Date posted: February 15, 2008
NOTE: Effective May 2008, the Challenge Grants program will have only one application deadline a year in May.
We the People Challenge Grants, a separate program, will continue to have an annual application deadline in February; see the guidelines for this program.
Draft proposals: Program staff recommend that draft proposals be submitted six weeks before
the deadline. Time constraints may prevent staff from reviewing draft proposals
submitted after that date.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 45.130
Questions?
Contact the staff of NEH's Office of Challenge Grants at 202-606-8309
or at challenge@neh.gov. Hearing-impaired applicants can contact NEH
via TDD at 1-866-372-2930.
NEH challenge grants help institutions and organizations secure long-term improvements
in and support for their humanities programs and resources. Awards are made to
museums, public libraries, colleges, research institutions, historical societies
and historic sites, public television and radio stations, universities, scholarly
associations, state humanities councils, and other nonprofit entities.
Because of the matching requirements, these NEH awards also strengthen the humanities by
encouraging nonfederal sources of support. Both federal and nonfederal funds must
provide long-term benefits to the humanities. Challenge grant funds should not
merely replace funds already being expended on the humanities, but instead should
reflect careful strategic planning to strengthen and enhance the institution's
activities in and commitment to the humanities.
Activities supported
Challenge grants most commonly augment or establish endowments that support humanities
activities in education, public programming, scholarly research, and preservation.
Institutions may use the income from invested funds to meet ongoing humanities-related
costs. Examples include:
Where clearly related to improvements in the humanities, direct expenditures from challenge
grant awards are allowable. Such expenditures, however, must be for items
that have inherent longevity such as:
Direct grant funds may also be used for bridging support,
where the challenge grant provides for endowment income to meet the same expenses
in the future. Bridging funds up to the equivalent amount of projected endowment
income may be used to cover expenses during the grant period while the
endowment is being established.
Activities not supported
Challenge grant funds, federal or nonfederal, may not be used for:
Special Encouragement
In line with Executive Order 13256, which was issued in 2002 to help strengthen
and ensure the long-term viability of the nation's Historically Black Colleges
and Universities (HBCUs), NEH welcomes challenge grant applications from
these institutions. Potential applicants from HBCUs are strongly encouraged
to discuss with program staff ways in which the challenge grant funding
opportunity can be flexibly deployed to meet their institutions' particular
needs and capacities in the humanities.
The Endowment also especially welcomes applications from two-year colleges. Potential applicants from two-year colleges are strongly encouraged to discuss with program staff ways in which the challenge grant funding opportunity can be flexibly deployed to meet special needs in the humanities at two-year colleges.
Features of a challenge grant, such as the length of the grant period, the required matching ratio, and the type of expenditure allowable can be tailored to respond to the special needs of HBCUs and two-year colleges.
The Endowment currently sponsors one agency-wide program, We the People, and two 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.
There is also a special category of challenge grants, We the People
Challenge Grants in United States History, Institutions, and Culture. Under this category the NEH
Office of Challenge Grants seeks to support a few exceptional proposals for programming that specifically
advances knowledge of how the founding principles of the United States have shaped, and been shaped by,
American history and culture for more than two hundred years. For more information about these grants,
which have separate guidelines and are submitted at a February deadline, see We the People
Challenge Grants in United States History, Institutions, and Culture. Note that these We the People
Challenge Grants have a three-to-one matching requirement regardless of previous challenge awards,
and that they are not subject to a waiting period between an award and a subsequent application.
Applicants who are uncertain whether their plans fit better with the We the People
Challenge Grants program or with the regular Challenge Grants program are encouraged to consult NEH staff.
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
or study the impact of digital technology. 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.
All challenge grant applicants are encouraged to include digital technology among
the humanities activities to be supported over the long term by the challenge grant.
The Endowment particularly encourages plans to strengthen
technological infrastructure, thereby enhancing the applicant institution's
ability to make use of new technologies in research, education, preservation,
and public programming in the humanities. Challenge funds may be used, for
example, to purchase equipment and software, renovate computing centers
devoted to the humanities, and purchase databases. Through endowments,
challenge funds can support maintenance and upgrades of equipment,
software, and data; licensing fees; salaries of technical staff;
faculty and staff training in uses of digital technology; and other ongoing expenses
associated with uses of digital technology in the humanities.
Certain restrictions in the regular NEH Challenge Grants program regarding multiple applications, subsequent challenge grants, matching requirements, and gift eligibility do not apply to grants for digital humanities. An institution may apply for both a regular challenge grant and a Digital Humanities Initiative (DHI) challenge grant at the annual May deadline. DHI challenge grants require a three-to-one match, regardless of previous challenge awards. The normal four-year waiting period between the close of one grant and application for another is suspended for DHI challenge grants. An institution may hold or have pending only one DHI challenge grant at a time. A DHI challenge grant may be held concurrently with a regular challenge grant. The limit on the amount of in-kind donations that may count toward the matching requirement is also suspended for DHI challenge grants.
