The National Endowment for the Humanities
(NEH)
Presented by Mary Huffman
for the
2010 Oklahoma State Board of Regents
Grant Writing Institute
National Endowment for the Humanities
NEH.gov
1-800-NEH-1121
What types of grants does the National
Endowment for the Humanities fund?
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NEH offers grants for humanities projects in
education, public programs, preservation and
access, and research.
What does the term “Humanities”
encompass?
The study of history, literature,
languages, philosophy,
comparative religion, and other
related disciplines.
Question:
What do you want to do?
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Raise money for your home institution to support
the humanities?
Explore ways of applying digital technology to
the humanities? Enhance your classroom
teaching?
Preserve collections?
Provide advanced training in preservation
methods?
What else would you like to do?
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Develop a reference work or research tool?
Plan or implement an exhibition or interpretive
program?
Develop or produce a radio or television
broadcast or a digitally delivered program?
Conduct research on a humanities subject?
NEH might be the one to contact

But wait! Let’s narrow this down a little,
before you call someone.
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Let’s start off with the different divisions
of NEH – after all, you don’t want to
waste your time getting the runaround,
do you?
NEH has 8 different Divisions with
funding available
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Division of Education Programs
Division of Preservation and Access
Division of Public Programs
Division of Research Programs
Federal/State Partnership
Office of Challenge Grants
Office of Digital Humanities
Division of Education
Seeks to improve humanities
education at schools and colleges
Division of Education Programs
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Grants for teaching and learning the humanities
in schools and colleges in the U.S.
Summer Seminars and Institutes for College and
University Teachers
Summer Seminars and Institutes for School
Teachers
Landmarks of American History & Culture
workshops for:
–
–
School teachers
Community college faculty
More Division of Education Programs
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Humanities Initiatives:
–
–
–
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Historically Black College and Universities
Institutions with High Hispanic Enrollment
Tribal Colleges &University
Enduring Questions
Teaching Development Fellowships
Picturing America School Collaboration
Projects
DIVISION OF PRESERVATION AND
ACCESS
Provides grants for humanities
collections and reference resources
Division of Preservation and Access

