Collaborative Research

Division of Research Programs

Grant Snapshot

Maximum award amount

Depending on funding category, up to $250,000, or up to $300,000 for collaborations that include a community college or certain minority-serving institutions.

Funding Opportunity for

Organizations

Expected output

Book;
Conference;
Digital Resource or Publication;
Themed Issue of Peer-Reviewed Journal;
Website

Period of performance

Up to three years (Depending on funding category)

Application available

Optional draft due

Deadline

Expected notification date

Project start date

Contact the Division of Research Programs Team
202-606-8200
If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

The Collaborative Research program aims to advance humanistic knowledge by supporting teams of scholars working on a joint endeavor. NEH encourages projects that incorporate multiple points of view, pursue new avenues of inquiry in the humanities, and lead to manuscripts for print publication or to scholarly digital projects.

Collaborators may come from one or more institutions. They may propose research in a single field of study or interdisciplinary work. NEH encourages partnerships with researchers from the natural and social sciences, but projects must focus on humanistic content and employ humanistic methods. International collaboration is welcome, but scholars at U.S. institutions must contribute significantly to the project.

Proposed projects must aim to result in tangible and sustainable outcomes, such as a co-authored or multi-authored book; a themed issue of a peer-reviewed journal; a series of peer-reviewed articles; a born-digital publication; or an open-access website or other digital resource. All project outcomes must incorporate collaboration and interpretation to address significant humanities research questions.

The program includes four project categories: Planning International Collaboration, Convening, Manuscript Preparation, and Scholarly Digital Projects. The categories support different project types or stages and have different performance periods and award ceilings. Applicants must specify only one project category for support.

What’s new for 2023:

  • Manuscript Preparation and Scholarly Digital Projects applications from community colleges or certain minority-serving institutions, or that include such an institution as a subrecipient and full partner in the conceptualization and execution of the project, may request an additional $50,000 of support (up to $300,000 for a three-year performance period). Eligible minority-serving institutions are: Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Predominantly Black Institutions, Native American-Serving Non-Tribal Institutions, and Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions.
  • The allowable period of performance for Convening applications is now six to twelve months. It is no longer necessary to pro-rate the funding request by month for Convenings.
  • The page limit for the Work Plan attachment has been increased from two pages to three.  

You may submit an optional draft. You must use the draft template found under “Program Resources” on this page and must submit it no later than September 18, 2023, to @email. Put “Collaborative Research Draft” in the subject line of the message. NEH staff will read only one draft per project per competition deadline.

Watch the Collaborative Research Pre Application Webinar 2023 below.

Review your application package

Read the Notice of Funding Opportunity to ensure you understand all the expectations and restrictions for projects delivered under this program and are prepared to write the most effective application.

Application Materials

Collaborative Research Notice of Funding Opportunity, 2023 (PDF)

Collaborative Research Grants.gov application package

Program Resources

Collaborative Research Frequently Asked Questions, 2023

Collaborative Research draft template

List of Recent Collaborative Research Awards

Sample Application Narratives

Planning International Collaboration

Syracuse University, Taj of the Raj?: Decolonizing the Imperial Collections, Architecture, and Gardens of the Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata

Rutgers University, Unboxing Artificial Intelligence: An International Collaboration Bringing Humanities Perspectives to AI

Convening

University of South Dakota, Philosophy and Money: A Historical and Interdisciplinary Consideration of Economies and Worldviews

Emory University, Chinese Foodways in the Modern World (19th c. - present): Reexamining Culinary Continuity and Change

University of Tennessee, Knoxville, In a Speculative Light: The Arts of Writer James Baldwin (1924-1987) and Painter Beauford Delaney (1901-1979)

Manuscript Preparation

Arizona State University, Unfinished Partitions in South Asia and the Making of Miyahs, Biharis, and Christians into Noncitizens (1947 - the Present)

Goucher College, Beyond Versailles: Reverberations of the "1919 Moment" in Asia

University of Chicago, Oriental Institute Nubian Archaeological Expedition Publication Project

Texas Christian University, Oral Histories of the Multiracial Freedom Struggle in Texas

Scholarly Digital Projects

University of Houston, Democratizing Politics: Mapping the Stories and Significance of the 1977 National Women’s Conference

New York University, The Post-Soviet Public Sphere: Multimedia Sourcebook of the1990s

University of Nebraska, Washington DC during the Civil War

    Register for a SAM number and an account on Grants.gov

    When you are ready to apply, register for an account with SAM.gov and Grants.gov; both are required. If you already have completed the registrations, make sure they are current. 

    Complete your application package

    Follow the instructions outlined in the Notice of Funding Opportunity. 

    Submit your application package on Grants.gov

    You will receive a confirmation from Grants.gov when you’ve successfully submitted your application. Subsequently, you will receive up to five more notices confirming different stages in the application process. Verify that you have received all confirmations. Note that email filters may send these messages to your spam or junk folder. 

    Apply Now on Grants.gov

    Program Statistics

    In the last five competitions this program received an average of
    113 Applications
    per year
    This grant has a
    12% Funding Ratio
    NEH made an average of
    14 Awards
    per year

    Examples of Projects Funded by this Grant Program

    View All Projects