Funding Opportunity for

Individuals

Summer Stipends

Maximum award amount

$8,000

Expected Output

Archaeological Report; Article; Book; Digital Resource or Publication; Edition; Other Scholarly Resource; Translation

Period of performance

2 months

NEH has moved to a shared payment service operated by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and can no longer deposit funds for awards to individuals into an institutional bank account. Starting with awards issued August 2024, NEH will make payment to a personal bank account only.

The National Endowment for the Humanities’ Summer Stipends program aims to stimulate new research in the humanities and its publication. The program works to accomplish this goal by:

  • Providing small awards to individuals pursuing advanced research that is of value to humanities scholars, general audiences, or both
  • Supporting projects at any stage of development, but especially early-stage research and late-stage writing in which small awards are most effective
  • Funding a wide range of individuals, including independent scholars, community college faculty, and non-teaching staff at universities

Summer Stipends support continuous full-time work on a humanities project for a period of two consecutive months.  NEH funds may support recipients’ compensation, travel, and other costs related to the proposed scholarly research.

Note about Humanities Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence

This grant program is one of ten NEH programs that are part of NEH’s Humanities Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence initiative, which is encouraging research on the ethical, legal, and societal implications of AI. To learn more about the initiative, please see our page about the AI initiative.

What’s new for 2024

  • New eligibility guidelines: the program limits eligibility to individuals who have not previously held an NEH award in any of its programs for individuals.
  • New nominations guidelines: Institutions may nominate only one faculty member at this deadline.

Get More Information

On Wednesday July 10, 2024 from 2:00-3:00 p.m. EDT. NEH presented a webinar for nominators and prospective applicants. Staff provided an introduction to the program, explained changes for the 2024 competition, described the application and nomination process, and offered some application-writing suggestions. The webinar, including a question and answer session, was recorded and can be viewed here.  

On August 21, 2024, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EDT, NEH staff hosted a webinar for applicants. The webinar offered an overview of the program, described the review process and application components, and provided tips for writing a strong proposal. The live Q&A is included in this recording.

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 all the expectations and restrictions for projects delivered under this grant and are prepared to write the most effective application.

Application Materials

Notice of Funding Opportunity, 2024 (PDF)

Grants.gov application package

Program Resources

Awards, 2019-2024

Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence for NEH Grant Proposals

Sample Application Narratives

American History Summer Stipends Sample Application (PDF)

American Literature Summer Stipends Sample Application (PDF)

Art History Summer Stipends Sample Application (PDF)

Latin American Studies Summer Stipends Sample Application (PDF)

Philosophy Summer Stipends Sample Application (PDF)

Social Sciences Summer Stipend Sample Application (PDF)

Register for an account on Grants.gov

When you are ready to apply, register for a Grants.gov account. If you already have registered, make sure the account is current. After registering, you must add an “individual applicant” profile. Click on the “My Account” link, then on “Manage Profiles” and “Add Profile.” Refer to Grants.gov’s instructions for adding a profile.

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.

Monitor the status of the submission of your letters of recommendation

You will be notified by e-mail when each of your letters of reference has been received. After you have received the Grants.gov Agency Tracking Number Assignment message, you may check the status of your letters of reference 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 of reference have arrived. If necessary, you may send reminders to your letter writers (including the upload link) from this site.