An NEH initiative on Bridging Cultures

• Civility and Democracy
  
  Civility has always served as a keystone in the American experiment, from George Washington’s “110 Rules of Civility,” to Abraham Lincoln’s appeal for “malice toward none” and “charity for all,” to Martin Luther King’s dream of the sons of former slaves and slave-owners being able “to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.” Civility involves our responsibilities to each other as citizens and as members of civil society. Drawing on diverse humanities disciplines—for example, political and cultural history, ethics or jurisprudence—civility might be examined in the following frameworks:
  • the relationship of civility to the common good;
  • the relationship between civility and democracy, at various points in time and across cultures;
  • the sociological and cultural seedbeds of civility;
  • the ways that civility has served, historically, to bridge cultural divides, both domestic and international.
• The Muslim World and the Humanities
  
  

  The history of the Muslim world is as complex and varied as the diverse nations and peoples who adhere to Islam across the globe.  Recent cultural and political dynamics within Muslim countries have increasingly become a focus of scholarly research and public interest.  At the same time, many in the public are unfamiliar with the multifaceted history of centuries of Islamic intellectual, political, and cultural traditions that have influenced civilizations throughout the world. The study of diverse humanities disciplines, from comparative literature to regional history, offers the opportunity to shed new light on the impact of Islam on the world and to broaden understanding across cultures. Many different approaches might be taken in exploring such topics from the perspective of humanities disciplines.  Some possibilities include, by way of example only, an examination of

  • the influence exerted by cultural developments originating in the Muslim world on the arts, the sciences, and literature elsewhere in the world;
  • the commonalities uniting and the differences dividing Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, and the grounds for advancing mutual respect;
  • the immigrant experiences of Muslims in the United States, spanning over two centuries of our nation’s history.
  In exploring these or other themes, programs should expand public knowledge of the Muslim world, while fostering avenues for cross-cultural understanding.

1. a forum that engages scholars and humanities practitioners in discussion among themselves and with a public audience about one of the two themes; and
2. a workshop at which humanities practitioners, scholars, and teachers collaborate to devise content, formats, training strategies, and education and dissemination methods for a nationwide or regional program that engages people in communities across the country in reflection on, and discussion of, the forum theme.

• planning and implementing all aspects of the academic forum,
• executing a well-conceived promotional plan to attract public audiences to the forum,
• recruiting appropriate humanities scholars and practitioners to attend the forum and participate in the workshop,
• devising an agenda and working structure for the workshop, and
• submitting to NEH as the outcome of the forum and workshop a plan for a public program designed to engage a broad, diverse regional or national audience in discussion of the forum theme.

Each successful applicant for a Bridging Cultures Forum and Workshop program will be awarded a grant ranging from $100,000 to $250,000 in outright or matching funds, depending on the applicant’s preference and the availability of NEH funds.

(Learn more about different types of grant funding.)

The estimated award date is August 2010. All applicants will be notified by letter of the results of the competition.

All forum and workshop programs should take place between October 1, 2010, and March 30, 2011.  The grant period may last as long as eighteen months.

Following completion of the forums and workshops, NEH plans to offer implementation grants, through a subsequent competition, to produce regional or nationwide public programs on Bridging Cultures themes.  NEH anticipates funding one or more of these implementation grants for sums commensurate with the needs of a regional or national project.  Awardees in the current competition, as well as other 501(c)(3) organizations or state and local governmental agencies will be eligible to enter the subsequent competition for implementation support.

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.

No cost sharing is required in this progam. NEH, however, is rarely able to support the full costs of projects approved for funding. The award will not exceed $250,000.

Other award information

An NEH grant for one stage of a project does not commit NEH to continued support for the project. Applications for each stage of a project are evaluated independently.

