NEH Grant Programs
Interpreting America's Historic Places: Planning Grants; Receipt Deadline: August 26, 2009 for projects beginning April 2010)
Advice for Applicants to Upcoming NEH Grant Competitions
Some applicants for NEH grants report that they have recently had difficulty submitting their applications through Grants.gov; they found that the system has periodically been slow and unresponsive. This problem exists because Grants.gov—the system used by applicants to the grant programs of most federal government agencies—has recently had to deal with an unusually high volume of applications. The system has therefore been overloaded. Unfortunately, the problem is expected to continue at least through mid-summer, when system upgrades are scheduled to be installed.
In response to this problem, NEH offers the following advice to prospective applicants. We strongly urge you not to submit your application on the day of the deadline, but instead to submit your application early. If applications are submitted over a period of time, the load of applications should be more manageable for Grants.gov. Applying early will also give you a margin for error, should you need help from Grants.gov to resolve a technical problem when you attempt to submit your application. If possible, you should also plan to submit your application outside of normal business hours on the East Coast. Grants.gov tends to work more smoothly in the early morning, in the evening, and especially on weekends.
Successfully receiving your application is very important to us, so we hope that this advice will be helpful to you. And if you continue to have problems with Grants.gov, please contact NEH division or office staff, using the contact information provided in the program guidelines. We apologize for any inconvenience that you may encounter in submitting your application.
To check on the current status of Grants.gov, please consult the Grants.gov blog.
Date posted: June 23, 2009
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 45.164
Questions?
Contact the staff of NEH’s Division of Public Programs at 202-606-8269 and publicpgms@neh.gov. Hearing-impaired applicants can contact NEH via TDD at 1-866-372-2930.
I. Grant Program Description
Interpreting America’s Historic Places grants support public humanities projects that exploit the evocative power of historic places to explore stories, ideas, and beliefs that deepen our understanding of our lives and our world. The Division of Public Programs supports the development of humanities content and interactivity that excite, inform, and stir thoughtful reflection upon culture, identity, and history in creative and new ways. Interpreting America’s Historic Places projects may interpret a single historic site or house, a series of sites, an entire neighborhood, a town or community, or a larger geographical region. Grants for Interpreting America’s Historic Places should encourage dialogue, discussion, and civic engagement, and they should foster learning among people of all ages. To that end, the Division of Public Programs urges applicants to consider more than one format for presenting humanities ideas to the public.
NEH offers two categories of grants for Interpreting America’s Historic Places: Planning and Implementation Grants.
Planning grants are available for those projects that may need further development before applying for implementation. This planning can include the identification and refinement of the project’s main humanities ideas and questions, consultation with scholars in order to strengthen the humanities content, preliminary audience evaluation, preliminary design of the proposed interpretive formats, beta testing of digital formats, development of complementary programming, research at archives or sites whose resources might be used, or the drafting of interpretive materials.
Implementation grants support the final preparation of a project for presentation to the public. Applicants must submit a full walkthrough for an exhibition, or a prototype or storyboard for a digital project, that demonstrates a solid command of the humanities ideas and scholarship that relate to the subject. Applicants
for implementation grants should have already done most of the planning for their projects, including the identification of the key humanities themes, relevant scholarship, and program formats. For exhibitions, implementation grants can support the final stages of design development, but these grants are primarily intended for installation. Applicants are not required to obtain a planning grant before applying for an implementation grant. Applicants may not, however, submit multiple applications for the same project at the same deadline. If an application for a project is already under review, another application for the same project cannot be accepted. See application guidelines for Implementation Grants.
The goals of Interpreting America’s Historic Places grants are to
Interpreting America’s Historic Places projects should
To ensure that the humanities ideas are well conceived, projects must use a team of scholars who represent major fields relevant to the subject matter and offer diverse perspectives and approaches. Projects may also include other participants with experience and knowledge appropriate to the project’s formats or technical requirements.
Prospective applicants with experience in developing and implementing humanities programs are encouraged to apply. But prospective applicants without such experience—examples might include economic development agencies and agencies of local, state, or tribal governments—are also encouraged to apply. Such applicants are, however, encouraged to work in close partnership with at least one partner organization that does have experience in developing and implementing humanities programs.
