![]() ![]() Date posted: April 14, 2010
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 45.149
Questions?
Program questions should be directed to NEH's Division of Preservation and Access at 202-606-8570 or preservation@neh.gov. Hearing-impaired applicants can contact NEH via TDD at 1-866-372-2930.
The Humanities Collections and Reference Resources program supports projects that provide an essential foundation for scholarship, education, and public programming in the humanities. Thousands of libraries, archives, museums, and historical organizations across the country maintain important collections of books and manuscripts, photographs, sound recordings and moving images, archaeological and ethnographic artifacts, art and material culture, and digital objects. Funding from this program strengthens efforts to extend the life of such materials and make their intellectual content widely accessible, often through the use of digital technology. Awards are also made to create various reference resources that facilitate use of cultural materials, from works that provide basic information quickly to tools that synthesize and codify knowledge of a subject for in-depth investigation.
Applications may be submitted for projects that address one or more of the following activities:
Because ensuring the longevity of humanities sources is critical to enabling their ongoing use, applicants may request support for implementing preservation measures, such as reformatting (including microfilming), rehousing, or item-level conservation treatment, in the context of projects that also create or enhance access to humanities collections.
Applicants seeking support for projects that focus primarily on purchasing storage furniture and rehousing collections, improving environmental conditions (including the installation of climate control systems), and installing security, lighting, and fire-prevention systems should consult the Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections program.
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.
Bridging Cultures
Applications that respond to NEH’s new Bridging Cultures initiative are welcome. Such projects could focus on cultures internationally, or within the United States. International projects might seek to enlarge Americans’ understanding of other places and times, as well as other perspectives and intellectual traditions. American projects might explore the great variety of cultural influences on, and myriad subcultures within, American society.
Humanities Collections and Reference Resources grants may not be used for
Previously funded projects
An institution whose project has received NEH support may apply for a grant for a new or subsequent stage of that project. These proposals receive no special consideration and will be judged by the same criteria as others in the grant competition. In addition, these proposals must be substantially updated and must include a description of the new activities and a justification of the new budget. The applicant must also describe how the previously funded project met its goals.
Providing access to grant products
As a taxpayer-supported federal agency, NEH endeavors to make the products of its grants 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 Humanities Collections and Reference Resources program, such products may include reference works, digital archives, and Web sites. For projects that lead to the development of online resources, 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 the Dissemination section below.
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The maximum award is $350,000, for up to three years. Successful applicants will be awarded a grant in outright funds, federal matching funds, or a combination of the two, depending on the applicant’s preference and the availability of NEH funds.
(Learn more about different types of grant funding.)
Cost sharing
Cost sharing consists of the cash contributions made to a project by the applicant, third parties, and other federal agencies, as well as third-party in-kind contributions, such as donated services and goods. Cost sharing also includes gift money raised to release federal matching funds.
Although cost sharing is not required, NEH is rarely able to support the full costs of projects approved for funding. In most cases, NEH Humanities Collections and Reference Resources grants cover no more than 50 to 67 percent of project costs. A 50 percent level is most likely to pertain in the case of projects that deal exclusively with the applicant’s own holdings.
U.S. nonprofit organizations are eligible, as are state and local governmental agencies and tribal governments. Individuals are not eligible to apply.
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.
Late, incomplete, and 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 and review preliminary proposal drafts if they are submitted at least six weeks before the deadline. Time constraints may prevent staff from reviewing draft proposals submitted after that date. Staff 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. Draft proposals should be submitted by e-mail attachment to preservation@neh.gov.
To see sample narratives of funded projects, follow the links under Program Resources above.
HOW TO PREPARE YOUR APPLICATION
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.
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 the Grants.gov 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, 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 the Application Package
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 four forms that you must complete in order to submit your application:
To assist applicants, Grants.gov provides a helpful troubleshooting page.
How to Fill Out the SF-424 Short Form
Select the form from the menu and double click to open it. In items 6, 7, 8, and 9 below, NEH recommends that the project title, brief project description, project director’s name, primary contact/grants administrator’s name, and authorized representative’s name be typed directly onto the form, instead of being pasted in; pasted-in quotation marks, diacriticals, and other symbols are often converted into question marks during transmittal.
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 Fill Out the Project/Performance Site Location(s) Form
Select the form from the menu and double click to open it. Please provide the requested information. Instructions for each requested data element may be viewed by positioning your cursor over the blank field.
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 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 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 description of the project and its significance. Name the file “projectdescription.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 2: To this button, please attach your table of contents. Name the file “contents.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 3: To this button, please attach your narrative. Name the file “narrative.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 4: To this button, please attach your history of grants. Name the file “granthistory.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 5: To this button, please attach your list of project participants, consultants, and advisers. Name the file “participants.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 6: To this button, please attach your budget. Name the file “budget.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 7: To this button, please attach your appendices. Name the file “appendices.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 four 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. This page, which includes a tracking number, indicates 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 message.
NEH suggests that you submit your application no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the day of the deadline. Doing so will leave you time to contact the Grants.gov help desk for support, should you encounter a technical problem of some kind. The Grants.gov help desk is now available seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day (except on federal holidays), at 1-800-518-4726. You can also send an e‑mail message to support@grants.gov.
To assist applicants, Grants.gov provides a helpful troubleshooting page.
HOW TO SUBMIT SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS
If you are sending supplementary materials (those that cannot be scanned and converted to an electronic form and submitted via Grants.gov), please include a list of the supplementary materials in the application’s table of contents, with an indication that the materials are being sent separately. The supplementary materials should be sent to the following address:
Humanities Collections and Reference Resources
Division of Preservation and Access Room 411 National Endowment for the Humanities 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20506 202-606-8570 NEH continues to experience lengthy delays in the delivery of mail by the U.S. Postal Service,
and in some cases materials are damaged by the irradiation process.
We recommend that supplementary materials be sent by a commercial
delivery service to ensure that they arrive intact by
the receipt deadline.
Deadlines
Applications must be received by Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time), Thursday, July 15, 2010. Grants.gov will date- and time-stamp your application after it is fully uploaded. Applications submitted after that date will not be accepted. Supplementary materials must also arrive at NEH on or before July 15, 2010, to be considered as part of the application. Evaluators are asked to apply the following criteria in assessing applications:
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 March 2011 of the decision. 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 a letter or e-mail message to NEH, Division of Preservation and Access, Room 411, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20506 or preservation@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. See Article 34 of the General Terms and Conditions for Awards to Organizations for further information on the governmentwide requirements applicable to grants that provide complete or partial funding of geospatial data, products, or services.
Reporting requirements
A schedule of report due dates will be included with the award document. Reports must be submitted electronically via “eGMS,” NEH’s online grant management system.
Interim and final performance reports will be required. Further details can be found in Performance Reporting Requirements.
A final Federal Financial Report (SF-425) will be due within ninety days after the end of the award period.
If you have questions about the program, contact:
Humanities Collections and Resources
Division of Preservation and Access Room 411 National Endowment for the Humanities 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20506 202-606-8570 preservation@neh.gov
If you need help using Grants.gov, contact:
Grants.gov: www.grants.gov
Grants.gov help desk: support@grants.gov Grants.gov customer support tutorials and manuals : www.grants.gov/CustomerSupport Grant.gov support line: 1-800-518-GRANTS (4726) Grants.gov troubleshooting 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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