NEH Grant Programs
Awards for Faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities; Online applications accepted through April 14, 2011
The deadline for this program 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.
Date posted: February 11, 2011
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 45.160
Questions?
Contact NEH’s Division of Research Programs at 202-606-8200 or FacultyAwards@neh.gov. Hearing-impaired applicants can contact NEH via TDD at 1-866-372-2930.
Grant Program Description
This program supports individual faculty members at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) pursuing research of value to humanities scholars, students, or general audiences. Awards are designed to be flexible, allowing applicants to define the audience, type of research, award periods, and administrative arrangements that best fit their projects.
Awards can be used for a wide range of projects that are based on humanities research. Eligible projects include pursuing research in primary and secondary materials; producing articles, monographs, books, digital materials, archaeological site reports, translations, editions, or other scholarly resources; and conducting basic research leading to the improvement of an existing undergraduate course or the achievement of institutional or community research goals.
Common to all applications—regardless of their outcome—must be humanities research supporting the goals of the project. Applicants are encouraged to view the List of Sample Projects and Frequently Asked Questions.
NEH Awards for Faculty may not be used for
Special initiative

This program welcomes projects that respond to NEH’s Bridging Cultures initiative. Such projects could focus on cultures internationally, or within the United States. International projects might seek to enlarge Americans’ understanding of other places and times, as well as other perspectives and intellectual traditions. American projects might explore the great variety of cultural influences on, and myriad subcultures within, American society. These projects might also investigate how Americans have approached and attempted to surmount seemingly unbridgeable cultural divides, or examine the ideals of civility and civic discourse that have informed this quest.


Note: All applications will be given equal consideration in accordance with the program’s evaluation criteria, regardless of whether or not they respond to the Bridging Cultures initiative.

Providing access to grant products
As a taxpayer-supported federal agency, NEH endeavors to make the products of its awards available to the broadest possible audience. Our goal is for scholars, educators, students, and the American public to have ready and easy access to the wide range of NEH grant products. For the Awards for Faculty program, such products may include print or digital publications, digital resources, websites, and the like. For projects that lead to the development of websites, all other considerations being equal, NEH gives preference to those that provide free access to the public. Detailed guidance on access and dissemination matters can be found in Section IV, Final product and dissemination, below.
Geospatial data
Applicants requesting funding for the development, acquisition, preservation, or enhancement of geospatial data, products, or services must conduct a due diligence search on the Geospatial One-Stop (GOS) Portal (http://www.geodata.gov) to discover whether their needed geospatial-related data, products, or services already exist. If not, the proposed geospatial data, products, or services must be produced in compliance with applicable proposed guidance posted at http://www.fgdc.gov.

III. Award Information
This program supports awardees who work between half time and full time on their projects. The amount of the award is $4,200 per full-time month. Thus an award to support eight months of half-time work would be $16,800 (equivalent to four months of full-time work at $4,200 per month). The minimum award length is the equivalent of two months of full-time work; the maximum is the equivalent of twelve months of full-time work. The length of support requested should be determined by the complexity of the project, the amount of work to be completed, and the commitment of the institution. Requesting an award period shorter than twelve months will not improve an applicant’s chances of receiving an award.
Recipients may begin their awards as early as January 1, 2012, and as late as July 1, 2013.
Prospective applicants who have questions are encouraged to contact the program staff at FacultyAwards@neh.gov.

Eligibility
This program accepts applications from faculty members and retired faculty members affiliated with Historically Black Colleges or Universities. If you are uncertain about the status of your institution, please check the Department of Education’s list of HBCUs.
Citizenship
All U.S. citizens who teach at or have retired from Historically Black Colleges and Universities are eligible to apply. Foreign nationals who have been living in the United States or its jurisdictions for at least the three years prior to the application deadline are also eligible, provided that they teach at or have retired from any of these institutions.
Currently enrolled students
While applicants need not have advanced degrees, individuals currently enrolled in a degree-granting program are ineligible to apply. Applicants who have satisfied all the requirements for a degree and are awaiting its conferral are eligible for NEH Awards for Faculty; but such applicants need a letter from the dean of the conferring school or their department chair attesting to the applicant’s status as of April 14, 2011. This signed letter may be faxed to the program at 202-606-8204; alternatively, a PDF version of the signed letter may be included as an attachment to an e-mail message sent to FacultyAwards@neh.gov.