1. Table of contents
   List all parts of the application and, beginning with the narrative, number all pages consecutively.
2. Narrative
   Provide a one- to two-paragraph overview of the program, identifying the subject and main themes and the humanities disciplines through which it will be approached.  Briefly describe the formats for the forum and the workshop, the amount of money requested from NEH, and the total project budget.
   The narrative should not assume any specialized knowledge on the part of its readers, and it should be free of jargon.  Narratives should not exceed twenty-five single-spaced pages with one-inch margins. At least eleven-point type should be used. 
   • Intellectual content
     Provide a clear and concise description of the forum theme, its relevance to the Bridging Cultures initiative, and its fit with the theme of “Civility and Democracy” or “The Muslim World and the Humanities.”  Identify the significant humanities themes to be addressed at the forum and workshop.  Discuss the relationship of these themes to relevant humanities scholarship.
     If appropriate, describe the relationship of the project to others on the topic and explain what its unique contribution would be.
   • The forum
     Provide a draft agenda for the forum, identifying the subject matter and speakers for each session.  Describe what will take place at the forum. Explain why this particular program format has been chosen.
     Use short paragraphs to describe the qualifications and contributions of each speaker on the forum agenda. Indicate how their expertise is suited to the project. Include in the appendices résumés (of two pages or less) and letters of commitment from each person listed as a speaker at the forum.
     Describe the expected participants or audiences for the forum, including any targeted groups, and your plans for promoting the forum to them.
     Explain how the forum’s subject and themes will be engaging for the full range of participants. Discuss how you expect the forum to contribute to public understanding of the forum theme.
     Explain how the results of the conference will be disseminated and why these means are appropriate. Discuss possible publishing arrangements, publicity plans, and use of electronic media, Webcasting, online access plans, and the like.
     Provide plans for post-conference activities, such as listservs, e-newsletters, Web sites, publications, etc.
   • Virtual audience
     Describe the strategy for using multimedia technologies for expanding the forum audience beyond the walls of the forum venue.  Plans might include real-time transmission of the program as well as taping for future broadcast by Web site, television, or radio. Social media may also be used. If the forum will be made available on a Web site that already exists, provide the URL for the site and describe how the forum program will be found and displayed on the site. 
     Note that Web sites should be designed in accordance with accepted standards for accessibility and usability by members of the general public, including those with visual and other disabilities.
     Describe plans to promote these media outlets to the public and to evaluate their success in extending the audience for the program.
   • Program development workshop
     Provide a draft agenda for the workshop.
     Describe the number and kinds of participants to be involved in the workshop and the process through which they will be recruited.  Use short paragraphs to describe the qualifications and contributions of key participants in the workshop. Indicate how their expertise is suited to the project. 
     Describe the venue in which the workshop will take place.
     Briefly describe the process through which the content of the forum will be used to generate a model for a public program, including any pre- or post-workshop steps. Outline a preliminary vision for the kind of program that might emerge from the workshop.
     Describe any tangible results expected from the workshop beyond the plan for a nationwide or regional program on the forum theme.
   • Organizational profile
     Explain why your institution is well suited to organize and host the conference, by virtue of its human resources and planning staff, hosting facilities, and other assets.  Demonstrate that you have the institutional capacity for major event planning, including outreach and publicity, technical support, travel, catering, meals, housing, facilities rentals, etc. 
     Applicants should describe the ways in which the conference site will enhance the program, including plans to take advantage of local resources and partners.
     Limit this description to one page for your organization and a half page for each of the other collaborating organizations.
   • Project personnel
     Provide a comprehensive overview of the project’s steering team, including staff members, scholars, and other program experts. Using short paragraphs, describe the qualifications and contributions of the steering team members and indicate how their expertise is suited to the project.
     Include specific details on the responsibilities of each of the other collaborating organizations. If the institutions involved have any prior experience in cooperating with one another, describe that experience and the nature of those partnerships.
     Include in the appendices résumés (of two pages or less) and letters of commitment from each person listed as a member of the steering team, each speaker at the forum, and each participant in the program development workshop. 
   • Work plan
     Provide a detailed month-by-month schedule of the specific tasks and the individuals responsible for them. It is often helpful to present this section in a grid format. Clearly indicate when the planning team will meet; explain the expected results of each meeting.
   • Fundraising plans
     If your organization intends to share some of the costs, explain how your share will be met and outline the fundraising plan. Note that NEH is rarely able to support the full cost of projects approved for funding.
   • Program evaluation
     Describe how the forum and workshop will be evaluated. The evaluation plan should include, but need not be limited to, participant and audience surveys to be administered at the close of project. Directors should conduct their own assessments of project accomplishments with or without the involvement of an outside evaluator.
3. Appendices
   The following information should appear in the application’s appendices:
   • résumés (of two pages or less) of all members of the steering team, each speaker at the forum, and all key participants in the program development workshop;
   • letters of commitment from all members of the steering team, each speaker at the forum, and all key participants in the program development workshop, and from each collaborating organization.
4. Budget
   Using the instructions (4-page PDF) and the budget template (3-page PDF) , complete the budget spreadsheet (MS Excel format) or a format of your own that includes all the required information. If you wish, you may attach separate pages with notes to explain any of the budget items in more detail. Applicants are advised to retain a copy of the PDF containing their budget form.

1. Application for Federal Domestic Assistance - Short Organizational (SF-424 Short)—this form asks for basic information about the project, the project director, and the institution.
2. Supplementary Cover Sheet for NEH Grant Programs—this form asks for additional information about the project director, the institution, and the budget.
3. Project/Performance Site Location(s)—this form asks for information about the primary site(s) at which grant activities will take place.
4. NEH Attachment Form—this form allows you to attach your narrative, budget, and the other parts of your application.

