General Information on Fellowships, 2012-2013

(including NEH/Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission Fellowships)

The deadline for accepting 2012-2013 NEH Fellowships is February 24, 2012.

To accept the award, please complete, sign, and return the acceptance form to the NEH Fellowships Program by either scanning and e-mailing it to @email or faxing it to (202) 606-8204 by this deadline. If you have questions, contact the Fellowships Program at (202) 606-8200.

Part One of this document describes the terms and conditions governing NEH Fellowships, including NEH/Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission Fellowships.

Part Two provides specific information on term dates, stipends, and payment procedures and instructions for completing the acceptance form.

PART ONE: TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF AWARD

  1. Time Commitment: Full-time commitment to your project is expected during your fellowship term. You may not accept teaching assignments or engage in other activities that divert you from that project. However, you may attend conferences related to your fellowship work and give presentations on it. If you are considering any other activity during your fellowship term, you must first consult with the Fellowships Program staff to determine whether the proposed activity is permissible.

    NEH Fellowships may be held part time under exceptional circumstances. Note that teaching and most administrative duties (e.g., serving as department chair) are not considered exceptional circumstances. Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission Fellowships may not be held part time under any circumstances. If you have any questions, please contact the Fellowships Program staff before acepting your award.

  2. Project Changes: You may make minor changes in your proposed project without consulting the Endowment. However, any significant change must be approved in advance. You should describe and justify the changes to the Endowment in writing so that the Endowment can determine whether the new plans fall within the intent of the award.
  3. Work Leading toward Degrees: You may audit courses and seminars pertinent to your fellowship project, but you may not enroll in a degree program or engage in work you intend to apply toward a degree either now or later.

  4. Resignation or Termination: Your fellowship may be terminated by the Endowment if, for any reason, you resign or discontinue the proposed program before the end of the fellowship term or fail to observe the award’s terms and conditions. If you resign before the end of your term, you must return any funds received over and above those to which you are entitled.

    If during the course of your fellowship you are unable to meet the terms of the award, then you are obliged to inform the Endowment immediately so that appropriate action may be taken. Because stipend payments are made in advance, it may be determined that a portion of the stipend must be returned to the Endowment; if this is the case, the Endowment will inform you of the amount that must be repaid, the basis for the calculation, and the date by which repayment must be made.

  5. Final Report: You must submit a final report on activities accomplished with your NEH award. This report should be submitted electronically via “eGMS,” the NEH’s online grant management system. The final report is due within 90 days after the conclusion of your term.

  6. Prohibition on the Use of Funds for Lobbying Activities: The Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment, 31 U.S.C. 1352, prohibits recipients of federal contracts, awards, cooperative agreements, and loans from using appropriated funds to influence the Executive or Legislative Branches of the federal government in connection with a specific contract, award, cooperative agreement, loan, or any other award covered by §1352. 18 U.S.C. 1913 makes it a crime to use funds appropriated by Congress to influence members of Congress regarding congressional legislation or appropriations. Finally, the following are unallowable charges to award funds or cost sharing: certain electioneering activities, financial support for political parties, attempts to influence federal or state legislation either directly or through grass-roots lobbying, and some legislative liaison activities.

    The NEH is required by the provisions of its appropriations act to include the text of 18 U.S.C. 1913 in all of its award, cooperative agreement, and contract documents.

    Text of 18 U.S.C. 1913:

    No part of the money appropriated by any enactment of Congress shall, in the absence of express authorization by Congress, be used directly or indirectly to pay for any personal service, advertisement, telegram, telephone, letter, printed or written matter, or other device, intended or designed to influence in any manner a Member of Congress, a jurisdiction, or an official of any government, to favor, adopt, or oppose, by vote or otherwise, any legislation, law, ratification, policy, or appropriation, whether before or after the introduction of any bill, measure, or resolution proposing such legislation, law, ratification, policy, or appropriation; but this shall not prevent officers or employees of the United States or of its departments or agencies from communicating to any such Member or official, at his request, or to Congress or such official, through the proper official channels, requests for any legislation, law, ratification, policy, or appropriations which they deem necessary for the efficient conduct of the public business, or from making any communication whose prohibition by this section might, in the opinion of the Attorney General, violate the Constitution or interfere with the conduct of foreign policy, counter-intelligence, intelligence, or national security activities. Violations of this section shall constitute violations of section 1352(a) of title 31.

  7. Research Misconduct: NEH will take appropriate action against individuals or organizations upon a determination that misconduct has occurred in proposing, performing, or reviewing research or reporting results from research activities funded by NEH in accordance with the NEH Research Misconduct Policy.

  8. Publishing as a Result of Your NEH Fellowship: Although there is no formal requirement that you publish the results of your investigations, most fellows intend to do so. You may copyright any material produced as a result of fellowship activities, and you may make the results of your work available to the public without restriction.

    For NEH Fellows only: All materials publicizing or resulting from activities accomplished under an award (e.g., books or articles) must contain an acknowledgment of NEH support. The acknowledgment must also include the following statement: “Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this (publication) (program) (website) do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.” One copy of all award products should be forwarded to the Endowment as soon as they are available, no matter how long after grant completion the publication may appear.

