Applicants may submit by e-mail drafts of their proposals at least six weeks before the deadline to fpiri@neh.gov. A response cannot be guaranteed if the draft arrives later. The preliminary proposal gives an applicant the opportunity to receive staff comments about the substance and format of the application. Staff 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. Once NEH has received a formal application, its staff will not comment on its status except with respect to questions of completeness or eligibility.

1. Table of contents
   List all parts of the application with corresponding page numbers.
2. Narrative

   Limit the narrative to twenty-five double-spaced pages with one-inch margins using at least eleven-point type.

   Information requested in this section may already exist in annual reports, auditors’ reports, and brochures. Institutions may refer to such material when preparing a detailed description that includes the following sections in this order:
   1. The institution and its programs
      Provide an overview of the institution, describing
      • the intellectual significance of the work that the institution supports, including its value to scholars and general audiences in the humanities;
      • the institution’s purpose, philosophy, history, governance, and sources of funding;
      • the administrative structure, size of the staff, and location;
      • the size and scope of library holdings, archives, or special collections available on site or nearby;
      • the resources and facilities available for study, research, and discussion (e.g., offices, computer equipment, carrels, and common rooms); and
      • the services available to NEH fellows (e.g., secretarial, research, or technical assistance; photocopying; meals; and housing or housing assistance).
   2. The fellowship program
      Provide an overview of the fellowship program, describing 
      • the mission of the fellowship program and the role of NEH-supported fellowships within the existing structure;
      • the history of the program, recent developments, and future goals;
      • special fields of interest and any particular mix of scholars that the institution attempts to achieve;
      • the activities of fellows; and
      • the ways in which the institution nurtures collegiality among scholars and interaction with the local scholarly community, including programs such as seminars, colloquia, lunch meetings, and other means of fostering intellectual interaction.
   3. Publicity procedures
      Identify target audiences. Explain how the institution will publicize fellowships to qualified applicants, especially through websites, listservs, or other online means. Describe the publicity methods that the institution will use to attract a diverse group of scholars with related interests. Assess the effectiveness of past publicity efforts.
   4. Selection procedures
      New applicants: Describe the sequence of events during the current selection process and, if applicable, the changes that would be made to meet the conditions of an NEH-supported program (see Section VI, Award Administration Information).
      Returning applicants: Describe the schedule and process of the selection of fellows and any changes made to improve its quality and effectiveness.
      All applicants: Describe how the institution’s process ensures the selection of the best possible candidates and projects. List the criteria for the selection of fellows. Explain how the diversity, impartiality, and expertise of the selection committee are achieved. Describe the process for choosing members of the committee and its composition, with respect to discipline, experience, geographical diversity, institutional characteristics, and other factors. List the conflict-of-interest rules by which deliberations are governed. List the criteria for selecting members and state the size of the committee. If members serve for more than one year, explain the rationale for an extended tenure.
      In cases where awards are made through more than one program or committee, describe the selection procedures used by each and explain how funds are allocated among programs or committees.
   5. Program evaluation
      Describe the kinds of reports that the institution requests from fellows and the most recent assessment of the value of the institution’s programs to these scholars.
   6. Institution staff and program administration
      Identify the program’s permanent professional staff. Explain how responsibility for the program is divided among staff members and the extent to which they are directly involved in its administration.
   7. Program funding
      List the number of prospective fellows, their tenure, and the corresponding NEH stipend amounts (calculated at $4,200 per month). If applicable, list the amount of additional funds from other sources that are used to augment the stipends. If portions of the stipend will be deducted to pay for fellows’ housing, meals, travel, etc., indicate and justify these amounts.
      Provide an annual budget for the complete fellowship program as it currently exists, including funds budgeted from the institution’s own resources and from other sources. Divide the budget into categories of expenses similar to those in the NEH sample annual budget (1-page PDF). Note that this budget includes items that would not be supported by FPIRI grants. FPIRI grants support only fellowship stipends and standard allowances, as well as a portion of the costs of selecting the fellows. Clearly distinguish long-term from short-term research awards and predoctoral from postdoctoral awards.