Applications that involve digital humanities, in whole or in significant part,
may be designated as coming in under the DHI Challenge Grant rules. Applicants
who want to be considered for DHI designation should so indicate in section
6.b (Project Description) of the SF-424 Short Form and in the application
narrative. Final designation of DHI status will, however, be determined
by NEH.
Successful applicants will be offered a matching grant. The requested grant amount should be appropriate to the humanities needs and
the fund-raising capacity of the institution. The federal portions of NEH challenge
grants have ranged in recent years from $30,000 to $1 million, the maximum amount that
may be requested. Potential applicants are encouraged to consult with NEH staff about
the amount of their request.
Fund-raising
Challenge grants assist institutions in developing sources of support for humanities programs,
and fund-raising is an integral part of the long-term planning required by the program.
The recipient of a first NEH challenge grant must raise, from nonfederal donors, three times
the amount of federal funds offered. Except in the case of special initiatives, recipients
of subsequent challenge grant awards are required to raise four times the amount offered.
Persons raising the funds, as well as those who will be directly responsible for the
humanities programs, should be fully involved in the planning from the outset.
Release of federal funds
All federal challenge grant funds are matching funds. The federal portion of a challenge
grant is typically offered over four years of funding, but the grantee may take up to 68
months to raise funds for matching. NEH releases federal funds according to a pattern
that allows donations from as early as five months prior to the application deadline
and can include donations from as late as one year beyond the last-released federal funds.
Funds are released in the first three years when completely matched according to the required
amount. The fourth year's installment allows the release of the federal funds when matched
one-to-one, with the remaining parts of the match to be raised in the final year, so as to
allow time at the end of the grant to finish the match and collect outstanding pledges.
The following chart illustrates a typical match and release schedule:
Variations on a typical match and release schedule are possible, and applicants should
discuss with NEH staff the schedule that most accurately reflects the institution's plans
and fund-raising capacity. NEH, however, makes the final determination of the match and release schedule.
Grant recipients are encouraged to certify gifts in advance of the required matching schedule.
In some instances, depending on available program funds, advance certification may result in
the early release of federal funds.
Applicants who, unsuccessful at one deadline, revise and resubmit
their applications one year later, may use, in the resubmission, the same starting date
as in the first submission and thus extend the fund-raising period by twelve months.
This enables applicants to keep faith with donors whose gifts have been solicited in
anticipation of a challenge grant. If the resubmitted application is not successful,
however, this extension is not available for subsequent submissions.
Eligibility of gifts
To be eligible for matching, gifts may not derive from the grantee institution itself,
and it is inappropriate for an institution to shift internal budgets or reallocate
internal funds for matching purposes. All matching pledges and gifts must be given
(and pledges fulfilled) during the challenge grant period. Unrestricted gifts donated
by third-parties without limitations on their use may be eligible for matching, but the
total of such unrestricted gifts may not exceed the federal portion of the challenge grant.
Restricted gifts must be in response to or in anticipation of the challenge grant. Donors
of restricted gifts must be aware that their gifts will be used to match an NEH challenge
grant and that their gifts will be used to support the purposes outlined in the approved
challenge grant application. Some types of gifts, such as real estate, earned income,
in-kind gifts, bequests, and other instruments of planned giving, are subject to
special limitations and conditions. Deferred gifts, discounts on contracted goods
and services, and contributions from federal sources are not eligible for matching.
NOTE: More detailed information on eligible gifts and the mechanics of challenge
grant administration is offered in the booklet
Administration of NEH Challenge Grants, which may be obtained from NEH's Web site or the Office of Challenge
Grants. Applicants should consult this booklet if they plan to solicit and
collect eligible matching gifts in anticipation of receiving an NEH challenge grant.
Eligible applicants
With the exception of elementary and secondary schools or school districts,
any U.S. nonprofit institution (public agency, private nonprofit organization,
or tribal government) working wholly or in part with the humanities may
apply for a challenge grant. Affiliated institutions (e.g., university
museums) should consult with NEH staff on questions of separate eligibility.
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,
as long as these resources are not used as gifts to release NEH matching funds.
Subsequent challenge grants
Except in the case of special initiatives, institutions are permitted to apply for or hold only
one NEH challenge grant at a time; normally they are eligible to apply for a subsequent
challenge grant beginning in the fourth year after the closing date of their most recent
NEH challenge grant. For example, if a grant closes in 2008, the earliest year to submit
a subsequent grant application would be 2012.
The waiting period does not apply to We the People Challenge Grants or to the Digital Humanities special initiative challenge grants.
The application deadline is May 1, 2008.
Ineligible applications will not be reviewed.
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, supply samples of funded applications,
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 previous applicants have found
them helpful in strengthening their applications. Program staff recommend 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 (challenge@neh.gov), fax (202-606-8579),
or overnight mail (Office of Challenge Grants, NEH Room 420, 1100 Pennsylvania
Avenue N.W. Washington, DC 20506).
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:
For purposes of expenditure, there is no distinction between federal and nonfederal
funds. Even if part of a larger campaign, the challenge grant budget should be
limited to requested NEH funds plus the minimum required match of nonfederal funds.