Applications that make use of new and emerging technologies are encouraged. Such projects must do more than simply provide a digital archive of material. They should offer new ways of contextualizing and interpreting information, so as to engage public audiences interactively. Applications may, for example, include plans to create Web sites, PDA tours and resources, podcasts, virtual environments, wiki formats, other formats that utilize user-generated content, virtual imaging, GIS mapping, online scholar-led discussions, video on demand, streaming video, games, or other digital formats. When it is relevant, applications must explain how user-generated postings to public cyberspace will be vetted by qualified scholars or project staff for accuracy and public educational value. Digital components must rest on sound humanities scholarship and enhance the project’s humanities content in ways that take unique advantage of the proposed formats.
Support is also available for projects that build new programs around previously funded NEH projects, creating complementary formats that will add new dimensions to the original project. A film project, for example, might be enhanced by a project that interprets one or more historic places. A visitor’s experience of a place might be deepened and extended to virtual visitors through a content-rich companion Web site. A well-interpreted historic place might expand the experience of its visitors through stronger interpretive connections with other historic places. Projects that would develop film, radio (including related podcasts), or television programs as the primary grant product should instead apply to America’s Media Makers.
Project formats for Interpreting America’s Historic Places planning grants might include visitor orientation exhibits, interpretive displays and labeling, revised scripts and education training materials for docents, publications such as brochures or guidebooks, interpretive driving or walking trails or tours, annotated itineraries, trail signage, video or audio displays, on-site interactive media, and digital products.
Planning grants can be used to plan, refine, and develop the content and interpretive approach of historic-place interpretation projects that reach broad audiences. Applicants should have already begun consulting with scholars to help shape the humanities content of the project and with other programming advisers appropriate to the project’s format.
Planning grants may support all activities connected with project planning, including
Planning grants for Interpreting America’s Historic Places may not be used for the following types of programs or activities:
NEH especially encourages Chairman’s Special Award projects that promise to reach exceptionally large audiences. Such projects might
The following are examples of projects of this kind:
The historic home of a U.S. president reconceptualized its site interpretation in a new visitors center and Web site that situated the house within a broader context. In addition, a small traveling exhibition concerning the house and the president’s legacy was created, to reach venues throughout the country. The Web site was enhanced to include virtual tours and significant historical background.
A state historical agency coordinated efforts to link state historic sites together in order to explore common themes and ideas on the occasion of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War. During the sesquicentennial year, sites will be linked statewide via a Web site that offers information on the individual programs, suggestions for driving tours, and additional content that helps contextualize the sites as they relate to larger historical events.
Providing Access to Grant Products
As a taxpayer-supported federal agency, NEH endeavors to make the products of its awards 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 award products. Such products may include traveling exhibitions, reading and discussion programs, long-term museum installations, historic site interpretation, community programs in the humanities, digital tools, Web sites, and the like. For projects that lead to the development of Web sites, all other considerations being equal, NEH gives preference to those that provide free access to the public.
III. Award Information
Successful applicants will be awarded a grant 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.)
Awards typically last for a period of twelve months and typically do not exceed $40,000. Awards of up to $75,000 are, however, available for Chairman’s Special Award projects that have exceptional significance and promise to reach exceptionally wide audiences through any of the following:
Please note that NEH support for a project in an early stage does not imply commitment for ongoing support. Proposals for successive phases of a project must be submitted separately and are evaluated independently.
Cost Sharing
Although cost sharing is not required, NEH is rarely able to support the full costs of projects approved for funding. In most cases, NEH grants cover no more than 50-60 percent of project costs.
Eligibility
Any U.S. nonprofit organization with IRS 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status is eligible, as are state and local governmental agencies. 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.
If an application for a project is already under review, another application for the same project cannot be accepted.
Late, incomplete, and ineligible applications will not be reviewed.