1. Name of Federal Agency: This will be filled in automatically with “National Endowment for the Humanities.”
2. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: This will be filled in automatically with the CFDA number and title of the NEH program to which you are applying.
3. Date Received: Please leave blank.
4. Funding Opportunity Number: This will be filled in automatically.
5. Applicant Information: In this section, please supply the name, address, employer/taxpayer identification number (EIN/TIN), DUNS number, Web site address, and congressional district of the institution. Also choose the “type” that best describes your institution (you only need to select one).
   If your institution is located, for example, in the 5th Congressional District of your state, put a “5.” If your institution doesn’t have a congressional district (e.g., it is in a state or U.S. territory that doesn’t have districts or is in a foreign country), put a “0” (zero).
   All institutions applying to federal grant programs are required to provide a DUNS number, issued by Dun & Bradstreet, as part of their application. Project directors should contact their institution’s grants administrator or chief financial officer to obtain their institution’s DUNS number. Federal grant applicants can obtain a DUNS number free of charge by calling 1-866-705-5711. (Learn more about the requirement.)
6. Project Information: Provide the title of your project. Your title should be brief (no more than 125 characters), descriptive, and substantive. It should also be informative to a nonspecialist audience. Provide a brief (no more than one thousand characters) description of your project. The description should be written for a nonspecialist audience and clearly state the importance of the proposed work and its relation to larger issues in the humanities. List the starting and ending dates for your project.
7. Project Director: Provide the name, title, mailing address, e-mail address, and telephone and fax numbers for the project director.
8. Primary Contact/Grants Administrator: Provide the contact information for the official responsible for the administration of the grant (i.e., negotiating the project budget and ensuring compliance with the terms and conditions of the award). This person is often a grants or research officer, or a sponsored programs official. Normally, the Primary Contact/Grants Administrator is not the same person as the Project Director. If the project director and the grants administrator are the same person, skip to Item 9.
9. Authorized Representative: Provide the contact information for the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) who is submitting the application on behalf of the institution. This person, often called an “Authorizing Official,” is typically the president, vice president, executive director, provost, or chancellor. In order to become an AOR, the person must be designated by the institution’s E-Business Point of Contact. For more information, please consult the Grants.gov user guide, which is available at www.grants.gov/applicants/resources.jsp.

1. Project Director: Use the pull-down menu to select the major field of study for the project director.
2. Institution Information: Use the pull-down menu to select your type of institution.
3. Project Funding: Enter your project funding information. Note that applicants for Challenge Grants should use the right column only; applicants to all other programs should use the left column only.
4. Application Information: Indicate whether the application will be submitted to other NEH grant programs, government agencies, or private entities for funding. If so, please indicate where and when. NEH frequently cosponsors projects with other funding sources. Providing this information will not prejudice the review of your application.
   For Type of Application, check “new” if the application requests a new period of funding, whether for a new project or the next phase of a project previously funded by NEH. Check "supplement" if the application requests additional funding for a current NEH grant. Applicants requesting a supplement should provide the current grant number. Before submitting an application for a supplement, applicants should discuss their request with an NEH program officer.
   For Project Field Code, use the pull-down menu to select the humanities field of the project. If the project is multidisciplinary, choose the field that corresponds to the project’s predominant discipline.

1. Intellectual content and humanities significance
   The intellectual significance of the proposed project, including its value to humanities scholars and general audiences, as well as the quality of the humanities scholarship informing the project. The project’s fit with the Bridging Cultures initiative, and the likely contribution of the program to public understanding of either “Civility and Democracy” or “The Muslim World and the Humanities.”
2. Audience
   The appeal of the subject to a general audience, the accessibility of the ideas, and the quality of the project’s plan to reach broad audiences.
3. Format: Forum
   The appropriateness, quality, and creativity of the concept for organizing and presenting the material at the forum for both scholarly and public audiences.  The likelihood that the forum will engage scholars and will effectively convey the humanities content to the audience.
4. Format: Program development workshop
   The intellectual integration of the scholarly forum with the program development workshop. The appropriateness, quality, and creativity of the concept for organizing the workshop. The likelihood that the workshop will produce an appealing and workable model for public programs on the program theme.
5. Humanities team
   The qualifications and potential contributions of the scholars and humanities practitioners on the forum and workshop programs.
6. Project team
   The experience and demonstrated skills (administrative, technical or conceptual) of the steering team, quality of the team’s previous work, and likelihood of timely and successful completion of the proposed project; evidence that institutional partners will collaborate effectively.
7. Work plan
   The likelihood that the applicant will achieve the project’s goals in a timely and efficient manner.
8. Evaluation plan
   The adequacy of the evaluation plan and the quality of the project’s tangible results.
9. Budget
   The appropriateness and reasonability of the project’s costs.