Public Humanities Projects
Division of Public Programs
Grant Snapshot
Maximum award amount
Implementation: $400,000 (+additional $100,000 for Positions in the Public Humanities if you choose to apply for one)
Open to
Expected output
Period of performance
Application available
Optional Draft due
Application due
Expected notification date
Project start date
The Public Humanities Projects program supports projects that bring the ideas and insights of the humanities to life for general audiences through in-person programming. Projects must engage humanities scholarship to analyze significant themes in disciplines such as history, literature, ethics, and art history.
Public Humanities Projects supports projects in three program categories (Exhibitions, Historic Places, and Humanities Discussions), and at two funding levels (Planning and Implementation). Regardless of proposed activity, NEH encourages applicants to explore humanities ideas through multiple formats. Proposed projects may include complementary components: for example, a museum exhibition might be accompanied by a website or mobile app.
Small and mid-sized organizations are especially encouraged to apply. We likewise welcome humanities projects tailored to particular groups, such as families, youth (including K-12 students in informal educational settings), underserved communities, and veterans. Applicants are advised to consider developing partnerships with other institutions, particularly organizations such as cultural alliances, broadcast media stations, cultural heritage centers, state humanities councils, veterans’ centers, and libraries.
Pre-application Webinar
August 11, 2020, 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/646493454399552015
NOTE: The Grants.gov funding opportunity that closes January 6, 2021 includes the application packages for both the September 8, 2020 and January 6, 2021 deadlines to this program. Please select the appropriate application package on the “Package’ tab.
Begin by reading the Notice of Funding Opportunity to ensure you understand the expectations and restrictions for projects delivered under this notice and are prepared to write the most effective application.
Download Application Materials
Public Humanities Projects Notice of Funding Opportunity, September 2020 and January 2021 (PDF)
Grants.gov Application Package
Program Resources
Public Humanities Projects Frequently Asked Questions, September 2020 (PDF)
List of recent Exhibitions: Planning awards
List of recent Exhibitions: Implementation awards
List of recent Historic Places: Planning awards
List of recent Historic Places: Implementation awards
List of recent Humanities Discussions awards
Sample Application Narratives
Exhibitions Planning Project: American Precision Museum, Interpretive Plan
Exhibitions Planning Project: National Museum of American Jewish History, Leonard Bernstein
Exhibitions Planning Project: University of California Los Angeles, The Art of African Blacksmiths
Exhibitions Implementation Project: Heard Museum, The American Indian Boarding School Experience
Exhibitions Implementation Project: Oakland Museum, Gallery of California History
Historic Places Planning Project: Lower East Side Tenement Museum, Rear Yard Exhibit
Historic Places Planning Project: National Society of Colonial Dames, Reinterpreting Dumbarton House
Exhibitions Implementation Project: Children’s Museum of Manhattan
Community Conversations Implementation: Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Historic Places Implementation: The Owens-Thomas House
Be sure to follow the instructions outlined in the Notice of Funding Opportunity and in the Grants.gov instructions.
You will receive a confirmation from Grants.gov when you've successfully submitted your application.
After you submit your application, Grants.gov will send you up to five e-mail messages confirming receipt of your application. These messages represent different stages in the application acceptance process. You should verify that you have received all confirmation messages. Please note that email filters may send these messages to your spam or junk folder.