Graduate students seeking support for a degree in the humanities should consider the Department of Education’s Jacob K. Javits Fellowship Program.
Dissertation revisions
Applicants may seek funding for projects based on completed dissertations. Dissertation revisions should include a discussion of the ways in which the new project moves beyond the original dissertation.
Projects previously supported by NEH awards
An applicant may apply for funding for a project that has previously received NEH support. However, NEH will ask evaluators to review the accomplishments from the prior award and determine if the project warrants additional support.
Concurrent grants from other organizations
Recipients of these awards may simultaneously hold fellowships or grants from institutions other than NEH—including sabbaticals and grants from their own institutions—in support of the same project during their award period.
Multiple applications
Applicants may compete concurrently in the following programs for individuals in a given year:
Applicants may receive only one NEH individual award in the federal fiscal year 2012 (October 1, 2011-September 30, 2012).
Late, incomplete, or ineligible applications will not be reviewed.
Application and Submission Information
Applications must be submitted before 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time) on April 14, 2011. All applicants must submit their proposals through Grants.gov, the central federal government portal for all grant applications.

Tip: NEH suggests that you submit your application as early as possible, but not later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the day of the deadline. Doing so will leave you time to contact the Grants.gov help desk for support, should you encounter a technical problem of some kind. The Grants.gov help desk is now available seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day (except on federal holidays), at 1-800-518-4726. You can also send an e-mail message to support@grants.gov.
Draft applications
Applicants may submit by e-mail (FacultyAwards@neh.gov) a draft of the narrative section of their proposal. NEH staff will review and comment on drafts arriving on or before March 27, 2011. Staff members will read only one draft per individual per competition. These comments are not part of the formal review process and have no bearing on the final outcome of the proposal, but previous applicants have found them helpful in strengthening their applications. Applicants are not required to submit a draft application.

Once NEH has received a formal application, staff will not comment on its status except with respect to questions of completeness or eligibility.

Applicants may discuss with staff specific concerns or questions that arise during the preparation of their proposals. Contact NEH’s Division of Research Programs at 202-606-8200 or FacultyAwards@neh.gov. Hearing-impaired applicants can contact NEH via TDD at 1-866-372-2930.
HOW TO PREPARE YOUR APPLICATION
Tip: Prior to beginning, applicants should review the evaluation criteria listed below in Section V and consult the List of Sample Projects and Frequently Asked Questions.
Your application should consist of the following parts.
  1. Narrative—Not to Exceed Three Single-Spaced Pages
    The narrative should provide an intellectual justification for your project, covering the four areas listed below: research and contribution; methods and work plan; competencies, skills, and access; and final product and dissemination. A simple statement of need or intent is insufficient. The narrative should not assume specialized knowledge and should be free of technical terms and jargon. Tip: The application should address the evaluation criteria.

    Applicants should format pages with one-inch margins and with a font size no smaller than eleven point. Applications exceeding the page limit or violating the format guidelines will not be reviewed.