Application and Submission Information
HOW TO PREPARE YOUR APPLICATION
Application advice and proposal drafts:
Prior to submitting a proposal, you are encouraged to contact program officers who can offer advice about preparing the proposal, supply samples of funded applications, and review preliminary proposal drafts. NEH recommends that drafts be submitted at least six weeks before the deadline, so that staff will have adequate time to respond. Staff comments are not part of the formal review process and have no bearing on the final outcome of the proposal, but previous applicants have found them helpful in strengthening their application. Drafts should not be submitted via Grants.gov, but should instead be sent as attachments to e-mail messages sent to publicpgms@neh.gov.
Your application should consist of the following parts.
  1. Table of contents
    List all parts of the application with corresponding page numbers.
  2. Narrative
    The narrative should not exceed twenty single-spaced pages, with one-inch margins. At least 11-point type should be used. The narrative should contain the following, in this order.
    • The nature of the request
      Briefly summarize your project in one or two paragraphs. Describe the subject, the interpretive format(s), and the main themes. State the amount of money requested from NEH and the total project budget. Identify any related public programs that are part of the project. Explain the appropriateness of the project for your organization.
      Applications that build on previously funded NEH projects by adding new program formats must describe the previous project’s components, explain what the new formats would be, show how they would effectively enhance the previous project, and explain how audiences would be reached and how new interpretive possibilities would be added.
      For exhibitions, outline the expected size (i.e., square footage and approximate number of objects), anticipated opening date, and venues.
    • Project introduction
      Identify the place to be interpreted and explain what makes it significant. What happened there, and why is it important? What central themes or issues in American history will the project address? Identify the historical subject matter of the project, its interpretive approach, and its use of significant humanities themes.
      Explain why the project will engage the public and what you expect people to learn. How are the specific attributes of the place—the site, its location, buildings, landscape, or other natural or built features—an integral part of the public’s learning experience?
      Indicate whether the place has received a “Preserve America,” “Save America’s Treasures,” or “America’s Heritage Rivers” designation, and note briefly how national historic significance or interpretation led to that designation.
      Note other significant awards or designations (e.g., National Historic Landmark, National Heritage Area, or state-designated historic landmark or heritage area).
      Give a brief history of the project to date (e.g., any previous funding from any other sources, development activities, research already completed, consultation with scholars or other advisers, contacts with partner organizations, and other related activities). If appropriate, describe the relationship of the project to others on the topic, and explain what its unique contribution would be. How does this proposed interpretation differ from what was previously available at this historic place?
    • Description
      Describe the assets of the site(s) (e.g., buildings, natural features, landscape, collections of objects, images, documents) and how they will be used effectively to convey the project’s themes.
      If necessary, discuss how permission or rights will be obtained for key materials and the likely costs of obtaining those rights.
      Describe each component (e.g., interpretive display, publication, signage, Web site, lecture series, hands-on activity, radio or film production, etc.), and explain how each will fulfill the project goals and engage particular audiences. Explain why these particular programs have been chosen and how they will complement the project.
      For Web-based or other digital projects, describe the humanities content, including the principal figures, events, issues, and themes to be explored and the humanities scholarship to be used. Explain how the organization and presentation of material would enhance users’ understanding of the content. If the project relies substantially on user-generated content, include a description of how the project would use humanities scholars and draw upon humanities scholarship to assess the user-generated content. In addition, outline the criteria and process to be used for selecting the content that will ultimately be made available to the public.
      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.
      Include examples of existing projects (such as Web sites) that you would use as models for your proposed project. All applicants must include a sample of previous work from the individuals who would be most involved in the design and production of the digital components. (Please see the instructions for sending work samples below.)
      If the application requests funding at the Chairman’s Special Award level, explain why the institutional collaborations, number of program formats, or broad reach to audiences make the project a good candidate for that funding level. Explain why the project will be unusually significant and appealing, and why it will have exceptionally broad reach nationally.
      Applicants planning projects with oral histories should discuss how the project will adhere to generally accepted professional guidelines for conducting oral histories and include an outline of proposed topics for the interviews, a list of the people to be interviewed or a description of the criteria for their selection, the plans for their recruitment, a description of the qualifications of the interviewers, a discussion of how the interviews will complement existing resources, and a copy of the permission or release form.
