PRINTImportant Announcement
The Landmarks of American History and Culture: Workshops for School Teachers program has been suspended for one year and will not offer a deadline in 2017 for applicants to direct projects in the summer of 2018. Prospective project directors may wish instead to consider submitting proposals for the March 1, 2017 deadline of the Summer Seminars and Institutes program (for projects to be held in the summer of 2018). Note that the Summer Seminars and Institutes program now offers one-week programs for school teachers. We anticipate offering the Landmarks program again, with a spring 2018 deadline for projects to be held in the summer of 2019.
The Landmarks of American History and Culture program supports a series of one-week workshops for K-12 educators. NEH Landmarks of American History and Culture Workshops use historic sites to address central themes and issues in American history, government, literature, art, music, and related subjects in the humanities.
Each workshop is offered twice during the summer. Workshops accommodate thirty-six school teachers (NEH Summer Scholars) at each one-week session. At least one workshop week must serve a national audience and provide housing for participants. The other workshop week may also serve a national audience; alternatively, it may limit its audience to participants who are able to commute and do not require housing.
The goals of the workshops are to
- increase knowledge and appreciation of subjects, ideas, and places significant to American history and culture through humanities reading and site study;
- build communities of inquiry and provide models of civility and of excellent scholarship and teaching;
- provide teachers with expertise in the use and interpretation of historical sites and of material and archival resources; and
- foster interaction between K-12 educators and scholarly experts.
NEH Landmarks Workshops are academically rigorous and focus on primary sources and scholarly works relevant to major themes of American history and culture. Leading scholars should serve as lecturers or session leaders. Workshops should also enable participants to work with primary documents and develop a project.
NEH Landmarks Workshops are held at or near sites important to American history and culture, such as presidential residences or libraries; colonial-era settlements; major battlefields; historic districts; parks and preserves; sites of key economic, social, political, and constitutional developments; and places associated with major writers, artists, and musicians. Applicants should make a compelling case for the historical significance of the site(s), the material resources available for use, and the ways in which the site(s) will enhance the workshop.
Important Information for Prospective Applicants
Prospective applicants to direct a Landmarks of American History and Culture Workshop in the summer of 2017 (application deadline, February 25, 2016) are encouraged to submit to program staff an optional preliminary sketch of their proposals (deadline, December 15, 2015). You can find the form for the preliminary sketch (in MS Word) under "Program Resources" in the sidebar on the right. NEH staff will also continue to provide feedback on partial or full application drafts (deadline, January 25, 2016). Both opportunities for receiving preliminary feedback are optional.
What's New for 2015-2016
Applicants may now propose workshops in which one of the weeks serves a national audience, and the other week serves local participants who commute. Applicants may still propose workshops in which both weeks serve a national audience.
Program Statistics
In the last five competitions the Landmarks for American History and Culture: Workshops for School Teachers program received an average of 66 applications. The program made an average of nineteen awards per competition, for a funding ratio of 29 percent.
The number of applications to an NEH grant program can vary widely from competition to competition, as can the funding ratio. Information about the average number of applications and awards in recent competitions is meant only to provide historical context for the current competition. Information on the number of applications and awards in individual competitions is available from landmarks@neh.gov.
Questions?
Contact the staff of NEH’s Division of Education Programs at 202-606-8500 or landmarks@neh.gov. Applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing can contact NEH via Federal Relay (TTY users) at 800-877-8399.
