NEH-Mellon Fellowships for Digital Publication
Division of Research Programs
THE DEADLINE FOR THIS CYCLE HAS PASSED.
Updated guidelines will be posted in advance of the next deadline. In the meantime, please use these guidelines to get a sense of what is involved in assembling an application.
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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. Projects may be at any stage of development.
Watch a Recording of the Online Information Session
A live online information session was held on January 31, 2022. The session explained the goals of the NEH-Mellon Fellowships program, the eligibility requirements, how to apply, how applications are reviewed, and how to write an effective application. To watch a recording of the session, please click here. The main presentation is about twenty minutes long.
Read the Notice of Funding Opportunity to ensure you understand all the expectations and restrictions for projects delivered under this grant and are prepared to write the most effective application.
Application Materials
NEH-Mellon Fellowships for Digital Publication Notice of Funding Opportunity, 2022
NEH-Mellon Fellowships for Digital Publication Grants.gov application package
Program Resources
Fellowships Frequently Asked Questions, 2022 (PDF)
NEH-Mellon Fellowships Award List
Sample Application Narratives
A 3D Exploration of Vision, Sound, and Movement in the Ancient Maya City of Copan (3D mapping)
Italian Songs from the Time of Christopher Columbus: A Critical Edition (Multimedia Edition)
Democracy and Cultural Exchange after the Arab Spring (Multimedia Monograph)
As soon as you know you're ready to apply for this grant, register for a Grants.gov account. If you already have registered, make sure the account is up to date.
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. 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.
NEH will request letters of reference from your recommenders approximately seven to ten days after the application deadline. You will be notified by email when each of your letters of reference has been received. Once you receive final confirmation of receipt from Grants.gov, 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.
