![]() Date posted: May 18, 2010
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 45.164
Questions?
Contact the staff of NEH’s Division of Public Programs at 202-606-8269 or publicpgms@neh.gov. Hearing-impaired applicants can contact NEH via TDD at 1-866-372-2930.
The Bridging Cultures through Film: International Topics program supports projects that examine international and transnational themes in the humanities through documentary films. These projects are meant to spark Americans’ engagement with the broader world by exploring one or more countries and cultures outside of the United States. Proposed documentaries must be analytical and deeply grounded in humanities scholarship. The Division of Public Programs encourages the exploration of innovative nonfiction storytelling that presents multiple points of view in creative formats. The proposed film must range in length from a stand-alone broadcast hour to a feature-length documentary. We invite a wide range of approaches to international and transnational topics and themes, such as
Sample project:
A two-hour documentary probed the life and teachings of a man from northern India who set out on a journey to comprehend human suffering over two thousand years ago and came to be known as the Buddha. The film creatively wove together ancient artwork, contemporary animation, poetry, and footage from modern-day India, to provide background on the rise of Buddhism—a religion whose rituals are still practiced today in much of the world by millions of followers. Scholars from a variety of disciplines and countries examined the key stages of the Buddha’s journey and reflected on the meanings of the Buddha for our lives today. Projects are strongly encouraged to demonstrate international collaboration by enlisting scholars based both in the United States and abroad, and/or by working with an international media team. Such collaborations would bring broader and better informed views of proposed topics. Bridging Cultures through Film: International Topics offers two levels of support for documentary films: development and production. Filmmakers can apply for either development or production funding, but not both simultaneously. Development funds support filmmakers for a wide range of activities that include but are not limited to collaboration with scholars to develop humanities content, research, preliminary interviews, travel, and the creation of partnerships for outreach activities (public engagement with the humanities). Applicants must have obtained the commitment of humanities scholars to serve as advisers to the project prior to applying for a development grant. Development funds should culminate in a script and identify the producer, director, and writer for the production phase. Funds may also be applied to the production of a trailer. Production funds support filmmakers in various stages of production and post-production. Applicants must submit a script for a production grant. This script should demonstrate a solid command of the humanities ideas and scholarship related to the subject matter. Applicants must have consulted with appropriate humanities scholars about the project and must have obtained their commitment to advise the project. Development and production funds may not be used for the following:
Acknowledgment of NEH support NEH requires crediting on screen for any program based on or incorporating the materials created with these awards, including any works derived from those materials. 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 award products. For the Bridging Cultures through Film program, such products may include television programs. Detailed guidance on access and dissemination matters can be found in the Distribution expectations and rights section below. Distribution expectations and rights Once production is completed, NEH expects that projects will be offered for distribution to broad public audiences, so that the American public will have ready and easy access to the products of NEH awards. NEH must approve all distribution arrangements before they are finalized. While the grantee owns the rights to the products of the grant, such as program scripts
and television programs, NEH reserves a nonexclusive and irrevocable right to use materials
produced under a grant and to authorize others to use these materials for federal purposes.
For more information on NEH’s rights to grant products, please see
Article 23 of the General Terms and
Conditions for Awards to Organizations.
Program income Award recipients are required to report income earned from grant products during the grant period and for seven years following the end of the grant. In addition, a percentage of income earned during this period must be returned to NEH. The percentage is based upon the proportion of the total project costs that NEH supported. For further information, please see the NEH Program Income Policy.
Awards are for one to three years and for up to $75,000 (for development) and up to $800,000 (for production). Successful applicants will be awarded a grant in outright funds, matching funds, or a combination of the two, depending on the applicant’s preference and the availability of funds.
(Learn more about different types of grant funding.)
Cost sharing
Cost sharing includes cash contributions to a project by the applicant and third parties, as well as in-kind contributions, such as donated goods and services. Cost sharing also includes gift money raised to release federal matching funds. Although cost sharing is not required, NEH is rarely able to support the full costs of projects approved for funding. In most cases, film grants cover no more than 50-60 percent of project costs. Funding commitments Successful applicants for production grants will be required to have commitments for the full funding of a project before grant funds are released and production begins. Other award information A grant from NEH for one stage of a project does not commit NEH to continued support for the project. Applications for each stage of a project are evaluated independently. Any U.S. nonprofit organization with IRS 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status is eligible, as are state and local governmental agencies. Individuals are not eligible to apply. Independent producers who wish to apply for NEH funding are advised to seek an eligible organization to sponsor the project and submit the application to NEH. Under this arrangement, the sponsoring organization is considered the grantee of record and assumes all attendant responsibilities of a grantee organization. NEH generally does not award grants to other federal entities or to applicants whose projects are so closely intertwined with a federal entity that the project takes on characteristics of the federal entity’s own authorized activities. This does not preclude applicants from using grant funds from, or sites and materials controlled by, other federal entities in their projects. If an application for a project is already under review, another application for the same project cannot be accepted.
