Awards for Faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and Tribal Colleges and Universities

General:

These programs support individual faculty members at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and Tribal Colleges and Universities, who pursue research of value to humanities scholars, students, or general audiences. Awards can be used for a wide range of projects that are based on humanities research. Eligible projects include pursuing research in primary and secondary materials; producing articles, monographs, books, digital materials, archaeological site reports, translations, editions, or other scholarly resources; and conducting research leading to the improvement of an existing course or to achieve institutional or community research goals. Common to all applications—regardless of their outcome—must be humanities research supporting the goals of the project.

These programs support awardees who work between half time and full time on their projects. Awardees may combine part- and full-time work. The amount of the award is $4,200 in outright funds per full-time month. Thus, an award to support eight months of half-time work would be $16,800 (equivalent to four months of full-time work at $4,200 per month). The minimum award length is the equivalent of two months of full-time work; the maximum is the equivalent of twelve months of full-time work. The length of support requested should be determined by the complexity of the project, the amount of work to be completed, and the commitment of the institution. Requesting an award period shorter than twelve months will not improve an applicant’s chances of receiving an award.

The sample projects listed below are not intended to be exhaustive of possible projects, but suggestive of the range and scope of typical research projects. Questions about the eligibility of a specific project can be directed to the Division of Research Programs at 202-606-8200 or FacultyAwards@neh.gov.

Sample Projects:

Project 1: An applicant proposes a full-time award of twelve months ($50,400) to conduct archival research in Paris on the development of jazz in Europe. During the one-year award, the applicant would conduct research for two chapters of a book and begin drafting the manuscript. The applicant hopes to publish the book with a university press.

Project 2: An applicant proposes a half-time award over eighteen months (the equivalent of nine months at full time, $37,800) to document and analyze traditional folk medicine practices among community elders. During the award the applicant would conduct interviews and pursue secondary research on similar work done in other communities. The research will result in the publication of a scholarly article and an article for a local museum catalog.

Project 3: An applicant proposes a half-time award over six months (the equivalent of three months at full time, $12,600) to write a scholarly article and set of lectures to inaugurate her institution’s new center of bioethics. With the research already completed, the applicant would use her award to write the article and lectures.

Project 4:An applicant proposes an award for two months of full-time work during the summer, followed by half-time work for four months in the fall ($16,800), to conduct research on local history to broaden the appeal of an American history survey course taught by the applicant every year. During the period of the award, the applicant would use the collections of a local historical society to choose materials best suited for the revised course and then create a website for use by students.

Project 5: An applicant proposes a full-time award during three months ($12,600) to conduct archaeological field work at a plantation site in central Alabama. During the award, the applicant would work with a team of scholars at the dig site, documenting artifacts.

Project 6: An applicant proposes a nine-month, two-thirds time, award (the equivalent of six months at full time, $25,200) to conduct research on the life of an early 18th-century physician. The immediate outcome of the award would be a conference paper followed by a book-length biography published by a trade publisher.

Project 7: An applicant proposes a full-time award for six months ($25,200) to create an online edition of the letters of a local civil rights leader. During the award, the applicant would write the scholarly introduction and complete the digital annotations for the project. The resulting edition will be published on a freely available website.

Project 8: An applicant proposes a half-time award over twenty-four months (the equivalent of twelve months at full time, $50,400) to complete a translation of early Chinese verse for scholars and students studying Chinese poetry. During the award period, previously completed research will be organized and translations begun. The result will be published by a university press.

Project 9: An applicant proposes a full-time award over four months ($16,800) to conduct research in the photograph collection of a major research library. During the period of the award, the applicant would work with collection curators to identify the best photographs to improve a core course for history majors on research methods.