    • Research and contribution
      Describe the research on which the project is based. Describe the intellectual significance of the proposed project, including its value to humanities scholars, students, or general audiences. Provide an overview of the project, explaining the basic ideas, problems, or questions examined by the study. Explain how the project will complement, challenge, or expand relevant studies in the field. If appropriate, describe the contribution that the project will make to your students or institution.
      For course revision research projects, discuss the basic ideas, problems, or questions examined by the research project, including the proposed project’s intellectual significance. Explain how the research relates to revising the course and the course readings. Discuss the importance of the course within the applicant’s teaching portfolio and within the institution’s overall curriculum. Include relevant information such as the number of times the course has been offered, whether the course is currently taught, and the number of students enrolled when the course was most recently offered.
    • Methods and work plan
      Discuss your method(s) and provide a work plan describing what will be accomplished during the award period. Include relevant information about your work plan, such as if the award will be held full time or part time. If you do not anticipate finishing the entire project during the award period, discuss your plan for completing the entire project.
      For projects designed to produce published scholarship, explain how the final project will be organized. For book projects, provide a brief chapter outline, if possible. For digital projects, describe the technologies that will be used and developed, and how the scholarship will be presented to benefit audiences in the humanities. For course revision projects, explain the specific ways in which the proposed research will enhance the particular course.
    • Competencies, skills, and access
      Explain your competence in the area of your project. If the area is new to you, explain your reasons for working in it and your qualifications to do so. Specify your level of competence in any language or digital technology needed for the study. Describe where the study will be conducted and what research materials will be used. If relevant, specify the arrangements for access to archives, collections, or institutions that contain the necessary resources. If you are proposing work on human subjects, explain your plans for obtaining IRB (institutional review board) approval.
    • Final product and dissemination
      Describe the intended results of the project and your intended audience. If relevant, explain how the results will be disseminated and why these means are appropriate to the subject matter and audience. If the project has a website, provide the URL.
      If the final product will appear in a language other than English, explain how access and dissemination will be affected.
      NEH expects grantees to provide broad access to all grant products, insofar as the conditions of the materials and intellectual property rights allow. In the case of digital products NEH strongly encourages projects that will offer free public access to online resources. For projects that lead to the development of websites, all other considerations being equal, NEH gives preference to those that provide free access to the public.
  2. Bibliography—Not to Exceed One Single-Spaced Page
    The bibliography should consist of primary and secondary sources that relate directly to the project. Include works that pertain to both the project’s substance and its theoretical or methodological approaches. Evaluators will use the bibliography to assess your knowledge of the subject area.
  3. Résumé—Not to Exceed Two Single-Spaced Pages
    Your résumé should provide the following:
    • Current and Past Positions.
    • Education: List degrees, dates awarded, and titles of theses or dissertations.
    • Awards and Honors: Include dates. If you have received prior support from NEH, indicate the dates of these grants and the publications that resulted from them.
    • Publications: Include full citations for publications and presentations.
    • Other Relevant Professional Activities and Accomplishments.
  4. Appendices—Only for Editions, Translations, Database Projects, Proposals that Include Visual Materials, or Proposals to Improve Existing Courses
    • Editions or Translations: Provide a sample of the original text (one page) and the edited or translated version (one page).
    • Database Projects: Provide a sample entry (one page).
    • Visual Materials: Provide a sample (one page) in PDF format, not .jpg or other common graphic format.
    • Syllabi: For course revision projects, provide the existing course syllabus—including the current course readings—in PDF format.
    • Course Lists: For course revision projects, list courses taught within the last five years. Provide basic information about your teaching in the last year, including the number of students taught, the number of courses offered, and the number of different preparations.
    5. In addition to preparing the narrative, bibliography, résumé, and (if necessary) appendix or appendices, applicants are also asked to solicit two letters of reference. (See below.)
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION VIA GRANTS.GOV

STEP 1: Register with Grants.gov
Tip: NEH strongly recommends that you complete your registration at least one week before the application deadline.
Applicants who have never registered as individual applicants at Grants.gov must go to https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/IndCPRegister and enter this Funding Opportunity Number:
20110414-HB
Applicants who have already registered at Grants.gov as individuals need not re-register to submit their proposals. We encourage you, however, to check your account ahead of the deadline to confirm that it is still active and that your password has not expired.
Applicants who lose their username and password can request a reminder at https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/login.faces?userType=applicant&cleanSession=1. If you have problems registering with Grants.gov, contact the Grants.gov help desk at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov.
STEP 2: Download the current version of the free Adobe Reader
To fill out your application, you will need to download and install the latest version of Adobe Reader, which is available at no charge and is compatible with both PCs and Apple computers. Using older versions of Adobe Reader, or other readers such as Apple Preview, will prevent your application from being processed properly. To download the Adobe Reader or update the Reader already installed on your computer, go to www.adobe.com. Click on “Adobe Reader” under “Download” and then “Download Now.”
STEP 3: Download the Application Package
To submit your application, you will need to download the application package from the Grants.gov website. You can download the application package at any time. (You do not have to wait for your Grants.gov registration to be complete.) Click the button to the right to download the package.
Save the application package to your computer’s hard drive. Like any other file on your computer, the NEH Awards for Faculty application can be selected, opened, and saved; you do not have to be online to work on it. You can save your work by clicking the “Save” button at the top of the screen.

To assist applicants, Grants.gov provides a helpful troubleshooting page.

STEP 4: Prepare the Application Forms
The application package contains three forms that you must complete in order to submit your application:
Form I: How to Fill Out the Application for Federal Domestic Assistance SF-424-Individual Form
In the “Application Filing Name” field that appears upon opening the application package, type your name.
Move the Application for Federal Domestic Assistance SF-424-Individual Form from the “Mandatory Documents” field on the left side of the page to the “Mandatory Documents for Submission” field on the right by first clicking on the document to highlight it and then clicking on the right-facing arrow button. To open the form, first click on the document to highlight it in the “Mandatory Documents for Submission” field, then click the “Open Forms” button beneath the field to complete the form.
You may disregard items 1-4 on the form:
  1. Name of Federal Agency: This will be filled in automatically.
  2. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: This will be filled in automatically.
  3. Date Received: Please leave blank.
  4. Funding Opportunity Number: This will be filled in automatically.