      Proceeds from the sale of any publications will be subject to the NEH policy on program income, which is outlined in Article 16 of the General Terms and Conditions for Awards to Organizations.
    • Audience
      Discuss how the project will broaden public engagement in the humanities. Describe the expected participants or audiences for each project component or site, including any targeted or hard-to-reach groups. Explain the plans for publicizing the project. Outline audience evaluation procedures.
    • Organization History
      Provide a short profile of your organization and other major partner organizations. These descriptions should include the
      • institutional mission, origin, and size;
      • annual operating budget;
      • annual number of visitors (for museums and historic sites);
      • special characteristics and current activities; and
      • humanities resources (such as collections or staff).
      Limit this profile to one page for major partners and a half page for 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.
    • Project team
      Provide a comprehensive overview of the project team, including staff members, scholars, and other program experts. Using short paragraphs, describe the qualifications and contributions of each project team member and indicate how their expertise is suited to the project. Organize the paragraphs into two sections: one for staff from your institution and one for outside consultants.
      Include specific details on the responsibilities of each collaborating organization when appropriate.
      Résumés (of two pages or less) for each person listed and letters of commitment from consultants should be included in the appendices.
    • 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 cost sharing is proposed, explain how your organization will meet its share of the costs and outline your fund raising plans.
  3. Samples of previous digital work
    For Web-based or other digital projects, provide examples of previously completed work. If members of the digital team have not worked together before, separate samples should be submitted for each principal member.
    Append a page to the end of the narrative describing the sample or samples of the companion digital component and indicating the roles played by each person on the digital team. In addition, please specify the platform on which the sample component is designed to operate.
    If the digital work is on a Web site, provide the URL and clearly indicate that this Web site is your work sample. If the sample work is on a DVD or CD, follow the instructions in the How to Submit Supplementary Materials section below.
  4. Appendices
    The following information should appear in the application’s appendices:
    • résumés (of two pages or less) of all key project staff and consultants;
    • letters of commitment from consultants and collaborating organizations;
    • a bibliography of sources;
    • documentation of awards and designations; and
    • if appropriate, a description of the collections or archives upon which the project is based, if not already covered in the narrative.
  5. Supplementary materials
    In addition to any required work samples, applicants may also include one additional supplementary item, such as a CD with digital images of art works, photographs, or artifacts; an exhibition catalog; etc., for presentation to the evaluators. See the instructions below on how to submit these materials.
  6. Budget
    Using the instructions, complete the budget form (14-page PDF). 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.
How to Submit Your Application via Grants.gov
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 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).
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
To submit your application, you will need to download the application package from the Grants.gov Web site. You can download the application package at any time. (You do not have to wait for your Grants.gov registration to be complete.) Click the button at the right to download the package.
Save the application package to your computer’s hard drive. To open the application package, select the file and double click. You do not have to be online to work on it.
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 three forms that you must complete in order to submit your application:
  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. NEH Attachment Form—this form allows you to attach your narrative, budget, and the other parts of your application.
How to Fill Out the SF-424 Short Form
Select the form from the menu and double click to open it. Please provide the following information:
  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, descriptive, and substantive. It should also be informative to a nonspecialist audience. Provide a brief 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 Social Security Number, name, title, mailing address, e-mail address, and telephone and fax numbers for the project director.
    Disclosure of Social Security Numbers is optional. NEH uses them for internal application processing only.
  8. Primary Contact/Grants Administrator: Provide the contact information for the official responsible for the administration of the grant (e.g., 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 grant 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: www07.grants.gov/applicants/app_help_reso.jsp.
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:
  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 proposal 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. If requesting a supplement, 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.
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 http://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 table of contents. Please name the file “contents.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 2: To this button, please attach your narrative. Please name the file “narrative.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 3: To this button, please attach your résumés. Please name the file “resumes.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 4: To this button, please attach your letters of commitment. Please name the file “letters.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 5: To this button, please attach your bibliography. Please name the file “bibliography.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 6: To this button please attach your documentation of awards and designations. Please name the file “documentation.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 7: To this button, please attach your description of collections or archives. Please name the file “description.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 8: To this button, please attach your budget. Please name the file “budget.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.