    For NEH-JUSFC Fellows only: All materials publicizing or resulting from activities accomplished under an award (e.g., books or articles) must contain an acknowledgment of NEH and JUSFC support. The acknowledgment must also include the following statement: “Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this (publication) (program) (website) do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission.” Two copies of all NEH-JUSFC fellowship products should be sent to NEH as soon as they are available, no matter how long after grant completion the publication may appear. One copy of all publications will be forwarded by NEH to the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission.

  9. Medical Insurance and Other Fringe Benefits: The Endowment provides neither medical insurance nor any other fringe benefits for fellows. It is therefore recommended that you continue the benefit programs in which you are participating. Unemployment compensation and Social Security insurance are not covered because fellows are not employees of the U.S. Government.
  10. Income Tax: The tax laws governing fellowship awards were amended by the Tax Reform Act of 1986, and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the courts decide the extent to which a particular award is taxable. The Endowment does not withhold taxes from stipends. Neither does the Endowment send to Fellows an IRS form W-2 or IRS form 1099. You should familiarize yourself with the tax laws to determine the tax liability of your fellowship stipend and whether you are entitled to deduct any expenses in connection with your fellowship. The IRS has not advised the Endowment concerning tax treatment of fellowship awards, and NEH cannot provide tax advice or answers to tax questions.

  11. Activities Outside the United States: Prior to undertaking activities outside the United States, recipients shall secure the necessary passports, visas or other required documents for entry into foreign countries. Recipients shall also obtain the appropriate licenses, permits, or approvals. The recipient must notify the NEH if a permit is denied or revoked after an award has been issued, or if an unforeseen circumstance, such as a natural disaster or political turmoil, threatens or prevents the recipient from carrying out project activities.

    The NEH does not assume responsibility for recipient compliance with the laws and regulations of the country in which work is to be conducted.

    Recipients should consult the updated travel advisories and warnings issued by the State Department through the American Citizens Services at 202-647-5225 or fax service 202-647-3000 or at the State Department’s website.

PART TWO: INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE ACCEPTANCE FORM

The acceptance form is used to accept an NEH Fellowship and to indicate the exact dates of your fellowship term. You should retain a copy of the completed form for your records and notify the Fellowships Program whenever you make modifications to the arrangements agreed to by the Endowment. The acceptance form must include the following information:

  1. Application Number: Your application number, a combination of a two-letter prefix (FA, FB, or FO) plus five digits, can be found on your offer letter.
  2. Name
  3. Social Security Number
  4. Mailing Address, Home and Office Phone Numbers, and E-Mail Address

  5. Fellowship Term Dates: Your fellowship term must cover an uninterrupted period of from 6 to 12 full months. Please note that your term must begin on the first day of your chosen first month and end on the last day of your chosen final month. Indicate the month and year in which you will begin your fellowship term and the month and year in which you will end your term. You may start any month during the 19-month window from January 2012 through July 2013.

    The final amount of the stipend is based on the number of months of your term. For each full month of your term, NEH provides $4,200. Thus, a fellowship for 12 months carries a stipend of $50,400 ($4,200 x 12 months). The term dates you provide on the acceptance form may differ from the dates you originally requested in your application. While you may not increase the length of your term beyond your original request, you may, however, decrease the length of your term. Please be certain of the term dates you enter on the acceptance form so that no changes will be required later.

    While you may hold other fellowships (e.g., sabbaticals and supplemental grants) or grants during your fellowship term, you may not hold other awards from the NEH Division of Research Programs during the fiscal or calendar year or years in which you hold an NEH fellowship.

  6. How would you like the stipend paid? Fellowship stipends are paid in installments and prorated according to the term length. Typically, the first payment is made at the beginning of the term period and subsequent payments are made every third month through the fellowship term. The payment schedule and amounts for your particular award will be provided with the letter officially awarding the fellowship.

    All payments are made electronically by the U.S. Treasury Department and can be deposited either in your bank account or in your employing institution’s bank. Please indicate the option you prefer. Please choose only one.

    • Payments electronically deposited into your checking or savings account using the Automated Clearing House (ACH) system.
    • Payments electronically deposited into an account of your employing institution also using the Automated Clearing House (ACH) system. Some institutions are willing to continue paying fringe benefits if payments are made through them. Please consult with your institution about this option.

    Please note that payments cannot be sent to foreign addresses or deposited in non-U.S. banks.

    IMPORTANT: The acceptance form does NOT request banking information for direct deposit of your award payments. Once your completed and signed acceptance form is received by NEH, you will be sent an award letter that includes instructions for submitting your banking information to NEH.

  7. Do you need your first payment early? You may receive your first payment 30 days before your term begins if, for example, you anticipate major travel expenses early in your term. However, no payment can be made before January 1, 2012.
  8. Do you need a larger first payment? If you have particularly high initial expenses, you may receive a larger first payment to cover them.
  9. Acceptance and Certification: You must accept or decline the offer of a 2012-2013 NEH Fellowship no later than February 24, 2012. To accept the award, please complete, sign, and return the acceptance form to the NEH Fellowships Program by either scanning and e-mailing it to @email or faxing it to (202) 606-8204 by this deadline.

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