Notice of Funding Opportunity
Summer Stipends
Funding Opportunity Number: 20240918-FT
Funding Opportunity Type: New
Federal Assistance Listing Number: 45.160
Application Deadline:
September 18, 2024
Ensure your SAM.gov and Grants.gov registrations and passwords are current.
It may take several weeks to register with SAM.gov and Grants.gov.
NEH will not grant deadline extensions for lack of registration.
Division of Research Programs
Telephone: 202-606-8200
Email: stipends@neh.gov
Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1
OMB control number 3136-0134, expiration date October 31, 2024
20240918-FT i
Executive Summary
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Division of Research Programs is accepting
applications for the Summer Stipends program. The purpose of this program is to stimulate new
research and publication in the humanities. Summer Stipends support continuous, full-time
work on a humanities project for a period of two consecutive months. NEH funds may support
recipients’ compensation, travel, and other costs related to the proposed scholarly research.
Funding Opportunity Title
Summer Stipends
Funding Opportunity Number
20240918-FT
Federal Assistance Listing Number
45.160
Application Deadline
September 18, 2024, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time
Anticipated Award Announcements
April 2025
Anticipated Funding
Approximately $800,000
Estimated Number and Type of Awards
Up to 100 grants per deadline
Award Amounts
$8,000
Cost Sharing/Match Required
No
Period of Performance
Two consecutive months starting as early as May 1,
2025, and as late as September 1, 2026
Eligible Applicants
Individuals
See C. Eligibility Information for additional
information.
Program Resource Page
https://www.neh.gov/grants/research/summer-
stipends
Pre-Application Webinar
A webinar for nominating officials will be hosted
Wednesday, July 10, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern
Time.
There will be an application writing tips webinar on
Wednesday, August 21, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern
Time. Click here to join.
Published
June 18, 2024
20240918-FT ii
Table of Contents
Executive Summary ................................................................................................ i
Table of Contents ................................................................................................... ii
A. Program Description ......................................................................................... 1
1. Purpose ................................................................................................................................... 1
2. Background ............................................................................................................................2
B. Federal Award Information ............................................................................... 3
1. Type of Application and Award ..............................................................................................3
2. Summary of Funding .............................................................................................................3
C. Eligibility Information ....................................................................................... 4
1. Eligible Applicants................................................................................................................. 4
2. Cost Sharing .......................................................................................................................... 6
3. Other Eligibility Information ................................................................................................ 6
D. Application and Submission Information .......................................................... 7
1. Application Package ............................................................................................................... 7
2. Content and Form of Application Submission ..................................................................... 8
3. Grants.gov Registration Process .......................................................................................... 16
4. Submission Dates and Times ............................................................................................... 17
5. Intergovernmental Review................................................................................................... 17
6. Funding Restrictions ........................................................................................................... 17
7. Other Submission Requirements ......................................................................................... 18
E. Application Review Information ...................................................................... 19
1. Review Criteria ..................................................................................................................... 19
2. Review and Selection Process .............................................................................................. 19
3. Assessment of Risk and Other Pre-Award Activities .......................................................... 20
4. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates ................................................................... 20
F. Federal Award Administration Information .................................................... 20
1. Federal Award Notices ........................................................................................................ 20
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements ............................................................ 20
3. Reporting ............................................................................................................................ 22
G. Agency Contacts ............................................................................................... 22
H. Other Information ........................................................................................... 23
20240918-FT 1
A. Program Description
1. Purpose
The National Endowment for the Humanities’ Summer Stipends program aims to stimulate new
research and publication in the humanities by:
• providing small awards to individuals pursuing advanced research that is of value to
humanities scholars, general audiences, or both
• supporting projects at any stage of development, but especially early-stage research and
late-stage writing in which small awards are most effective
• funding a wide range of individuals, including independent scholars, community college
faculty, and non-teaching staff at universities
NEH invites applications from independent scholars and faculty or staff from all institutions of
higher education, particularly minority-serving institutions and community colleges. The
Summer Stipends program has a nomination requirement for tenured and tenure-track
applicants at U.S. higher education institutions. However, the Summer Stipends program offers
exemption from the nomination requirement for independent scholars, adjunct faculty, faculty
and staff at community colleges, and faculty and staff at Asian American and Native American
Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving
Institutions (ANNHIs), Native American-Serving Non-Tribal Institutions (NASNTIs), and
Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs). For opportunities specific to Historically Black
Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and Tribal Colleges and Universities,
see H. Other Information.
Summer Stipends support continuous full-time work on research-based projects in the
humanities for a period of two consecutive months. NEH funds may support recipients’
compensation, travel, and other costs related to the proposed scholarly research.
You may seek funding for a project based on a completed dissertation. You must state in your
narrative that the proposal is to revise a dissertation and explain how the new project moves
beyond the original.
NEH awards Summer Stipends to individuals. Organizations are not eligible to apply, although
scholars who are tenured or on a tenure track who teach full time must be nominated by their
institution of higher education unless otherwise exempt (see C. Eligibility).
You can find examples of previously funded Summer Stipends here. You can find examples of
funded projects in all other programs by using the NEH's Funded Projects Query Form.
Program Outputs
The outputs of a successful Summer Stipends award may include, but are not limited to, articles,
books, digital resources and publications, archaeological reports, critical editions, translations
(with annotations or critical apparatus), and other scholarly resources, or research intended to
be disseminated in one or more of those formats.
You will describe your project outputs, and how they would support the overall purpose of the
Summer Stipends program, in Attachment 1: Narrative. If you receive an award, NEH will assess
your performance based on the outputs you identify in the proposal. See F3. Reporting.
20240918-FT 2
See D6. Funding Restrictions for unallowable activities. Applications unrelated to the purpose of
this program or that include unallowable costs or activities may be judged nonresponsive and
returned without review.
See E1. Review Criteria for the standards NEH will use to evaluate applications under this
notice.
See H. Other Information for other individual research programs.
2. Background
NEH offers this funding opportunity under the authority of 20 U.S.C. § 956. Awards are subject
to the NEH Summer Stipends Terms and Conditions.
