Media Projects
Division of Public 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.
Grant Snapshot
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Short Documentaries is no longer a separate grant program, but the NEH continues to fund short documentary films through the Media Projects program.
The Media Projects program supports the development, production, and distribution of radio programs, podcasts, long-form documentary films, and documentary film series that engage general audiences with humanities ideas in creative and appealing ways. Projects must be grounded in humanities scholarship and demonstrate an approach that is thoughtful, balanced, and analytical. Media Projects offers two levels of funding: Development and Production.
View a pre-recorded webinar.
View a segment from a 2020 webinar in which Susi Walsh (Center for Independent Documentary), Arwen Curry (director, Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin), Eric Stange (director, Edgar Allan Poe: Buried Alive), and David Weinstein (NEH program officer) share tips on preparing proposals for NEH Media Projects. Thanks to the Center for Independent Documentary, which hosted the webinar, and the webinar participants.
Begin by reading the Notice of Funding Opportunity to ensure you understand the expectations and restrictions for projects delivered under this grant and are prepared to write the most effective application.
Application Materials
Media Projects Notice of Funding Opportunity, 2021
Media Projects Grants.Gov application package, 2021
Program Resources
Media Projects Frequently Asked Questions, 2021
Media Projects: Development awards, 2018-2021
Media Projects: Production awards, 2018-2021
Sample Application Narratives
Development
Shanghailanders (narrative and treatment)
Winchelldom: The World of Walter Winchell (narrative and treatment)
City Lore New York Center for Urban Culture, Jewish American Soldiers in World War II (narrative and treatment)
Production
Lost Highways Podcast (narrative and treatment)
Bob Hope: America's Entertainer (narrative and script)
Public Radio International, American Icons III: Stories about Creativity, the Arts, and the Humanities (narrative only)
Twin Cities Public Television, Slavery by Another Name (narrative only)
To apply to this program, your organization will be need to be registered for a D-U-N-S® number, with the System for Awards Management (SAM), and with Grants.gov. If your organization has registered with these systems previously, confirm that your registrations are current and up to date. If you fail to allow ample time to complete registration with SAM or Grants.gov, you will not be eligible for a deadline extension or waiver of the online electronic submission requirement.
Be sure to follow the instructions outlined in the Notice of Funding Opportunity and in 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.