award Administration

  VII. Points of Contact

VIII. Other Information

 •  Frequently asked questions

 •  Previously funded Summer
Stipends

 •  Sample applications

1) American history

(6-page PDF)

2) Asian studies

(6-page PDF)

3) British literature

(6-page PDF)

4) Latin American studies

(7-page PDF)

5) Philosophy

(7-page PDF)

 •  Individual registration information

 •  Download the current version of

Adobe Reader

 •  How to Convert Documents into

PDFs

 •  Tips for Creating PDF Files in

Grants.gov Applications

 •  Grants.gov FAQs

 •  Grants.gov Customer Support

 •  Troubleshooting tips

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.

Summer Stipends support individuals pursuing advanced research that is of value to humanities scholars, general audiences, or both.

• projects that seek to promote a particular political, religious, or ideological point of view;
• projects that advocate a particular program of social action;
• specific policy studies;
• research for doctoral dissertations or theses by students enrolled in a degree program;
• the preparation or revision of textbooks;
• curriculum development;
• the development of pedagogical tools (including teaching methods or theories);
• educational or technical impact assessments;
• the creation or enhancement of databases, unless part of a larger interpretive project;
• empirical social science research, unless part of a larger humanities project;
• inventories of collections; or
• works in the creative or performing arts (e.g., painting, writing fiction or poetry, dance performance, etc.).

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.

• independent scholars not affiliated with a college or university;
• college or university staff members who are not faculty members and will not be teaching during the academic year preceding the award tenure; and
• emeritus faculty; and
• adjunct faculty, part-time faculty, and applicants with academic appointments that terminate by the summer of the award tenure.

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. Applicants should format pages with one-inch margins and with a font size no smaller than eleven point.

   Applications exceeding this page limit or violating the format guidelines will not be reviewed.

   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 humanities scholars, general audiences, or both. Provide an overview of the project, explaining the basic ideas, problems, or questions examined by the study. Explain how the project will complement, challenge, or expand relevant studies in the field.
   • Methods and work plan

     Describe your method(s) and clarify the part or stage of the project that will be supported by the Summer Stipend. Provide a work plan, describing what will be accomplished during the award period. 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.
   • Competencies, skills, and access

     Explain your competence in the area of your project. If the area of inquiry is new to you, explain your reasons for working in it and your qualifications to do so. Specify your level of competence in any language or digital technology 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. If you are proposing work on human subjects, explain your plans for obtaining IRB (institutional review board) approval.

   • 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. If the project has a website, 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. For projects that lead to the development of websites, 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.

1. Form I: Application for Federal Domestic Assistance SF-424-Individual Form—this Grants.gov form asks for basic information about the project and the applicant.
2. Form II: Attachments Form—this Grants.gov form allows you to attach the components of your application: the narrative, the bibliography, the résumé, and (if necessary) an appendix.
3. Form III: NEH Supplemental Information for Individuals Form—this NEH form asks for professional and institutional information about the applicant and about the applicant’s reference-letter writers.

In the “Application Filing Name” field that appears upon opening the application package, type your name.
 

Move the Application for Federal Domestic Assistance SF-424-Individual Form from the “Mandatory Documents” field on the left side of the page to the “Mandatory Documents for Submission” field on the right by first clicking on the document to highlight it and then clicking on the right-facing arrow button. To open the form, first click on the document to highlight it in the “Mandatory Documents for Submission” field, then click the “Open Forms” button beneath the field to complete the form.
 

You may disregard items 1-4 on the form:

1. Name of Federal Agency: This will be filled in automatically.
2. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: This will be filled in automatically.
3. Date Received: Please leave blank.
4. Funding Opportunity Number: This will be filled in automatically.
   Provide the following information for items 5-7:
5. Applicant Information (includes the following sections):
   1. “Name and Contact Information.” Provide your name, telephone number, e-mail address, and mailing address. Note: You must include an e-mail address in the “Email” field, even though the field is not highlighted.
   2. “Address.” Provide your mailing address. Note: Your zip code must include the four-digit extension, preceded by a hyphen. If you do not know your four-digit extension, use “ -0000” (four zeros).
   3. “Citizenship Status.” Indicate with an “X.”
   4. “Congressional District of Applicant.” Enter the number (just the number, not the state) of your Congressional district. To find the number of your Congressional district, visit the House of Representatives website at http://www.house.gov and type your zip code into the “Find Your Representative” tool. If you do not have a Congressional district (i.e., you are in a state or U.S. territory that does not have districts or you are in a foreign country), enter a “0” (zero).
6. Project Information (includes the following sections):
   1. “Project Title.” Enter this, even though the field is not highlighted. The title should be brief (not more than 125 characters), descriptive, and informative to a nonspecialist audience.
   2. “Project Description.” Describe your project for a nonspecialist audience, stating the importance of the proposed work to larger issues in the humanities. Do not exceed one thousand characters, including spaces.
       
      Note 1: If you exceed one thousand characters, including spaces, the Grants.gov validation software will reject your application when you submit it.
       
      Note 2: Because of a programming error, the Grants.gov software governing the Project Description field converts every curved (or “curly”) apostrophe and quotation mark and every special character into a string of three question marks. Although these extraneous question marks do not affect the evaluation of your proposal, they may put your character count over the limit. There are two solutions. Either a) retype all apostrophes, quotation marks, and special characters after copying-and-pasting the text of your project description in the Project Description field, or b) type, rather than copy-and-paste, your entire project description in the field.
   3. “Proposed Project.” Enter the starting and ending dates for your project.
7. Signature: Click on the “I Agree” box.

Click on the “Save” button at the top of the form to save your work and return to the main menu.