Under Section 3(a) of the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965, as
amended, “The term ‘humanities’ includes, but is not limited to, the study of the following:
language, both modern and classical; linguistics; literature; history; jurisprudence; philosophy;
archaeology; comparative religion; ethics; the history, criticism and theory of the arts; those
aspects of the social sciences which have humanistic content and employ humanistic methods;
and the study and application of the humanities to the human environment with particular
attention to reflecting our diverse heritage, traditions, and history and to the relevance of the
humanities to the current conditions of national life.”
Use the Funded Projects Query Form to find examples of NEH-supported projects.
Learn more about NEH.
NEH Areas of Interest
NEH is especially interested in supporting projects that advance humanities-related work in the
following areas. NEH will give all applications equal consideration in accordance with the
program’s review criteria.
American Tapestry: Weaving Together Past, Present, and Future
American Tapestry: Weaving Together Past, Present, and Future is a wide-ranging special
initiative at NEH that leverages the humanities to tackle some of the most pressing challenges of
our time: strengthening our democracy, advancing equity for all, and addressing our changing
climate. The initiative encourages humanities projects that elevate the role of civics in schools
and public programs, advance knowledge of the country’s history and political institutions, and
examine threats to its democratic principles. The initiative also encourages projects that explore
the untold stories of historically underrepresented groups and build capacity at cultural and
educational institutions to benefit underserved communities. Finally, the initiative welcomes
projects that promote research into the historical roots and cultural effects of climate change
and support the cultural and educational sectors in building climate resilience. By supporting
humanities projects that align with these three themes – strengthening our democracy,
advancing equity for all, and addressing our changing climate – the American Tapestry
initiative seeks to tell our country’s history in all its complexity and diversity.
United We Stand: Connecting Through Culture
Hate must have no safe harbor in America – especially when that hate fuels the kind of violence
we’ve seen from Oak Creek to Pittsburgh, from El Paso to Poway, and from Atlanta to Buffalo.
20240918-FT 3
When ordinary Americans cannot participate in the basic activities of everyday life – such as
shopping at the grocery store or praying at their house of worship – without the fear of being
targeted and killed for who they are, our security as well as democracy are at risk. In
coordination with the White House “United We Stand” Summit in September 2022, NEH
launched a new initiative titled United We Stand: Connecting Through Culture that uses the
humanities to combat hate-motivated violence and promote civic engagement, social cohesion,
and cross-cultural understanding. As a part of this initiative, NEH encourages humanities
projects that further our understanding of the nation’s racial, ethnic, gender, and religious
diversity; examine the sources of hate and intolerance in the United States; and explore progress
towards greater inclusiveness. NEH especially welcomes projects that explore the Muslim
American and/or the Jewish American experience, including the history of Islamophobia and/or
antisemitism.
NEH’s Support for the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative
As a part of NEH’s partnership with the Department of the Interior on the Federal Indian
Boarding School Initiative, NEH encourages projects that further public understanding and
knowledge of the Federal Indian boarding school system. From 1819 through the 1970s the
government of the United States operated a system of schools for Native American, Alaska
Native, and Native Hawaiian children premised on a policy of coerced cultural
assimilation. Native children were forcibly separated from their families and sent to attend
federal Indian boarding schools, where they were frequently subject to harsh treatment and
abuse. A number of these students died, and others never returned to their families and
communities. Many were also deprived of their cultural inheritance. NEH encourages projects
that document and explore the history of the federal Indian boarding schools as well as projects
that contribute to Native and Indigenous cultural and language revitalization.
B. Federal Award Information
1. Type of Application and Award
NEH seeks new applications in response to this notice. You may revise and resubmit previously
rejected applications.
NEH will provide funding in the form of grants.
2. Summary of Funding
Award amounts
Summer Stipends awards are $8,000.
NEH anticipates awarding approximately $800,000 among an estimated 100 recipients.
NEH will award successful applicants outright funds, which are not contingent on additional
funding from other sources.
NEH will not determine the funding available each fiscal year until Congress enacts the final
budget. This notice is subject to the availability of appropriated funds and is a contingency
action taken to ensure that, should funds become available for this purpose, NEH can process
applications and issue awards in a timely manner.
20240918-FT 4
Period of performance
The period of performance is the span of time during which you are committed to working on
your NEH-supported project. Summer Stipends support two consecutive months of research
and writing. You must work full-time on your project.
You may begin your period of performance as early as May 1, 2025, and as late as September 1,
2026.
Summer Stipends normally support work carried out during the summer months, but you may
arrange for a period of performance at other times of the year. If you have questions, contact the
Summer Stipends staff at stipends@neh.gov.
C. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants
The Summer Stipends program limits eligibility to individuals who have not previously held an
NEH award in any of its programs for individuals (listed below). Additionally, you must be one
of the following to be eligible:
• A U.S. citizen residing domestically or abroad
• A foreign national who has lived in the United States or its jurisdictions for at least the
three years prior to the application deadline
Organizations are ineligible. If you elect to have the stipend paid through your institution, it
must remit all NEH funds to you and not take an institutional allowance or claim indirect costs.
Some applicants require a nomination from their institution. See Faculty Nomination (below).
Citizenship
U.S. citizens, whether they reside inside or outside the United States, are eligible. Foreign
nationals who have lived in the United States or its jurisdictions for at least the three years prior
to the application deadline are also eligible. Foreign nationals who take up permanent residence
outside the United States any time between the application deadline and the end of the period of
performance will forfeit their eligibility. Leaving the U.S. on a temporary basis is permitted.
Previous recipients of NEH individual awards
If you have previously received an award in Summer Stipends or any of the programs listed
below, you are ineligible to apply to this program.
• Fellowships
• Awards for Faculty at Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and
Universities, and Tribal Colleges and Universities
• Public Scholars
• Fellowships for Digital Publication (previously NEH-Mellon Fellowships for Digital
Publication)
• Dynamic Language Infrastructure - Documenting Endangered Languages Fellowships
• Fellowships for Advanced Social Science Research on Japan
• Any other individual award given by NEH
20240918-FT 5
You may compete concurrently in Summer Stipends and any of the listed programs. However,
you may not accept two awards arising from applications submitted to programs with deadlines
in the same calendar year. If you accept an NEH fellowship award while competing in the
Summer Stipends program, your application will be withdrawn from Summer Stipends as you
will no longer be eligible for the program. If you are offered an award in both Summer Stipends
and Public Scholars, you may accept only one.