      If the institution has received an NEH Challenge Grant to endow fellowships, explain how the annual income from the endowment generated by the Challenge Grant is currently used.
   8. Future of the institution’s fellowship program
      Describe any proposed changes in the institution’s mission and intellectual vision, scope, structure, funding, or mix of fellows. Discuss how these changes will affect the work of scholars supported through the institution’s programs. Explain any changes in the number of fellows (NEH-supported and other) or stipend levels needed to achieve the institution’s purposes.
3. Budget
   Provide a three-year budget for the fellowship program for funds requested from NEH; the budget should also include additional funding (if any) for fellows’ stipends that is drawn from non-NEH sources. A sample budget is available for guidance. The budget subcategories used in the sample budget are meant to be illustrative; applicants should substitute or add other subcategories, as appropriate.
   Payments to grantees: NEH funding for fellows’ stipends is calculated at a rate of $4,200 per month of tenure. Therefore the minimum individual award is $16,800 for a tenure of four months and the maximum individual award is $50,400 for a tenure of twelve months. Include as well any additional payments to fellows, drawn from non-NEH sources, that would supplement the NEH stipends.
   Selection: Applicants may request up to $9,000 per year to defray costs associated with selecting NEH fellows. Indicate the number of selection committee members and itemize travel, accommodation, and honoraria, as applicable.
   Indirect costs are not allowed in this program.
   Grant period
   The grant period begins on January 1, 2012 (the first year in which fellowships are awarded), and ends on June 30, 2015 (the end of the final academic year in which fellowships are awarded). Allowable pre-award costs for the selection of fellows may be included in the budget, as long as they are incurred no more than ninety days before the January 1 start of the grant. Pre-award expenditures are made at the recipient’s risk and the recipient’s authority to approve such costs does not impose an obligation on NEH in the event an award is not made or is made for an amount that is less than the recipient anticipated.
   All other project activities and expenditures of project funds must occur during the grant period.
4. Appendices
   Use appendices to provide
   • brief résumés (two-page maximum) for the director of the director of the institution and the principal staff involved in the program listed under IV.2.F.
   • lists of members of the selection committee or rating panel or slate of outside reviewers who chose the fellows or other grantees for the current year and the two preceding years, annotated as to discipline, institutional affiliation, and academic rank.
   • lists of all fellows for the current year and for the two preceding years, including their fields, home institutions, and two- to three-paragraph descriptions of the projects of the long-term fellows. This list should distinguish long-term fellows (i.e., those supported for four or more months) from short-term fellows (i.e., those supported for fewer than four months). Applicants for renewal grants should list the NEH fellows separately.
   • lists of publications of previous fellows. Where applicable, list the publications of NEH fellows separately. Provide full citations for all publications.
   • lists of the URLs of websites advertising the availability of the institution’s fellowships; names of publications, organizations, and institutions receiving announcements of the grant program (addresses are unnecessary).
   • a comparative statistical analysis of the applicant pool and the resulting awards for the current year and for each of the two preceding years, distinguishing applicants for NEH fellowships from others and including an explanation of significant trends and a statement of efforts that the institution is making to influence the trends. The most important general categories of analysis are fields of study, types of institution (e.g., research university versus four-year college), academic rank, and geographical distribution.
   • a statement of the guidance, instructions, and selection criteria provided to those who take part in the selection of fellows and other grantees.
   • copies of application forms and instructions and form letters used in responding to inquiries from potential applicants.
   • a copy of the institution’s research misconduct policy.
   • copies of reports from long-term postdoctoral fellows (i.e., those supported for four or more months) for the last three years. Applicants for renewal grants should supply reports only from NEH fellows.
5. Statement of history of any federal grants
   If an institution has received previous support from any federal sources, including NEH, in the five years preceding this application, list the sources, dates, and total dollar amount of each contribution. If an institution has had a long history of support, organize and summarize the sources and contributions so that the list fits on one page.

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