Form II: How to Use the Attachments Form

Move the Attachments Form from the “Mandatory Documents” field on the left side of the page to the “Mandatory Documents for Submission” field on the right by first clicking on the document to highlight it, then clicking on the right-facing arrow button. To open the form, first click on the document to highlight it in the “Mandatory Documents for Submission” field, then click the “Open Forms” button beneath the field to complete the 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 available 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 Grants.gov Attachments 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 your project narrative. Name the file “narrative.pdf”.
 

ATTACHMENT 2: To this button, please attach your bibliography. Name the file “bibliography.pdf”.
 

ATTACHMENT 3: To this button, please attach your résumé. Name the file “resume.pdf”.
 

ATTACHMENT 4: To this button, please attach your appendix (if necessary). Necessary appendices include translation samples, database samples, and visual materials. Name the file “appendix.pdf”.
 

Note: To ensure that NEH’s system does not reject your application after it has been retrieved from Grants.gov, check that your attachments meet the following requirements:
 

1. All attachments must be in PDF format.
2. Attachments must be in the specified order.
3. Attachments must not exceed the specified length limitations.
4. No attachments other than those specified above may be included.
Form III: How to Use the NEH Supplemental Information for Individuals Form

Using the same procedure you have used for Forms I and II, 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 whether the address that you have given on the Application for Federal Domestic Assistance SF-424-Individual form is your home or work address.
• Institutional Affiliation: If you are not affiliated with an institution of higher education, please click “No” and continue to the Status 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.
• Status: Indicate if you are a junior scholar or a senior scholar. Junior scholars are defined as those who are seven years or fewer beyond their final degree; senior scholars are defined as those who are eight years or more beyond their final degree.
• Reference Letters: Provide the names, e-mail addresses, and affiliations for your two recommenders. Several days after the deadline, NEH will contact the two recommenders, requesting that they submit their letters online. Letters must be submitted online not later than October 19, 2011.
  
  Applicants are responsible for providing referees with relevant materials (such as a draft of the application). Letters of reference are more highly regarded if they address the specific proposed activity and the candidate’s ability to undertake it. Ideally, referees should come from different institutions.
  
  Missing reference letters will not disqualify an application from review.
• 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 19, 2011. In response to this submission, both the nominating official and the applicant 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.
STEP 5: Upload Your Application to Grants.gov
When you have completed the Application for Federal Domestic Assistance SF 424-Individual Form and the NEH Supplemental Information for Individuals Form and attached the component parts of your application to the Attachments Form, follow these steps:
1. Save your work by clicking the “Save” button at the top of the application package.
2. Click the “Check Package for Errors” button to ensure that you have completed all the fields on the SF-424 Form.
3. Correct any errors; if none are found, again click the “Save” button. This will activate the “Save and Submit” button.
4. To submit your application, click the “Save and Submit” button. Your computer will automatically connect to the Internet, and the Grants.gov Applicant Login page will appear. Supply your username and password (see STEP 1 above), and click the “Login” button.
5. A Security Warning pop-up box will appear. Click on “Allow.”
6. The Grants.gov Application Submission Verification and Signature page will appear. Click on the “Sign and Submit Application” button.
7. Another Security Warning pop-up box will appear. Click on “Allow.” Your application package will be uploaded to Grants.gov. When you receive e-mail confirmation of your submission from Grants.gov (generally, this occurs within two minutes), you may exit the program.

If you find that you need to make a change to your application after you have submitted it, you may do so any time before the application deadline. Simply resubmit the corrected version through Grants.gov. All submissions are time-stamped, and NEH will keep only your most recent one.
 

After you submit your application, you will receive four e-mail messages confirming receipt of your application. The first three are from Grants.gov:

1. “Grants.gov Submission Receipt”;
2. “Grants.gov Submission Validation Receipt”; and
3. “Grants.gov Grantor Agency Retrieval Receipt.”

Note: Each of these three e-mail messages includes your application’s Grants.gov tracking number. Keep these e-mail messages for your records.

These messages are normally sent within twenty-four hours of the submission, but delays could occur in the event of heavy system usage.

If you do not receive all three of these messages, or if the messages indicate that the application has been rejected, contact Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov/index.jsp) at 1-800-518-GRANTS (4726) or support@grants.gov. Include the Grants.gov tracking number in correspondence regarding the application.
 
4. NEH confirmation receipt
   
   The fourth e-mail message is from NEH and assigns your application an NEH tracking number, which is different from your Grants.gov tracking number. You will receive this e-mail message within ten business days after the September 29, 2011, application deadline.
   
   You will need both your Grants.gov tracking number and your NEH tracking number in order to send reminder e-mail messages to your referees, if that should be necessary.
Deadlines

Applications for NEH Summer Stipends must be received by Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on September 29, 2011. 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 criteria in assessing applications:

1. the intellectual significance of the proposed project, including its value to humanities scholars, general audiences, or both;
2. the quality or promise of quality of the applicant 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 notices
Applicants will be notified of the results of their applications by e-mail in March 2012. All applicants may obtain the evaluations of their applications by sending a letter to NEH, Division of Research Programs, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Room 318, Washington, D.C. 20506, or an e-mail message to stipends@neh.gov.
Award conditions
Before submitting an application, applicants should review the NEH Research Misconduct Policy.
The requirements for awards are contained in the General Information on NEH Summer Stipends, 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 award ending date. This report must be submitted electronically via eGMS, NEH’s online grant management system. Instructions on the information to be included in the final performance report are available in eGMS.

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 : to http://www.grants.gov/applicants/app_help_reso.jsp
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 Chief Guidelines Officer, at guidelines@neh.gov; the Office of Publications, National Endowment for the Humanities, Washington, D.C. 20506; and 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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