You may not hold two or more NEH individual awards with overlapping activities or periods of
performance. NEH will not delay the period of performance beyond the stated timelines of this
NOFO to accommodate overlapping individual awards.
Each competition has distinct application requirements. Follow the instructions in the relevant
Notice of Funding Opportunity.
Currently enrolled students
While you do not need to have an advanced degree, if you are currently enrolled in a degree
granting program then you are ineligible. If you have satisfied all the requirements for a degree
and are awaiting its conferral, you are eligible, but you must include a letter from the dean of the
conferring school or their department chair attesting to your status as of the application
deadline in Attachment 8: Degree conferral.
Faculty nomination
If you are tenured or on a tenure track and teach full time at an institution of higher education
that is not exempt from nomination, your institution must nominate you to apply for a Summer
Stipend. Institutions of higher education in the United States and its jurisdictions may each
nominate one faculty member per deadline. Faculty members of any rank, who have not held a
previous award for individuals, are eligible for nomination. Self-nominations are not allowed.
Each institution must designate a single nominating official, usually an academic vice president
or dean. Nominating officials must announce the selection procedures to all prospective
applicants and conduct fair and open competitions to select their institutions’ nominees. NEH is
not responsible for the nomination procedures established by an institution of higher education
but encourages the institution to communicate to applicants the name and contact information
of its designated nominating official.
Familiarize yourself with your institution’s nomination procedures before applying. Nominees
must include the name and email address of the nominating official for their institutions on the
NEH Supplemental Information for Individuals Form. Applicants should not enter their own
name in the nominator field.
NEH will email your nominating official seven to ten days after the application deadline,
confirming your status as your institution’s nominee. Your nominating official must confirm
your status online no later than October 11, 2024.
NEH will declare you ineligible if your nominating official does not confirm your status and you
do not meet one of the exempt categories.
Exceptions to the faculty nomination requirement
You may apply without a nomination if you are:
20240918-FT 6
• an independent scholar not affiliated with an institution of higher education
• a U.S. citizen teaching at a foreign institution
• non-tenure-track faculty at an institution of higher education
• a staff member, but not faculty, at an institution of higher education
• community college faculty or staff
• emeritus faculty
• a faculty member at an institution of higher education that is one of these federally
recognized minority-serving institutions
Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions
(AANAPISIs)
Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions (ANNHs)
Native American-Serving Non-Tribal Institutions (NASNTIs)
Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs)
An independent scholar is one without institutional affiliation. If you apply as an independent
scholar but are affiliated with an institution in a way that would require you to be nominated,
NEH will rule your application ineligible.
Institutions must apply annually to the U.S. Department of Education for federally recognized
minority-serving eligibility designations. Institutional designations can change from year to
year; if you will claim exemption on the basis of being employed by a minority-serving
institution, check with your institution to confirm eligibility at the time of application. You may
also verify the status of the institution by visiting the U.S. Department of Education website.
Scroll down to the middle of the page and click on the most recent version of the Eligibility
Matrix, a read-only Excel worksheet that lists data for postsecondary institutions. Select the tab
for the appropriate designation (for instance, AANAPISI). Locate your institution’s name in
column A (“Institution Name”) then scroll across the row to look at column J, the “Meets Title
III Definition” column. The column will indicate status with a “yes” or “no.
2. Cost Sharing
Cost sharing is not required in this program.
3. Other Eligibility Information
Concurrent grants from other organizations
You may simultaneously hold fellowships or grants from institutions other than NEH—including
sabbaticals and grants from your own institution—in support of the same project during their
period of performance.
Collaborative projects
The Summer Stipends program is designed primarily for individual researchers; awards may not
be divided. If you are seeking funding for more than one scholar in a collaborative project, each
individual must:
• submit a separate application specifying their individual contribution (Peer reviewers
will evaluate each application on its own merits.)
20240918-FT 7
• independently meet the eligibility requirements
• clearly explain how the work will be divided and the extent to which each collaborator’s
contribution depends on that of the other(s)
Applicants who are seeking funding only for themselves but who are working as part of a
collaborative team are also eligible. Collaborating scholars affiliated with or sponsored by an
eligible institution may wish to apply to the Collaborative Research
program.
Other restrictions
• You may not have multiple applications considered under this notice.
• If you submit your application more than once prior to the application deadline
(including submitting to the wrong funding opportunity number or making
corrections/updates), NEH will accept your last validated submission, under the correct
funding opportunity number, prior to the Grants.gov application deadline as the final
and only acceptable application.
• You may not work on a project supported by an NEH institutional award as either a
project director or participant during the period of performance of an NEH individual
award that is held full time.
NEH does not make awards to other federal entities. If your project is so closely intertwined
with a federal entity that the project takes on characteristics of the federal entity’s own
authorized activities, it is ineligible. You may use funds from, or sites and materials controlled
by, other federal entities in your project.
Except for the rare cases covered by its late submission policy, NEH will not
consider applications submitted after the deadline.
NEH will not consider incomplete, nonresponsive, or ineligible applications for
funding.
NEH will not consider applications that exceed mandatory page limits or deviate
from formatting instructions. See the Application Components Table.
D. Application and Submission Information
1. Application Package
You must apply using Grants.gov Workspace. You can find this funding opportunity in
Grants.gov under number 20240918-FT. There is also a link on the program resource page.
Once you have located the funding opportunity in Grants.gov, you will find the application
package under the “Package” tab. It includes a series of required and conditionally required
forms. You will upload additional application components using the Attachments Form.
You must complete a multistep registration process prior to submitting your application. See
D3. Grants.gov Registration Process.
Contact stipends@neh.gov to request a paper copy of this notice.