Humanities Collections and Reference
Resources

Research and Development Projects
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Education and Training
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Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller
Institutions
Division of Preservation and Access,
cont.
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National Digital Newspaper Program
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Documenting Endangered Languages
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Save America’s Treasures
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Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections
Division of Public Programs
Grant programs to provide
opportunities for life-long learning
Division of Public Programs
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America’s Historical and Cultural
Organizations
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America’s Media Makers
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Bridging Cultures through Film: International
Topics
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Small Grants to Libraries
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NEH on the Road
Division of Research Programs
Encourages research and writing in all
areas of the humanities, including the
study of history, literature, philosophy,
religion, and foreign cultures.
Division of Research Programs
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Awards for Faculty:
– at Historically Black Colleges and
Universities
–
at Institutions with High Hispanic
Enrollment
–
at Tribal Colleges and Universities
Division of Research Programs – cont.
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Fellowships for teaching
development and for Advanced
Social Science Research on Japan
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Fellowship Programs at
Independent Research Institutions
Division of Research Programs – cont.
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Summer Stipends
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Documenting Endangered Languages
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Collaborative Research
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Scholarly Editions and Translations
Federal/State Partnership
This collaborative effort links NEH
with fifty-six nonprofit state and
jurisdictional humanities councils.
Federal/State Partnership
Grant Programs :
 General Operating Support Grants
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We the People Project Grants for State
Humanities Councils
Office of Challenge Grants
By offering matching funds, challenge grants
help local, state, and national institutions
secure their humanities resources and
activities for the long term.
Office of Challenge Grants
Grant Programs:
 We the People Challenge Grants in
United States History, Institutions, and
Culture
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Special Encouragement Challenge Grants
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Digital Humanities Challenge Grants
Office of Digital Humanities
NEH’s Office of Digital Humanities takes a
leadership role in helping the humanities
embrace and use the technology created by
the digital revolution.
Office of Digital Humanities
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Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants
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Institutes for Advanced Topics in the
Digital Humanities
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DFG/NEH Bilateral Digital Humanities
Programs:
Office of Digital Humanities – cont.
DFG/NEH Bilateral Digital Humanities
Programs:
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Enriching Digital Collections
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The Digging into Data Challenge
Check them all out!
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http://neh.gov/
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Click on “Divisions”
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Under each division is a list of grants where
you can see sample projects and program
guidelines
NEH provides funds for neat
stuff!
Who can apply?
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Individual or institutional grant?
Please consult the “Eligibility” section of
specific program guidelines for more
information.
Institutional Applications
U.S. nonprofit institutions (public agencies or
private nonprofit organizations) are eligible
for funding; state and local governments are
also eligible.
Electronic Applications
Go to: http://grants.gov/
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Individuals and institutions applying for an
NEH grant must go through http://grants.gov/
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For easier access, go the relevant NEH
website (http://neh.gov/) and find the
application instructions, this will link directly
to grants.gov
Review Process
Step 1:
Proposals are reviewed by a Peer
panel :
Ratings: E, VG, G, SM, NC
Review Process - cont.
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Step 2
The National Council for the Humanities
reviews the panel decisions and makes
recommendations for funding.
Review Process - cont.
Step 3
The Chairman decides who gets funded based
on the recommendations from the panel, the
staff, and the Council.
How is my proposal evaluated?
Evaluation is based on:
 Intellectual merit
 Quality of the project design
 Potential for significant results
(and following instructions)
Did I mention reading AND following
instructions?
When will I know?
How long until I hear if my grant is funded after
it’s submitted?
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Generally it takes 7-8 months after the
deadline to hear a decision.
Helpful Hints
1.
Talk to your institution AND a program
officer at NEH about your idea
2.
Visit http://neh.gov/ and READ the
guidelines, particularly the “Criteria for
Selection”
3.
Go to http://grants.gov/, play around and
learn - they have tutorials
Helpful Hints – cont.
4. Get samples (yes, NEH does have samples),
and ask questions
5. Make an outline from the application
instructions and follow it!
6. Write a draft and get someone to read it.
Helpful Hints – cont.
7. Work with the NEH program director via email or phone
and ask for comments/suggestions on the draft
8. Submit the application before the deadline (Just in case
the computer breaks)
9. Ask for a letter with reviewer comments of why, or why
not funded
Helpful Hints – cont.
10. If not funded, rewrite and resubmit – try, try
again! (do NOT submit the same proposal
without revisions)
11. Become a panelist/reviewer yourself (fill out
the form online at
ww.neh.gov/grants/index.html)
12. Read other NEH applications your
institution has submitted, if possible
Notes from a Program Officer:
Most important!
What is listed FIRST in the grant
applications instructions is FIRST for a
REASON!
(Follow the outline you made, remember the outline you made?)
More Notes from a Program Officer:
The reviewers look for “quality” not geographic
distribution of grant awarded.
Explain your speciality for the benefit of the
panelists.
And More Notes from a Program Officer:
Limit the jargon!
Address the grant to a general audience
(Send a draft to a relative to see if they
understand it!)
And even More Notes from a Program
Officer:
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List the strengths of the project “before”you
write the grant, e.g. does your institution
have a new class/program they’re offering?
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How did the project come about?
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What do you bring to the table?
And the last Notes from a Program
Officer:
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The reviewers need to see how the
curriculum vitas, bibliographies, etc. relate to
the narrative
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i.e., are the people who would be working on
the grant qualified to perform the work?
And finally, my own notes
Read all instructions, follow the instructions,
follow and read the instructions, write the
proposal according to the instructions
Outline your own draft to see if it follows the
instructions 
Bear through it all, it’s worth it!
Here’s wishing you ….
a-MAZING results and a new beginning!
References
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http://neh.gov/
http://grants.gov/
Powerpoint presentation from Rebecca
Boggs, Senior Program Officer, Division of
Education Programs,
Notes from meeting held with Doug Arnold,
NEH Program Director on Feb. 2, 2009