Planned annual expenditures from endowment yield should be broken down
by specific cost categories. Challenge grants do not include indirect
cost recovery.
The following example is for a grant of $300,000 plus $900,000 of nonfederal funds.
*In the proposal narrative, provide details about these expenditures, and justify
the amounts allotted for the various expenditures in terms of the plans for the humanities.
Also, please include a brief explanation of your institution's endowment spending policy.
NOTE: If the challenge grant includes support for any part of a construction
or renovation project, the entire project is subject
to Davis-Bacon requirements,
and applicants must take into account the effect of the Davis-Bacon Act on costs.
For purposes of compliance with the Davis-Bacon Act, there is no distinction
between federal funds and nonfederal donations raised for matching.
Special Requirements for Renovation and Construction Projects
REGISTER OR VERIFY REGISTRATION WITH GRANTS.GOV
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 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. (Please note: NEH grant programs
with deadlines on or after March 1, 2008, will no longer require applicants to download
the PureEdge Viewer from the Grants.gov Web site.) 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).
Once installed, the current version of Adobe Reader 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.
DOWNLOAD 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 at 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 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, there are many low-cost and free software packages available. To learn
more, go to http://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 your table of contents. Please
name the file "contents.pdf".
ATTACHMENT 2: To this button, please attach your one-page abstract. Please name the file "abstract.pdf".
ATTACHMENT 3: To this button, please attach your budget. Please name the file "budget.pdf".
ATTACHMENT 4: To this button, please attach your one-page institutional fact summary. Please name the
file "institutionalsummary.pdf".
ATTACHMENT 5: To this button, please attach your financial summary
(if applicable). Please name the file "financialsummary.pdf".
ATTACHMENT 6: To this button, please attach your narrative. Please name the file "narrative.pdf".
ATTACHMENT 7: To this button, please attach your
lists of trustees and staff. Please name the file "trusteesstaff.pdf".
ATTACHMENT 8: To this button, please attach your project director's résumé.
Please name the file "resume.pdf"
ATTACHMENT 9: To this button, please attach your letters of support.
Please name the file "letters.pdf"
Use the remaining buttons to attach any additional materials (if appropriate). Please give these
attachments meaningful file names and ensure that they are PDFs.
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 was 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, which includes a tracking number, will appear indicating
that you have submitted your application to Grants.gov. 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.
Single copies of bulky ancillary materials, such as catalogs, journals,
or books, may be submitted but are neither required nor encouraged.
If you are sending supplementary materials, please include in your
Grants.gov submission a list of the material to be mailed separately.
Mail the materials to:
Office of Challenge Grants
National Endowment for the Humanities Room 420 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20506 202-606-8309 Clearly indicate the name of your institution and your Grants.gov tracking number on the envelope.
Supplementary materials should be sent by a commercial delivery service to ensure that
they arrive by the receipt deadline. NEH continues to experience lengthy delays in the delivery of mail by the
U.S. Postal Service.
If you wish to have the materials returned to you, please include a self-addressed, pre-paid mailer.
DEADLINES
Draft proposals (optional): The staff recommends that draft proposals be submitted six
weeks before the deadline. Staff may not be able to review drafts submitted after that
date. Draft proposals may be submitted by e-mail attachment (challenge@neh.gov), fax (202-606-8579),
or overnight mail (Office of Challenge Grants, NEH Room 420, 1100 Pennsylvania
Avenue N.W. Washington, DC 20506).
Deadline: May 1, 2008. Applications accepted via Grants.gov: February 15, 2008, to May 1, 2008.
Grants.gov will date and time stamp your application after it is fully uploaded.
Supplementary materials must also arrive at NEH by the deadline to be considered
as part of the application.
Evaluation Criteria
Applications are evaluated according to the four criteria listed below.
NOTE: Applicants for subsequent NEH challenge grants must describe
and assess the impact of their previous award(s), especially in cases where
the new grant would support humanities activities similar to those supported
by the previous grant(s).
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. 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 approximately seven months after the application deadline.
They may obtain reasons for the funding decision on their application by sending a letter or e-mail to the
Office of Challenge Grants, Room 420, NEH, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W., Washington DC 20506
or challenge@neh.gov.
Administrative requirements
More detailed information on eligible gifts and the mechanics of challenge
grant administration is offered in the booklet Administration
of NEH Challenge Grants, which may be obtained from the NEH Web site
or the Office of Challenge Grants. Applicants should obtain this document
if they plan to solicit and collect eligible matching gifts in anticipation
of receiving an NEH challenge grant.
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 Administration of NEH Challenge Grants,
any specific terms and conditions contained in the offer letter, OMB Circular A-133, Audits of States,
Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations, and the Challenge Grant Audit Guidelines.
Reporting Requirements
A schedule of report due dates will be included with the award document.
Interim and final financial and performance reports will be required. Further details can be found
in the Administration of NEH Challenge Grants.
If you have questions about the program, contact:
Office of Challenge Grants
National Endowment for the Humanities Room 420 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20506 202-606-8309 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/applicants/applicant_help.jsp Grant.gov support line: 1-800-518-GRANTS (4726) 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.
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