20240918-FT 8
If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access
telecommunications relay services.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
Your application will consist of a series of forms included in Grants.gov Workspace and other
components that you will prepare and upload to the Attachments Form. The Application
Components Table below will help you prepare a complete application. You are not required to
submit a budget.
You must submit all required and relevant conditionally required components. NEH will not
review applications missing any required documents or relevant conditionally
required documents.
Take note of the page limits and formatting instructions in this notice. NEH will not review
applications that exceed mandatory page limits or deviate from formatting
instructions.
Do not include attachments other than those required or conditionally required in
this notice. If you do, NEH will reject your application.
Unless the instructions specify otherwise, your attachments must conform to the following
formatting requirements:
• pages no larger than standard letter size (8 ½" x 11”)
• at least one-inch margins on all sides for all pages
• a font size no smaller than 11-point
• single-spacing
• a standard Roman font: (e.g., Arial, Georgia, Helvetica, or Times New Roman)
• any standard citation style is acceptable; citations are included in page counts
NEH has assigned each application component one of the following designations:
• Required: You must submit this component.
• Conditionally Required: You must submit this component if your proposal meets the
specified conditions.
• Optional: You may submit this component, but it is not required.
In addition, NEH has established page limits for some application components:
• Mandatory: You must not exceed the page limit.
20240918-FT 9
Application Component Table
Application Component
File Name
Designation
Page limit
Attachments
1: Narrative
narrative.pdf
Required
3 (mandatory)
2: Work plan
workplan.pdf
Required
1 (mandatory)
3: Bibliography
bibliography.pdf
Required
1 (mandatory)
4: Résumé
resume.pdf
Required
2 (mandatory)
5: Editions or translations
sample.pdf
Optional
2 (mandatory)
6: Database entry
database.pdf
Optional
1 (mandatory)
7: Visual materials
visual.pdf
Optional
1 (mandatory)
8: Degree conferral
degreeconferral.pdf
Conditionally
required
9: Explanation of delinquent
federal debt
delinquentdebt.pdf
Conditionally
required for
recipients
Grants.gov forms
SF-424 Application for Federal
Assistance - Individual
Required
NEH Supplemental Information
for Individuals Form
Required
Project/Performance Site(s)
Location Form
Required
Attachments Form
Required
Application Components: Attachments
Each attachment must be a single PDF file. See the Attachments Form instructions for further
guidance about file requirements. Read those instructions carefully, as Grants.gov will not
accept files that do not meet the requirements.
Attachment 1: Narrative (required)
Compose a comprehensive description of your proposed project. Your narrative should be
succinct, well organized, and free of technical terms and jargon so that peer reviewers can
understand the proposed project.
Your narrative must not exceed three single-spaced pages with one-inch margins
and a font size no smaller than eleven points. Do not include an executive summary,
cover page, or a table of contents. You may include images, charts, diagrams, footnotes, and
endnotes if they fit within the page limit.
Each section aligns with one or more review criteria NEH will use to evaluate your proposal, but
note that the criteria can be relevant in more than one section and that, taken together, the parts
of the narrative should form a coherent whole.
20240918-FT 10
Guidance for Narrative, Work plan, Bibliography, Résumé, and Appendices
To ensure that you fully address the review criteria, this table provides a crosswalk between the
application components and the review criteria.
Narrative Section
Review Criteria
Significance and contribution
1, 2
Organization and methods
2
Competencies, skills, and access
2, 3, 4
Final product and dissemination
5
Application Component
Review Criteria
Work plan
3
Bibliography
1
Résumé
4
Appendices (only for editions, translations,
database projects and projects with visual
materials)
2
Organize your narrative using the following headings.
Significance and contribution (aligns with review criteria 1 and 2)
Describe the intellectual significance of your proposed project, including its value to humanities
scholars, general audiences, or both. State the project’s thesis or claim and provide an overview,
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.
Organization and methods (aligns with review criterion 2)
Describe your method(s) and clarify the part or stage of the project that will be supported by the
Summer Stipend.
• For a dissertation revision, state that your project is to revise a dissertation. Explain
how you plan to move beyond the original dissertation, and how the new project will
benefit from the addition.
• For book projects, explain how the final project will be organized. If possible, provide a
brief chapter outline.
• For article projects, provide an overview of the article, including details about the
argument, sources, and word count.
• For digital projects, describe the technologies that will be used and developed, and
explain how the scholarship will be presented to benefit audiences in the humanities.
• For edition or translation projects, describe the annotations or other scholarly
apparatus that you plan to include. If you are proposing to translate into English a work
for which other English translations already exist, provide a rationale for the new
translation.
Competencies, skills, and access (aligns with review criteria 2, 3, and 4)
Explain your competence in the area of your project. If the area of inquiry is new to you, explain
your reasons for working in it and your qualifications to do so. Specify your level of competence
20240918-FT 11
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 the project
involves materials under copyright, indicate your plans for securing the necessary permission to
publish.
Final product and dissemination (aligns with review criterion 5)
Describe the intended audience and the intended results of the project. If relevant, explain how
the results will be disseminated and why these means are appropriate to the subject matter and
audience. While a publication contract is not required, describe expressions of interest from
publisher(s), if applicable.
If the final product will appear in a language other than English, explain how access and
dissemination will be affected.
If you are planning to develop a website or other digital material, explain how the public will
access the material. Since NEH expects recipients to provide broad access to all award products,
insofar as the conditions of the materials and intellectual property rights allow, explain any
plans that would require a paywall or other charge for digital access. If the project has a website,
provide the URL.
NEH expects that any materials produced in digital form as a result of its awards will be
maintained to ensure their long-term availability. To that end, describe how the project’s digital
results, if any, will be maintained and supported beyond the period of performance.
Name the file narrative.pdf.
Attachment 2: Work plan (required)
Your work plan should reflect the major activities you described in your narrative and the
project dates on your SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance - Individual.
Your work plan must not exceed one page. NEH will primarily consider your work plan
under review criterion 3.
Summarize your work plan, describing the part or stage of the project that will be supported by
the Summer Stipend and the activities or steps that you will use during the period of
performance to carry it out. Use a timeline that includes each activity. Your work plan must be
based on a full-time commitment to the project for two consecutive months; part-time work is
not allowed. If you do not anticipate finishing the entire project during the period of
performance, discuss your plan for doing so.
