Funding Opportunity for

Organizations

Scholarly Editions and Translations

Maximum award amount

$300,000 in outright funds; up to $450,000 may be available if requesting at least $150,000 in matching funds. Up to $1 million for Chairman’s Special Awards in American History and Culture.

Expected Output

Annotated Edition; Annotated Translation; Digital Edition; Print Volume

Period of performance

One to three years. For a Chairman’s Special Award, you must request a period of performance of five years.

The Scholarly Editions and Translations program provides grants to organizations to support collaborative teams who are editing, annotating, and translating foundational humanities texts that are vital to generating new scholarship but are inaccessible or only available in inadequate editions or translations. Works from any humanities field may be the subject of an edition. Since the program’s inception in 1966, the NEH has funded editions and translations of some of the most significant historical, literary, philosophical, and music texts. 

The program supports continuous full-time or part-time activities during the period of performance of one to three years. Typical project expenses include salary for editorial and research activities, travel to collections to verify source material, and consultant fees for translation, editorial work, and the implementation of a digital edition. Editions and translations may be print, digital, or a combination of both, but all editions and translations must contain additional and new scholarly material such as introductions, annotations, and critical apparatus. The Scholarly Editions and Translations program includes three funding levels: Planning, Implementation, and Chairman's Special Awards in American History and Culture. 

New in 2024-25

  • 2025: For projects on topics in American history and culture with exceptional significance and audience reach having successful completed at least one implementation-level award, there is a new implementation-level award: Chairman’s Special Awards of up to $1,000,000 for exactly five years. These awards will be rare.
  • 2025: Optional drafts submission are limited to four pages, instead of six, and the question prompts have been reduced.
  • 2024: Projects not applying for a planning grant are considered implementation grant applications.
  • 2024: Undergraduate students are prohibited from performing translation work for projects.
  • 2024: The program does not support the preparation of anthologies or sourcebooks.
  • 2024: Applicants receiving matching funds must raise and certify all eligible gifts and pledges six months before the end of the period of performance.

 

New Opportunities for International Collaboration with Greece and Israel:

Collaborative projects involving U.S.-based scholars working closely with scholars in Greece or Israel should read about new international collaboration opportunities that could provide additional funding.  More information about these Partnership Opportunity Notifications (PONs) can be found here.

View the Scholarly Editions and Translation Pre-Application Webinar here:

Examples of Projects Funded by this Grant Program

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Application Instructions

Review your application package

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

Application Materials

Notice of Funding Opportunity 2024/2025 (PDF) 

Grants.gov application package

Instructions for Chairman's Special Initiative in American History (PDF) 

Grants.gov application package for Chairman's Special Initiative in American History: Presidential Papers

Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)

Program Resources

Awards, 2020-2024

Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence for NEH Grant Proposals

Sample Application Narratives

Benedictine University, Translation of the Khataynameh ("Book of China")

Connecticut College, Translation of the Gongyang and Guliang Commentaries to Spring and Autumn

Eklutna Native Village, The Upper Inlet Dena'ina Oral Narratives Collection

Massachusetts Historical Society, Adams Papers Editorial Project

University of Virginia, Naval Documents of the American Revolution Planning Grant

Western Carolina University (Cullowhee, NC), Eastern Cherokee Histories in Translation Planning Grant
 

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 and Grants.gov. 

Submit your application package on Grants.gov

You will receive a confirmation from Grants.gov when you've successfully submitted your application. 

Verify you have received email messages from Grants.gov

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.