Summer Stipends
Division of Research Programs
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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
- Furthering the NEH’s commitment to diversity and inclusion in the humanities by encouraging applications from independent scholars and faculty at Hispanic Serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and community colleges
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.
NEH staff hosted a webinar describing the program, including eligibility, the application and nomination processes, and suggestions for writing an effective application. The presentation included questions and answers from participants. To watch the presentation, click here or view below. A PDF version of the presentation slides is also available.
A second webinar focused on application writing tips can be viewed here. A PDF version of the presentation slides is also available.
NOTE: The Grants.gov funding opportunity includes the application packages for both the September 23, 2020 and September 22, 2021 deadlines to this program. If you are applying for the September 23, 2020 deadline, please select the “Summer Stipends (2020 deadline)” application package under the “Package’ tab.
Begin by reading the notice of funding opportunity. 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
Summer Stipends Notice of Funding Opportunity, September 2020-2021 (PDF)
Grants.gov application package for Summer Stipends
Summer Stipend awards, 2018-2020
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)
As soon as you know you're ready to apply to this program, make sure you register for a Grants.gov account as this is vital to the grants process. If you already have registered for an account, make sure it is up to date.
Be sure to follow the instructions outlined in the notice of funding opportunity 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.
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.
