NEH-Mellon Fellowships for Digital Publication
Division of Research Programs
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Through NEH-Mellon Fellowships for Digital Publication, the National Endowment for the Humanities and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation jointly support individual scholars pursuing interpretive research projects that require digital expression and digital publication. To be considered under this opportunity, an applicant’s plans for digital publication must be integral to the project’s research goals. That is, the project must be conceived as digital because the research topics being addressed and methods applied demand presentation beyond traditional print publication. Competitive submissions embody exceptional research, rigorous analysis, and clearly articulate a project’s value to humanities scholars, general audiences, or both.
All projects must be interpretive. That is, projects must advance a scholarly argument through digital means and tools. Stand-alone databases, documentary films, podcasts, and other projects that lack an explicit interpretive argument are not eligible. Applicants interested in conducting research and writing leading to traditional print or e-book publications should apply to the NEH Fellowships program.
NEH - Mellon Fellowships provide recipients time to conduct research and prepare digital publications. Successful projects will likely incorporate images, video, audio, and/or other multimedia materials or flexible reading pathways that could not be included in traditionally published books, as well as an active distribution plan.
Anticipated products must be published in digital form and include, but are not limited to, monographs, peer-reviewed articles, websites, virtual exhibitions, translations with annotations or a critical apparatus, or critical editions resulting from previous research. Projects may be at any stage of development.
What’s new for 2020
- The narrative is expanded to four pages for a fuller explication of both the humanities significance and the digital methods.
- Voluntary drafts can be submitted by March 11, 2020 for review by NEH staff.
- Applications are required to include appendices that illustrate the project’s digital structure and design.
Disclaimer: This is not a complete list of all changes to the Notice of Funding Opportunity. Refer to the full Notice under Step 1.
View the Online Information Session
The webinar NEH-Mellon Fellowships for Digital Publication 2020: What’s New and Application Tips was held on February 26, 2020. You may view a recording of the session by registering at this link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/4608443963819439627
(If you previously registered for the session, simply resubmit the information to access the recording.)
The webinar explained the goals of the NEH-Mellon Fellowships for Digital Publication program, eligibility requirements, what’s new this year, and how to write an effective application. The main slide presentation is 35 minutes, followed by 45 minutes of questions from participants. The recording will remain on the NEH website through the application deadline, which is April 22, 2020.
A transcript of the information session is available here: Transcript (PDF)
As soon as you know you're ready to apply for this grant, make sure you register for a grants.gov account as this is vital to the grants process. If you already have registered, make sure the account is up to date.
Begin by reading the full grant guidelines and studying the application. The files are linked below. You want to ensure you understand all the expectations and restrictions for projects delivered under this grant and are prepared to write the most effective application.
Download Application Materials
NEH - Mellon Fellowships for Digital Publication 2020 notice of funding opportunity
NEH-Mellon Fellowships for Digital Publication Grants.gov Application Package
Program Resources
Fellowships Frequently Asked Questions, 2020 (PDF)
NEH-Mellon Fellowships Award List
Sample Application Narratives
Anthropology, Democracy and Cultural Exchange after the Arab Spring
Music, A Critical Edition of Italian Songs from the Time of Christopher Columbus
Be sure to follow the instructions outlined in the notice of funding opportunity guidelines and the Grants.gov instructions.
You will receive a confirmation from Grants.gov when you've successfully submitted your application.
After you submit your application, Grants.gov will send you up to five e-mail messages confirming receipt of your application. These messages represent different stages in the application acceptance process. You should verify that you have received all confirmation messages. Please note that email filters may send these messages to your spam or junk folder.
NEH requests letters of reference from your recommenders approximately seven to ten days after the application deadline. You will be notified by e-mail when each of your letters of reference has been received. After you have received the fifth message from Grants.gov (confirming that NEH received your application), you may check the status of your letters by logging in to the secure area of NEH’s website. Enter your NEH application number and your Grants.gov tracking number. You will be able to see the names and e-mail addresses of your letter writers and whether their letters have arrived. If necessary, you may send reminders to your letter writers (including the upload link) from this site. You are responsible for ensuring that your letter writers have received the solicitations from NEH and submitted their letters.