You may include links via URL in these files, but do not embed any additional PDF files within any of the PDF attachments.
Uploading Your Application to Grants.gov
When you have completed all three 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.
NEH suggests that you submit your application no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the day of the deadline. That way, should you encounter a technical problem of some kind, you will still have time to contact the Grants.gov help desk for support. The Grants.gov help desk is open Monday to Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time at 1-800-518-4726. You can also send an e-mail to support@grants.gov.
How to Submit Supplementary Materials
In addition to any required work samples, applicants may also include one additional supplementary item, such as a CD with digital images of art works, photographs, or artifacts; an exhibition catalog; etc., for presentation to the evaluators. Please provide seven copies of the item. If you are sending supplementary materials, please include in your Grants.gov submission a list of the materials to be sent separately. The package should clearly identify the project director, project title, and sponsoring institution. Send the materials to
Interpreting America’s Historic Places: Planning Grants
Division of Public Programs
National Endowment for the Humanities
Room 426
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20506
202-606-8269
To identify the proposal that the samples accompany, indicate the title of the project, the name of the project director, and the applicant institution.
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.
Samples will not be retained by NEH, and they will not be returned to the applicant.
Deadlines
Applications must be received by Grants.gov on or before August 26, 2009, for projects beginning in April 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 August 26, 2009, to be considered as part of the application.
Late applications will not be reviewed.
Application Review
Evaluators are asked to apply the following criteria:
  1. Intellectual content
    The likely contribution of the project to public understanding of the humanities, including the significance of the subject and the humanities ideas; the quality and relevance of the humanities scholarship informing the project; the extent to which the project offers an analytical perspective on the themes and ideas that underlie it.
  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
    The appropriateness, quality, and creativity of the concept for organizing and presenting the material to advance the project’s intellectual goals; and the likelihood that the chosen format will effectively convey the humanities content to the audience. For multiformat projects, the likely complementarity of the various components.
  4. Program resources
    The appropriateness of the materials and resources that support the project’s interpretive themes and ideas.
  5. Justification for higher funding
    If the application requests a Chairman’s Special Award, the strength of the case for the significance of the project topic, the involvement of multiple institutional partners, the combination of several different program formats, and the breadth of the project’s public appeal and reach.
  6. Significance of site and its interpretation (only for Interpreting America’s Historic Places applications)
    The significance of the place to American history; the extent to which the interpretation makes use of the attributes of the place—the site, its location, buildings, landscape, or other natural or built features—in telling its story; the extent to which the interpretation addresses central themes and issues in American history.
  7. Humanities team
    The qualifications and potential contributions of the advising scholars.
  8. Project team
    The experience and demonstrated technical skills of the project 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.
  9. Work plan
    The likelihood that the applicant will achieve the project’s goals in a timely and efficient manner.
  10. Budget
    The appropriateness and reasonability of the project’s costs.
All other considerations being equal, preference will be given to projects that provide free access to materials produced with grant funds.
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 Administration Information
Award notices
Applicants will be notified by mail in April 2010 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 Public Programs, Room 426, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20506 or publicpgms@neh.gov.
Administrative requirements
Before submitting an application, applicants should review their responsibilities as an award recipient.
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.
Reporting requirements
A schedule of report due dates will be included with the award document.
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.
Points of Contact
If you have questions about the program, contact:
Division of Public Programs
National Endowment for the Humanities
Room 426
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20506
202-606-8269
If you need help using Grants.gov, contact: Grants.gov: http://www.Grants.gov
Grants.gov help desk: support@Grants.gov
Grants.gov customer support tutorials and manuals: http://www.Grants.gov/applicants/applicant_help.jsp
Grants.gov support line: 1-800-518-GRANTS (4726)
Grants.gov troubleshooting tips
Other Information
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, D.C. 20506; and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (3136-0134), Washington, D.C. 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.