    Provide the following information for items 5-7:
  5. Applicant Information (includes the following sections):
    a.“Name and Contact Information.” Provide your name, telephone number, e-mail address, and mailing address. Note: You must include an e-mail address in the “Email” field, even though the field is not highlighted.
    b.“Address.” Provide your mailing address. Note: Your zip code must include the four-digit extension, preceded by a hyphen. If you do not know your four-digit extension, use
    “ -0000” (four zeros).
    c.“Citizenship Status.” Indicate with an “X.”
    d.“Congressional District of Applicant.” Enter the number (just the number, not the state) of your Congressional district. To find the number of your Congressional district, visit the House of Representatives website at http://www.house.gov and type your zip code into the “Find Your Representative” tool. If you do not have a Congressional district (i.e., you are in a state or U.S. territory that does not have districts or you are in a foreign country), enter a “0” (zero).
  6. Project Information (includes the following sections):
    7. a. “Project Title.” Enter this, even though the field is not highlighted. The title should be brief (not more than 125 characters), descriptive, and informative to a nonspecialist audience.

    b. “Project Description.” Describe your project for a nonspecialist audience, stating the importance of the proposed work to larger issues in the humanities. Do not exceed one thousand characters, including spaces.

    Note 1: If you exceed one thousand characters, including spaces, the Grants.gov validation software will reject your application when you submit it.

    Note 2: Because of a programming error, the Grants.gov software governing the Project Description field converts every curved (or “curly”) apostrophe and quotation mark and every special character into a string of three question marks. Although these extraneous question marks do not affect the evaluation of your proposal, they may put your character count over the limit. There are two solutions. Either a) retype all apostrophes, quotation marks, and special characters after copying-and-pasting the text of your project description in the Project Description field, or b) type, rather than copy-and-paste, your entire project description in the field.

    c. “Proposed Project.” Enter the starting and ending dates for your project.

  7. Signature: Click on the “I Agree” box.
Click on the “Save” button at the top of the form to save your work and return to the main menu.
Form II: How to Use the Attachments Form
Move the Attachments Form from the “Mandatory Documents” field on the left side of the page to the “Mandatory Documents for Submission” field on the right by first clicking on the document to highlight it, then clicking on the right-facing arrow button. To open the form, first click on the document to highlight it in the “Mandatory Documents for Submission” field, then click the “Open Forms” button beneath the field to complete the form.
The component parts of your application must be attached to the Attachments Form in Portable Document Format (PDF). NEH cannot accept attachments in their original word processing, graphic, or spreadsheet formats. If you do not have access to software to convert your files into PDFs, many available low-cost and free software packages will do so. To learn more, go to www.neh.gov/grants/grantsgov/pdf.html.
When you open the Grants.gov Attachments Form, you will find fifteen attachment buttons, labeled “Attachment 1” through “Attachment 15.” By clicking on a button, you will be able to choose the file from your computer that you wish to attach. You must name and attach your files in the proper order, as listed below:
ATTACHMENT 1: To this button, please attach your project narrative. Name the file “narrative.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 2: To this button, please attach your bibliography. Name the file “bibliography.pdf”
ATTACHMENT 3: To this button, please attach your résumé. Name the file “resume.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 4: To this button, please attach your appendix or appendices (if necessary). Necessary appendices include translation samples, database samples, visual materials, and (for course revision projects) syllabi and course lists. Name the file “appendix.pdf”.
Note: To ensure that NEH’s system does not reject your application after it has been retrieved from Grants.gov, check that your attachments meet the following requirements:
1. All attachments must be converted from word-processed format to PDF format.
2. Attachments must be in the specified order.
3. Attachments must not exceed the specified length limitations.
4. No attachments other than those specified above may be included.
Form III: How to Use the NEH Supplemental Information for Individuals Form
Using the same procedure you have used for Forms I and II, open the form and provide the following information:


STEP 5:Upload Your Application to Grants.gov
When you have completed the Application for Federal Domestic Assistance SF-424-Individual Form and the NEH Supplemental Information for Individuals Form and attached the component parts of your application to the Attachments Form, follow these steps:
  1. Save your work by clicking the “Save” button at the top of the application package.
  2. Click the “Check Package for Errors” button to ensure that you have completed all the fields on the SF-424 Form.
  3. Correct any errors; if none are found, again click the “Save” button. This will activate the “Save and Submit” button.
  4. To submit your application, click the “Save and Submit” button. Your computer will automatically connect to the Internet, and the Grants.gov Applicant Login page will appear. Supply your username and password (see STEP 1 above), and click the “Login” button.
  5. A Security Warning pop-up box will appear. Click on “Allow.”
  6. The Grants.gov Application Submission Verification and Signature page will appear. Click on the “Sign and Submit Application” button.
  7. Another Security Warning pop-up box will appear. Click on “Allow.” Your application package will be uploaded to Grants.gov. When you receive e-mail confirmation of your submission from Grants.gov (generally, this occurs within two minutes), you may exit the program.
If you find that you need to make a change to your application after you have submitted it, you may do so any time before the application deadline. Simply resubmit the corrected version through Grants.gov. All submissions are time-stamped, and NEH will keep only your most recent one.
After you submit your application, you will receive four e-mail messages confirming receipt of your application. The first three are from Grants.gov:
  1. “Grants.gov Submission Receipt”;
  2. “Grants.gov Submission Validation Receipt”; and
  3. “Grants.gov Grantor Agency Retrieval Receipt.”
    4. Note: Each of these three e-mail messages includes your application’s Grants.gov tracking number. Keep these e-mail messages for your records.
    These messages are normally sent within twenty-four hours of the submission, but delays could occur in the event of heavy system usage.
    If you do not receive all three of these messages, or if the messages indicate that the application has been rejected, contact Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov/index.jsp) at 1-800-518-GRANTS (4726) or support@grants.gov. Include the Grants.gov tracking number in correspondence regarding the application.

  4. NEH confirmation receipt
    5. The fourth e-mail message is from NEH and assigns your application an NEH tracking number, which is different from your Grants.gov tracking number. You will receive this e-mail message within ten business days after the application deadline.
    You will need both your Grants.gov tracking number and your NEH tracking number in order to send reminder e-mail messages to your referees if that should be necessary.
Deadlines
Applications for NEH Awards for Faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities must be received by Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on April 14, 2011. Grants.gov will date- and time-stamp your application after it is fully uploaded. Applications submitted after that date will not be accepted.
Application Review
Evaluators are asked to apply the following five criteria when judging the quality of applications.
  1. The intellectual significance of the proposed project, including its value to scholars, students, or general audiences in the humanities.
  2. The quality or promise of quality of the applicant as a humanities teacher and researcher.
  3. The quality of the conception, definition, organization, and description of the project and the clarity of expression in the application.
  4. The feasibility of the proposed plan of work, including, when appropriate, the soundness of the dissemination and access plans for the proposed audience or audiences.
  5. The likelihood that the applicant will complete the project.
This program supports projects at any stage of development.
Review and selection process
Knowledgeable persons outside NEH will read each application and advise the agency about its merits. NEH staff comments on matters of fact or on significant issues that otherwise would be missing from these reviews, then makes recommendations to the National Council on the Humanities. The National Council meets at various times during the year to advise the NEH chairman on grants. The chairman takes into account the advice provided by the review process and, by law, makes all funding decisions.
Award Administration Information
Award notices
Applicants will be notified of the results of their applications by e-mail in early December 2011. All applicants may obtain the evaluations of their applications by sending a letter to NEH, Division of Research Programs, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Room 318, Washington, D.C. 20506, or an e-mail message to FacultyAwards@neh.gov.
Award conditions
Before submitting an application, applicants should review NEH’s Research Misconduct Policy.
The requirements for awards are contained in the General Information on NEH Awards for Faculty and any specific terms and conditions contained in the award document.
Reporting requirements
A final performance report will be due within ninety days after the end of the award period. This report must be submitted electronically via eGMS, NEH’s online grant management system.
Points of Contact
If you have questions about the program, contact:
Division of Research Programs
Room 318
National Endowment for the Humanities
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20506
202-606-8200
FacultyAwards@neh.gov
If you need help using Grants.gov, contact:
Grants.gov help desk: support@grants.gov
Grants.gov customer support tutorials and manuals: http://www.grants.gov/CustomerSupport
Grant.gov support line: 1-800-518-GRANTS (4726)
Other Information
Privacy policy
Information in these guidelines is solicited under the authority of the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act of 1965, as amended, 20 U.S.C. 956. The principal purpose for which the information will be used is to process the grant application. The information may also be used for statistical research, analysis of trends, and Congressional oversight. Failure to provide the information may result in the delay or rejection of the application.
Application completion time
The Office of Management and Budget requires federal agencies to supply information on the time needed to complete forms and also to invite comments on the paperwork burden. NEH estimates that the average time to complete this application is fifteen hours per response. This estimate includes time for reviewing instructions, researching, gathering, and maintaining the information needed, and completing and reviewing the application.
Please send any comments regarding the estimated completion time or any other aspect of this application, including suggestions for reducing the completion time, to the Chief Guidelines Officer, at guidelines@neh.gov; to the Office of Publications, National Endowment for the Humanities, Washington, D.C. 20506; and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (3136-0134), Washington, D.C. 20503. According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB number.

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