Summer Stipends
The questions are grouped into four categories: I. Eligibility, II. Other Fellowship Opportunities, III. Application and References, and IV. Using Grants.gov.
1. I am an independent scholar. What are my chances of receiving a Summer Stipend?
Your chances are the same as any other applicant’s. All applicants must propose a significant project and must also present evidence of their qualifications, including publications, presentations, and other relevant experiences.
2. I am a graduate student. Am I eligible to apply for a Summer Stipend?
No. If you have successfully defended your dissertation, however, and are waiting for your degree to be conferred, you are eligible to apply. Applicants who have satisfied all the requirements for a degree and are awaiting its conferral may apply, but such applicants need a letter from the dean of the conferring school, attesting to the applicant’s status as of September 29, 2011. This letter must be received by the Summer Stipends program by October 19, 2011. The letter may be faxed to the program at 202-606-8204; alternatively, a PDF version of the signed letter may be included as an attachment to an e-mail message sent to stipends@neh.gov.
3. Does NEH support projects whose results will be written in a language other than English?
Yes. Applicants with projects that will be written in a language other than English must explain how access and dissemination will be affected.
4. May I apply to translate a work into English if other English translations already exist?
Yes. In the proposal narrative, provide a rationale for a new translation.
5. I am involved in a collaborative project. Can collaborators split a Summer Stipend?
No. Each collaborator must submit a separate application, and panelists will be asked to evaluate each application on its own merit. Applicants may wish to apply for a Collaborative Research Grant. Guidelines for Collaborative Research Grants are located here.
II. Other Fellowship Opportunities
Does NEH offer additional funding opportunities for individual scholars in the humanities? Does NEH collaborate with other institutions to provide additional funding for individual scholars in the humanities?
NEH Fellowships support individual scholars for periods of six to twelve months. NEH Awards for Faculty support individual scholars for periods of two to twelve months. Fellowships are open to scholars who have completed their formal education, regardless of their institutional affiliation. Awards for Faculty are open only to faculty members at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Institutions with High Hispanic Enrollment, or Tribal Colleges and Universities. Applicants apply directly to NEH.
NEH also collaborates with several organizations to offer support for research:
Library of Congress (LOC) – John W. Kluge Center Fellowships
Projects that draw on the collections of the Library of Congress are eligible for support.
Interested applicants should apply directly to LOC’s Kluge Center Fellowships Program.
Japan-United States Friendship Commission (JUSFC) – Fellowships for Advanced Social Science Research on Japan
Subjects may include modern Japanese political economy, international relations and society, and United States-Japan relations.
Applicants may consult the JUSFC website for additional information. Application
guidelines are located here.
NEH Grants for Fellowship Programs at Independent Research Institutions
Projects to be undertaken at independent centers for advanced study, libraries, and museums in the United States, and research centers overseas, are eligible for support. Individual scholars must apply directly to the institutions themselves. Available here is a list of currently funded institutions.
NEH and National Science Foundation Fellowships Program for Documenting Endangered Languages (DEL)
Projects on endangered languages are eligible for support. A full description of the DEL program is located here.
III. Application and References
1. What help is available for preparing the proposal?
Because of the large number of Summer Stipends applications, NEH staff members are not able to comment on draft proposals. NEH staff will, however, answer questions about preparing your proposal and about your eligibility. Staff members may be reached at (202) 606-8200 and at stipends@neh.gov.
Applicants are encouraged to review the samples of previously funded applications, as well as the broader list of projects. You can find links to the sample applications and the list of funded projects on the sidebar on the first page of the guidelines.
2. I applied for a grant last year and my proposal was unsuccessful. Will I be at a disadvantage if I reapply?
No. NEH encourages previous applicants to reapply and does not inform panelists that a proposal was unsuccessful in a previous competition. Moreover, NEH employs different panelists each year.
3. My project is interdisciplinary. What is the most effective way of characterizing it for the review process?
NEH supports proposals that cross disciplinary boundaries. When selecting the project field, choose one area that best captures the central focus of the proposal. When selecting references, choose two who can most effectively attest to the strengths of the proposal.
4. My referee is unable to submit a letter online. Is there an alternative?
NEH strongly encourages referees to submit their letters online. If this is not possible, referees may e-mail letters to stipends@neh.gov or fax them to 202-606-8204.
1. How do I know if I have submitted my application successfully?
You will receive four e-mail messages confirming receipt of your application. The first three are from Grants.gov:
- “Grants.gov Submission Receipt”;
- “Grants.gov Submission Validation Receipt”; and
- “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. - 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 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.