The federal writers? Project: new directions for research, teaching, and public engagement [cuny proposes a three-week summer institute for higher education faculty from june 29TH to july 18TH,…

The National Endowment for the Humanities awarded $200,000 to Research Foundation of The City University of New York on January 1, 2026, under the Promotion of the Humanities Professional Development program (CFDA 45.163) to deliver a three-week summer institute on the Federal Writers' Project for higher education faculty.

The institute runs June 29 to July 18, 2026, with two weeks conducted virtually and one week in Washington, D.C. The virtual weeks, led by an interdisciplinary group of scholars, educators, and documentarians, focus on methods for teaching and researching the Federal Writers' Project's archival materials and creating original oral history and writing projects. During the second week in Washington, D.C., participants conduct research in the Library of Congress. The institute is designed to produce tangible scholarly and pedagogical outcomes, including curricula, publications, digital humanities projects, and related products.

The award period runs through February 28, 2027. Place of performance is New York, with the Washington, D.C. research week as a subordinate component. This award builds on a 2021 NEH institute on the same topic.

The federal writers? Project: new directions for research, teaching, and public engagement [cuny proposes a three-week summer institute for higher education faculty from june 29TH to july 18TH, 2026, that builds on the 2021 NEH institute on the new deal ERA?S federal writers? Project (FWP) that sent thousands of writers out to document america during the great depression. This second iteration will focus on methods for teaching and researching the FWP?S extraordinary archival materials and creating original oral history and writing projects inspired by the FWP?S groundbreaking fieldwork. Participants will be invited to washington D.C. For the second week of the institute to conduct research in the library of congress. The other two weeks will be held virtually and will be led by an interdisciplinary group of scholars, educators, and documentarians, who will guide participants in pursuit of research and tangible outcomes that may include curricula, publications, digital humanities projects, and other scholarly and/or pedagogical products.]