Late, incomplete, and ineligible applications will not be reviewed.
HOW TO PREPARE YOUR APPLICATION
Application advice and proposal drafts
Applicants are encouraged to contact NEH program officers who will answer questions about the review process, supply samples of funded applications relevant to this grant program, and review preliminary drafts. Staff comments are not part of the formal review process and have no bearing on the final outcome of the application. Draft proposals should be sent as attachments to e-mail messages to publicpgms@neh.gov. The following required elements of the proposal must be submitted through Grants.gov.
Register or Verify Registration with Grants.gov
Applications for this program must be submitted via Grants.gov. Before using Grants.gov for the first time, each organization must register with the website to create an institutional profile. Once registered, your organization can then apply for any government grant on the Grants.gov website.
If your organization has already registered and you have verified that your registration is still valid, you may skip this step. If not, please see the Grants.gov checklist to guide you through the registration process. We strongly recommend that you complete or verify your registration at least two weeks before the application deadline, as it takes time for your registration to be processed. If you have problems registering with Grants.gov, call the Grants.gov help desk at 1-800-518-4726.
Download the Free Adobe Reader software
To fill out a Grants.gov application package, you will need to download and install the current version of Adobe Reader. The latest version of Adobe Reader, which is designed to function with PCs and Macintosh computers using a variety of popular operating systems, is available at no charge from the Adobe website (www.adobe.com). Click on “Get Adobe Reader” and then “Download Now.”
Once installed, the current version of Adobe Reader will allow you to view and fill out Grants.gov application packages for any federal agency. If you have a problem installing Adobe Reader, it may be because you do not have permission to install a new program on your computer. Many organizations have rules about installing new programs. If you encounter a problem, contact your system administrator.
Download the Application Package
You can save your application package at any time by clicking the “Save” button at the top of your screen. Tip: If you choose to save your application package before you have completed all the required forms, you may receive an error message indicating that your application is not valid. Click “OK” to save your work and complete the package another time. You can also use e-mail to share the application package with members of your organization or project team.
The application package contains four forms that you must complete in order to submit your application:
To assist applicants, Grants.gov provides a helpful troubleshooting page.
How to Fill Out the SF-424 Short Form
Select the form from the menu and double click to open it. In items 6, 7, 8, and 9 below, NEH recommends that the project title, brief project description, project director’s name, primary contact/grants administrator’s name, and authorized representative’s name be typed directly onto the form, instead of being pasted in; pasted-in quotation marks, diacriticals, and other symbols are often converted into question marks during transmittal.
Please provide the following information:
How to Fill Out the Supplementary Cover Sheet for NEH Grant Programs
Select the form from the menu and double click to open it. Please provide the following information:
How to Fill Out the Project/Performance Site Location(s) Form
Select the form from the menu and double click to open it. Please provide the requested information. Instructions for the form can be found here: grants.gov/assets/Forms/SF424Site_Location_Instructions.pdf. Alternatively, instructions for each requested data element may be viewed by positioning your cursor over the blank field.
How to Use the NEH Attachment Form
You will use this form to attach the various files that make up your application.
Your attachments must be in Portable Document Format (.pdf). We cannot accept attachments in their original word processing or spreadsheet formats. If you don’t already have software to convert your files into PDFs, many low-cost and free software packages will do so. To learn more, go to http://www.neh.gov/grants/grantsgov/pdf.html.