NEH understands that your work plan may change as your project develops, but it should not
depend heavily on factors beyond your control, such as the receipt of outside reviewers’ reports
from a publisher. If you plan to submit a manuscript for publication before the end of the period
of performance, explain what additional work will be required and why it merits support.
If you and another researcher are seeking funds for the same project, identify the researcher and
state if they have submitted a proposal or received NEH support. Clearly explain how the work
will be divided and the extent to which each collaborator’s contribution depends on that of the
other.
20240918-FT 12
Name the file workplan.pdf.
Attachment 3: Bibliography (required)
Your 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 to give a well-rounded representation of your project. Evaluators
will use the bibliography to assess your knowledge of the subject area. NEH will primarily
consider your bibliography under review criterion 1.
Your bibliography must not exceed a single page. Any standard bibliographic format is
acceptable. Items referenced in the narrative need not appear in the bibliography if the citation
in the narrative enables readers to identify the work.
Name the file bibliography.pdf.
Attachment 4: Résumé (required)
Your résumé must not exceed two pages. NEH will consider your résumé primarily under
review criterion 4.
Do not submit a narrative biographical statement instead of a résumé. Include the following
information:
• current and past positions
• education: list degrees, dates awarded, and titles of theses or dissertations
• awards and honors: include dates
• publications: include full citations for publications and presentations
• other relevant professional activities and accomplishments
• level of competence in any relevant foreign languages
Name the file resume.pdf.
Attachment 5: Editions or translations (optional)
If your project involves creating an edition or translation, you may provide a sample of the
original text (one page) and the edited or translated version (one page). This attachment
must not exceed two pages.
Name the file sample.pdf.
Attachment 6: Database entry (optional)
If you are proposing a database project, provide a sample entry. This attachment must not
exceed one page.
Name the file database.pdf.
Attachment 7: Visual materials (optional)
If relevant, provide a sample of visual materials. You may include multiple images, but they
must be on a single page. This attachment must not exceed one page. You must convert
visual materials to PDF; they cannot be in .jpg or other common graphic formats.
Name the file visual.pdf.
20240918-FT 13
Attachment 8: Degree conferral (conditionally required)
If you have satisfied all the requirements for a degree and are awaiting its conferral, you must
include a letter from the dean of the conferring school or the department chair attesting that you
have satisfied all of the requirements for the degree by the application deadline.
Name the file degreeconferral.pdf.
Attachment 9: Explanation of delinquent federal debt (conditionally
required for recipients)
If you receive an offer of an award and are delinquent in the repayment of any federal debt,
you will be asked to provide explanatory information including evidence that you have entered
into a repayment agreement with the Internal Revenue Service, and that you are current on all
payments due. Examples of relevant debt include delinquent student loans, taxes, child
support payments, and payroll taxes for household or other employees. See OMB Circular A-
129. NEH encourages you to submit this information with your application, but you will be
required to submit it if you receive an award.
Name the file delinquentdebt.pdf.
Appendices
Attachments 5, 6, 7 are optional. Depending on the specific nature of your project, you may
provide additional supporting documentation. NEH will not review applications that
include any appendices other than those listed.
Application Components: Grants.gov Forms
SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance – Individual
This form requests basic information about you and your proposed project. Items 1, 2, and 4
will be automatically filled in; leave item 3 blank.
5a-d. Applicant Information
a.-c. Provide your name, telephone number, email address, and mailing address. You must
include an email address in the “Email” field, even though it is not highlighted as a required
field. NEH will use this address to notify you of the outcome of your application.
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).
Indicate your citizenship status with an “X.”
d. Indicate your congressional district with your two-character state abbreviation followed by
your three-character district number. For example, if you reside in the 5th congressional district
of Alabama, enter “AL-005.” If you reside in a state or U.S. jurisdiction that does not have
districts, enter “000” in place of the district number. If your residence is outside the U.S., enter
“00-000.”
6. Project Information
a. Project Title: Provide your project’s title. It should be brief (no more than 125 characters,
including spaces). Successful applications typically have titles that are descriptive of the project
and easily understood by the general public. Avoid using a title that requires clarification by the
20240918-FT 14
subtitle. When possible, include places and dates indicating a project’s scope. NEH reserves the
right to retitle funded projects for clarity when announcing its funding decisions and in its own
reports and communications, but you may use your preferred title for any award products.
b. Project Description: Provide a brief description of your project. Write the description for a
non-specialist audience and clearly state the importance of the proposed work and its relation to
larger issues in the humanities. This description will appear on your application cover sheet and
will serve as a project abstract during the review process. Do not exceed one thousand
characters, including spaces. If you exceed one thousand characters, including spaces,
Grants.gov may reject your application or cut off your project description at the thousand-
character limit.
c. Proposed Project: List the start and end dates for your project. Your period of performance
must be two months long, and it must be full time and continuous. See B2. Summary of
Funding.
7. Signature
By clicking on the “I Agree” box, you certify the following:
1) You are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or
voluntarily excluded from participation in covered transactions by any federal department or
agency, and have not—within the three years preceding the submission of this application—
been convicted of or had a civil judgment rendered against you for commission of fraud or a
criminal offense in connection with a public (federal, state, or local) transaction or a contract
under a public transaction; for violation of federal or state antitrust statutes; for commission of
embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, making false
statements, or receiving stolen property; had any public transactions terminated for cause or
default; and are not presently indicted for or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by a
governmental entity with any of the preceding offenses. See 2 CFR 180 and 3369.
2) You are not delinquent in the repayment of any federal debt or you are providing explanatory
information about any delinquency. Examples of relevant debt include student loans, delinquent
taxes, delinquent child support payments, and delinquent payroll taxes for household or other
employees. See OMB Circular A-129.
3) You will comply with the NEH Summer Stipends Terms and Conditions.
Click the “Save” button at the top of the form to save your work and return to the main menu.
Supplementary Cover Sheet for NEH Grant Programs (Grants.gov form)
This form requests additional professional information about you, your institution (if affiliated),
and your references.
Field of Project
Using the drop-down menu, indicate the field(s) of your project. You may select one, two, or
three fields. If you select more than one, list the primary field first. Program staff will consider
this information when assigning your application to a review panel.
Project Director Field of Study
Using the drop-down menu, choose the field of study that best describes your area of expertise.
20240918-FT 15
Address Information
Indicate whether the address that you provided on the Application for Federal Assistance SF 424
– Individual form is your home or work address.
Institutional Affiliation
If you are not affiliated with an institution of higher education, click “No” and continue to the
Status section.
If you are affiliated with an institution of higher education, provide the information for that
institution. Include your institution’s Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), omitting hyphens. You can
request this number from your institution’s sponsored research office. NEH uses it to identify
your institution to peer reviewers.
Status
NEH does not require applicants in this program to be professional scholars. Even so, NEH
categorizes all applicants as “junior scholars” or “senior scholars.” Please indicate your category
as follows:
• You are considered a junior scholar if you received your highest formal degree fewer than
seven years ago.
• You are considered a senior scholar if you are more than seven years beyond the day you
received your highest degree.
Reference Letters
Provide the names, email addresses, and affiliations of your two references. Enter only one
email address for each. If you provide two email addresses for a reference, NEH will be
unable to contact them. You are responsible for providing accurate email addresses. NEH’s
grants management system will use the addresses exactly as you enter them.
See D7. Other Submission Requirements for instructions and deadlines for submitting reference
letters and confirming NEH has received them.
Nominating Official
If applicable, provide the name, title, and contact information of your nominating official. After
the deadline, NEH will contact them to confirm your nomination status. Your nominating
official must submit confirmation online by October 11, 2024. In response to this submission,
both you and the nominating official will receive a confirmation email. If your nominating
official does not confirm your status by the deadline and you are not exempt from
this requirement, NEH will reject your application. See exempt categories.
Project/Performance Site Location(s) Form (Grants.gov form)
Provide the primary location and any other locations where you will conduct project activities
during the period of performance. For “Organization,” you may substitute a brief description of
locations that do not have a formal organizational name (e.g., "Residence of applicant” or
“Interview site in Chicago to be determined”).
Enter congressional districts using the two-letter state abbreviation followed by your three-
character district number. For example, if your work site is in the 5th congressional district of
Alabama, enter “AL-005.” If it is in a state or U.S. jurisdiction that does not have districts, enter
“000” in place of the district number. If it is outside the U.S., enter “00-000.
20240918-FT 16
Attachments Form (Grants.gov form)
You will upload your Attachments to Grants.gov using this form. The form accommodates up to
fifteen attachments. Attachments must be in Portable Document Format (.pdf).
Convert all non-PDF files (i.e., Word, Excel, images) to PDFs. Occasionally, converting a
document to PDF may alter its length. Confirm that all attachments are within mandatory page
limits before you submit the application. Do not attach files that have been password-protected,
encrypted, or digitally signed. You must remove all such security features before attaching your
files. Failure to do so may result in your application being rejected.
Do not attach portfolios containing multiple PDFs. Do not include any attachments beyond
those on the Application Components Table.
Consult the Application Components Table to name and sequence your attachments so that
NEH can easily identify them. Grants.gov may reject your application if:
• file names exceed 50 characters
• multiple files have the same name
• file names include characters other than the following: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, underscore,
hyphen, space, period, parentheses, curly braces, square brackets, ampersand, tilde,
exclamation point, comma, semicolon, apostrophe, at sign, number sign, dollar sign,
percent sign, plus sign, and equal sign
Grants.gov may accept and validate your application even if you are missing required
components or have formatted them incorrectly. You must ensure that you have formatted,
attached, and submitted all required components correctly. If you have not, NEH may reject
your application as incomplete or nonresponsive.
Learn about Adobe software compatibility with Grants.gov and ensure that you can use your
version of Adobe Acrobat Reader to download, complete, and submit your application.
3. Grants.gov Registration Process
Login.gov
You must create a Login.gov user account to register and log in to Grants.gov. Login.gov is a
secure sign in service used by the public to sign in to participating government agencies. Create
and link your account now.
Grants.gov Registration and Creation of Applicant Profiles
You must submit your application via Grants.gov Workspace. Register with Grants.gov.
After registering, you must add an “individual applicant” profile to apply to programs for
individuals. Click on the “My Account” link, then on “Manage Profiles” and “Add Profile.” Refer
to Grants.gov’s instructions for adding a profile and Creating an Individual Profile in
Grants.gov.
Grants.gov may assign a number for the Unique Entity Identifier. Do not change this number.
You will not be able to apply until you have added an individual profile. The “Apply”
button on the Grants.gov opportunity page will be red after you have completed this step.
20240918-FT 17
If you previously registered with Grants.gov and created an “individual applicant” profile, you
will not need to re-register. However, NEH encourages you to confirm that your account is
active and that your password is current.
NEH strongly recommends that you complete your registration at least two weeks
before the application deadline. If you fail to allow sufficient time to register with
Grants.gov, NEH will not extend the deadline or waive the online submission
requirement.
If you have problems registering with Grants.gov or adding an “individual applicant” profile,
contact Grants.gov Applicant Support at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov.
4. Submission Dates and Times
Applications
The deadline for applications under this notice is September 18, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern
Time.
Applications must be complete, follow length and formatting requirements, and be
validated by Grants.gov under the correct funding opportunity prior to the
deadline to be considered under this notice.
It is your responsibility to confirm that Grants.gov and subsequently NEH have received your
application. Check your Grants.gov application status.
When NEH receives your application, the agency will assign it a tracking number beginning with
FT-. A tracking number does not guarantee that your application is free of technical problems
(such as missing attachments or failure to convert attachments to PDFs). If your files are not
correctly formatted, NEH’s electronic grants management system (eGMS), will reject your
application and notify you by email. eGMS cannot detect other errors such as missing
components or excess pages. NEH recommends you submit your application 48 hours prior to
the deadline so that you have time to correct any technical errors. It is your responsibility to
correct any errors prior to the deadline.