When you open the NEH Attachment 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 so that we can identify them. Please attach the proper file to the proper button as listed below:
ATTACHMENT 1: To this button, please attach your table of contents. Name the file “contents.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 2: To this button, please attach your brief description. Name the file “description.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 3: To this button, please attach your summary. Name the file “summary.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 4: To this button, please attach the information about your project team. Name the file “team.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 5: To this button, please attach your organization profile. Name the file “organization.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 6: To this button, please attach your treatment (for a development application) or your script (for a production application), whichever is applicable. Name the file “script.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 7: To this button, please attach your discussion of the status of the film and the work plan. Name the file “status.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 8: To this button, please attach your description of the work sample(s). Name the file “worksamples.pdf”.
ATTACHMENT 9: To this button, please attach your budget. Name the file “budget.pdf”.
Use the remaining buttons to attach any additional materials (if appropriate). Please give these
attachments meaningful file names and ensure that they are PDFs.
UPLOADING YOUR APPLICATION
TO GRANTS.GOV
When you have completed all four forms, use the right-facing arrow to move each of them to the “Mandatory Documents for Submission” column. Once they have been moved over, the “Submit” button will activate. You are now ready to upload your application package to Grants.gov.
During the registration process, your institution designated one or more AORs (Authorized Organization Representatives). These AORs typically work in your institution’s Sponsored Research Office or Grants Office. When you have completed your application, you must ask your AOR to submit the application, using the special username and password that were assigned to him or her during the registration process.
To submit your application, your computer must have an active connection to the Internet. To begin the submission process, click the “Submit” button. A page will appear, asking you to sign and submit your application. At this point, your AOR will enter his or her username and password. When you click the “Sign and Submit Application” button, your application package will be uploaded to Grants.gov. Please note that it may take some time to upload your application package, depending on the size of your files and the speed of your Internet connection.
After the upload is complete, a confirmation page will appear. This page, which includes a tracking number, indicates that you have submitted your application to Grants.gov. Please print this page for your records. The AOR will also receive a confirmation e-mail message.
NEH suggests that you submit your application no 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.
To assist applicants, Grants.gov provides a helpful troubleshooting page.
HOW TO SUBMIT WORK SAMPLES
Label the spine and case of each copy of the sample of previously completed work with the project director’s name and the title of the program. For production applications only: if a work-in-progress is submitted, and it is a DVD (as opposed to a URL), label the spine and case of each copy of the sample with the project director’s name and the title of the program. Send eight copies of the samples to: Bridging Cultures through Film: International Topics
Division of Public Programs National Endowment for the Humanities Room 426 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20506 202-606-8269 NEH continues to experience lengthy delays in the delivery of mail by the U.S. Postal Service,
and in some cases materials are damaged by the irradiation process.
We recommend that supplementary materials be sent by a commercial
delivery service to ensure that they arrive intact by
the receipt deadline.
Deadlines
Applications must be received by Grants.gov on or before Wednesday July 28, 2010. Grants.gov will date- and time-stamp your application after it is fully uploaded. Applications submitted after that date will not be accepted. The required work samples must also arrive at NEH on or before July 28, 2010, to be considered as part of the application. Applications are evaluated according to the following criteria:
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 notices
Applicants will be notified by e-mail of the decision in December 2010. Institutional grants administrators and project directors of successful applications will also receive at that time award documents by e-mail. Applicants may obtain the evaluations of their applications by sending an e-mail message to publicpgms@neh.gov.
Administrative requirements
Before submitting an application, applicants should review their
responsibilities as an award recipient and the lobbying certification requirement.
Award conditions
The requirements for awards are contained in the General Terms and
Conditions for Awards to Organizations, any specific terms and conditions contained in the award document,
and the applicable
OMB circulars governing federal grants
management.
Reporting requirements
A schedule of report due dates will be included with the award document. Reports must be submitted electronically via “eGMS,” NEH’s online grant management system.
Interim and final performance reports will be required. Further details can be found in Performance Reporting Requirements.
A final Federal Financial Report (SF-425) and a program income report will be due within ninety days after the end of the award period. For production grants, a program income report is due with the final Federal Financial Report and for each of the seven years following the completion of the award period. For further details, please see the Financial Reporting Requirements.
If you have questions about the program, contact:
Division of Public Programs Washington, DC 20506 202-606-8269 bridgingcultures@neh.gov
If you need help using Grants.gov, contact:
Grants.gov: www.grants.gov
Grants.gov help desk: support@grants.gov Grants.gov customer support tutorials and manuals : www.grants.gov/applicants/resources.jsp Grant.gov support line: 1-800-518-GRANTS (4726) Grants.gov troubleshooting tips.
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; 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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