NEH will not comment on the status of your application except regarding matters of eligibility,
completeness, and responsiveness.
Letters of reference
Your references should submit their letters online no later than October 11, 2024. See D7. Other
Submission Requirements.
5. Intergovernmental Review
This funding opportunity is not subject to intergovernmental review under Executive Order
12372.
6. Funding Restrictions
You may not use awards made under this notice for the following purposes:
20240918-FT 18
• research by students enrolled in a degree program, including research for doctoral
dissertations or theses
• training or coursework for the applicant
• support for graduate student assistants
• the preparation or revision of textbooks
• curriculum development
• the development of teaching methods or theories
• educational or technical impact assessments
• inventories of collections
• the writing of guidebooks, how-to books, and self-help books
• costs for activities performed by federal entities or personnel
• promotion of a particular political, religious, or ideological point of view
• advocacy of a particular program of social or political action
• support of specific public policies or legislation
• lobbying
• projects that fall outside of the humanities; the creation or performance of art; creative
writing, autobiographies, memoirs, and creative nonfiction; policy studies; and social
science research that does not address humanistic questions and/or utilize humanistic
methods
Awards in this program are made to individuals; indirect costs are unallowable. If you elect to
have the fellowship paid through your institution, it must remit all NEH funds must to you.
7. Other Submission Requirements
Letters of Recommendation
You are encouraged to solicit two letters of reference that address your proposed project and
your ability to undertake it. Provide the names, email addresses, and affiliations for your
references on the NEH Supplemental Information for Individuals Form. Provide only one email
address for each letter writer in the relevant field.
NEH will email your references two weeks after the deadline to prompt them to submit
their letters. Letters should be submitted online no later than October 11, 2024.
You are responsible for ensuring that your references receive and respond to the NEH request
and for providing them with your application materials. NEH will notify you by email when your
letters of reference have been submitted.
After you have confirmation that NEH received your application, you may check the status of
your reference letters by logging in to the secure area of NEH’s website. Enter your application
number and your Grants.gov tracking number. You will be able to see the names and email
addresses of your references and whether their letters have arrived. If necessary, you may send
them reminders (including the upload link) from this site.
If a reference letter is submitted late, it will be added to your application when it arrives, but it is
possible that reviewers will not take it into account. If you find that you must change your
references after the application deadline, you may do so by contacting program staff at
stipend[email protected]ov.
20240918-FT 19
If you are proposing a translation, one of your letters must be from an expert in the language(s)
of your project and should provide an assessment of the one-page sample translation, if you are
including one with your application. Notify this reference that they should address the quality of
the translation sample in their letter.
Elected government officials, current NEH staff, and members of the National Council on the
Humanities may not serve as letter writers.
Missing reference letters will not disqualify an application from review.
E. Application Review Information
1. Review Criteria
Peer reviewers will use the following criteria to review applications under this notice:
1. The intellectual significance of the proposed project, including its value to humanities
scholars, general audiences, or both
2. The quality of the conception, definition, organization, and description of the project and
the applicant’s clarity of expression
3. The feasibility and appropriateness of the proposed plan of work
4. The quality or promise of quality of the applicant as an interpreter of the humanities
5. The likelihood that the applicant will complete the project (not necessarily during the
period of performance), including, when relevant, the soundness of the dissemination
and access plans
Each review criterion aligns with specific sections of the narrative and the other application
components. See D2. Content and Form of Application Submission.
2. Review and Selection Process
NEH staff review all applications for eligibility, completeness, and responsiveness. The agency
then conducts a peer review process for all eligible and complete applications.
Peer reviewers are experts in their fields with knowledge and expertise relevant to the project
activities supported by the program. NEH instructs peer reviewers to evaluate applications
according to the review criteria in this notice. Peer reviewers must comply with federal ethics
rules governing conflicts of interest.
NEH program officers supplement the peer reviewers’ comments to address matters of fact or
significant points that the peer reviewers have overlooked. They then make funding
recommendations to the National Council on the Humanities. The National Council meets at
least twice each year to review applications and advise the NEH Chair. By law, the Chair has the
sole authority to make final funding decisions.
Following NEH’s public announcement of funded projects, you may request copies of the peer
reviewers’ evaluations of your proposal by contacting stipends@neh.gov.
Learn more about the NEH review process.
Apply to be a peer reviewer for NEH.
20240918-FT 20
3. Assessment of Risk and Other Pre-Award Activities
Following the Chair’s initial selection of applications for support, the NEH Office of Grant
Management (OGM) conducts a risk assessment for selected applications. OGM will consider
the applicant’s past performance, if applicable; confirm the applicant’s continued eligibility; and
evaluate compliance with public policy requirements.
OGM may request that you submit additional programmatic or administrative information or
undertake certain activities in anticipation of an award. Such requests do not guarantee that
NEH will make an award.
After completing its risk assessment, NEH will determine whether making an award would be
consistent with the agency’s risk management policy, whether it must impose any special terms
and conditions, and what funding level is appropriate. NEH may elect not to issue awards to
applicants with management or financial instability that affects their ability to comply with the
terms and conditions of the award (2 CFR § 200.206).
Award decisions are discretionary and are not appealable to any federal official or board.
4. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates
NEH will notify you of its funding decision by email in April 2025. This is not an authorization
to begin performance or incur related costs. Successful applicants will be required to complete
the NEH Individual Programs Acceptance Form, from which NEH will determine your payment
schedule.
F. Federal Award Administration Information
1. Federal Award Notices
If your application is selected for an award, the NEH Office of Grant Management will send
award documents through eGMS Reach beginning in April 2025.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
Awards are subject to the NEH Summer Stipends Terms and Conditions, and any specific terms
and conditions that NEH places on the award in the Notice of Action.
Debarment, suspension, ineligibility, and voluntary exclusion
certification
NEH will not process awards for individuals with delinquent federal debt or for individuals who
have been suspended, debarred, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from eligibility for
covered transactions by any federal department or agency.
NEH may not make an award to an individual until they have complied with all applicable
requirements. If you have not fully complied with these requirements by the time NEH is ready
to issue your award, NEH may determine that you are not qualified to receive an award.
You must comply with 2 CFR §§ 180.335 and .350 with respect to providing information
regarding all debarment, suspension, and related offenses information, as applicable.
20240918-FT 21
If you cannot attest to the statements in this certification, explain why not in Attachment 9:
Explanation of delinquent federal debt.
Providing access to NEH-funded products
NEH strives to make the products of its awards available to the broadest possible audience by
providing ready and easy access to its grant products to scholars, educators, students, and the
American public. All other considerations being equal, NEH gives preference to projects that
provide free access to the public.
Copyright information
Subject to applicable law, you may copyright work that you develop or acquire under an award.
In accordance with 2 CFR § 200.315(b), NEH reserves a royalty-free, nonexclusive, and
irrevocable right to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the work for federal purposes, and to
authorize others to do so. NEH has typically exercised this right in consultation with recipients
to publish excerpts of grant products in Humanities magazine or on its website.
Acknowledging NEH support
Materials publicizing or products resulting from NEH-funded activities must contain an
acknowledgment of NEH support. Consult Acknowledgment and Publicity Requirements for
NEH Awards and Publicizing Your Project for guidance.
Protecting Personal Information
If you collect personal identifiable information (PII) as part of your NEH-funded award, you are
responsible for protecting and storing it. You must take all reasonable and appropriate actions
to prevent inadvertent disclosure, release, or loss of PII. Consult Protecting Personal
Information | The National Endowment for the Humanities for more guidance. NEH is not
liable if a recipient incurs an inadvertent disclosure, release, loss, or data breach of PII.
NEH Research Misconduct Policy
In accordance with the Federal Policy on Research Misconduct, NEH has established procedures
for handling allegations of research misconduct applicable to both internal and external
research programs. Review the NEH Research Misconduct Policy.
Coordination of geographic information and related spatial data
If you request funding for the development, acquisition, preservation, or enhancement of
geospatial data, products, or services, you must first conduct a due diligence search of the
Data.gov list of datasets to determine whether the needed data, products, or services already
exist. If not, you must produce the proposed geospatial data, products, or services in compliance
with applicable Federal Geographic Data Committee guidance.
Eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse
Help NEH eliminate fraud and improve management by reporting allegations or suspicions of
waste, fraud, abuse, mismanagement, research misconduct (fabrication, falsification,
plagiarism), or unnecessary government expenditures to the NEH Office of the Inspector
General.
Termination
NEH reserves the right to terminate awards consistent with 2 CFR § 200.340.
20240918-FT 22
3. Reporting
You must submit a final performance report within 120 calendar days after the period of
performance ends. The final performance report collects information about your
accomplishments during the period of performance; the outcomes and outputs arising or
anticipated to arise from the project; financial support apart from NEH sources; the project’s
impact; and acknowledgement of NEH support. You must submit the final report online through
eGMS Reach. NEH will provide further information in the Notice of Action.
Learn more about general Performance Reporting Requirements and the reporting
requirements for NEH fellowship recipients.
A final financial report is not required.
NEH encourages you to send copies of books resulting from research supported by NEH awards
to the Division of Research. You will find contact information in G. Agency Contacts. In
addition, you are asked to update the “Products and Prizes” tab in eGMS Reach for any
publications or prizes resulting from NEH support.
G. Agency Contacts
If you have questions about the program, contact:
Division of Research Programs
National Endowment for the Humanities
400 Seventh Street, SW
Washington, DC 20506
202-606-8200
stipend[email protected]ov
If you have questions about administrative requirements or allowable costs, contact:
Office of Grant Management
National Endowment for the Humanities
400 Seventh Street, SW
Washington, DC 20506
202-606-8494
grantm[email protected]v
If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you can contact NEH using telecommunications relay at 7-1-1.
If you have questions about registering or renewing your registration with Login.gov or
SAM.gov, contact the Federal Service Desk, Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern
Time, at:
Federal Service Desk
U.S. calls: 866-606-8220
International calls: +1 334-206-7828
For assistance in registering with or submitting your application through Grants.gov, contact:
Grants.gov Applicant Support
20240918-FT 23
U.S. calls: 1-800-518-4726
International calls: +1-606-545-5035
support@grants.gov
Always obtain a case number when calling for support.
H. Other Information
Related funding opportunities
Applicants interested in funding for research projects that are beyond the scope of Summer
Stipends should refer to Division of Research programs for information about our array of
programs or contact research@neh.gov.
Faculty and staff at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving
Institutions (HSIs) and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) may be particularly interested
in our Awards for Faculty programs, which have similar goals and do not require nomination.
You may also find related funding opportunities with your state or jurisdictional humanities
council. As mandated by Congress, approximately 40% of the NEH’s program budget supports
these councils, which play a critical role in supporting the NEH’s mission and goals at a local,
grassroots level. Contact information for each council can be found here:
https://www.neh.gov/about/state-humanities-councils.
Privacy policy
NEH solicits the information in this Notice of Funding Opportunity under the authority of the
National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act of 1965, as amended, 20 U.S.C. 951, et seq.
Disclosure of the information is voluntary. The principal purpose for which NEH will use the
information is to process the application, which may include determining eligibility, evaluating
the application, selecting recipients, and administering the award program. Panelists and other
third parties may assist in the evaluation of applications, in which case NEH will take
appropriate security measures with respect to the information provided to such individuals for
review. NEH may also use or disclose the information it collects as required by law and for
governmental purposes such as statistical research, analysis of trends, Congressional oversight,
and the other routine uses set forth in the systems of records notice (“SORN”) published by
NEH in the Federal Register. NEH ordinarily will not publicly disclose the contents of
applications that NEH does not select for funding, except as set forth in the SORN. Failure to
provide the information solicited in this Notice may result in 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 on average it takes sixty hours to complete an application. This estimate includes
time for reviewing instructions; researching, gathering, and maintaining the information
needed; and completing and reviewing the application. Time needed may vary from program to
program.
You may 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 Funding
Opportunity Officer at grantmanagement@neh.gov. According to the Paperwork Reduction Act
