01_-_030ADV26R0050_-_0002_-_NOFO_-_LHI_-_2027-2029.pdf

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Lewis-Houghton Civics and Democracy Initiative: New Awards for 2027-2029
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030ADV26R0050
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This is a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) from the Library of Congress for the Lewis-Houghton Civics and Democracy Initiative, soliciting grant proposals for new awards covering the 2027-2029 period. The Library intends to issue up to six cooperative agreements with a maximum award of $100,000 per award during the first 12-month budget period (January 1 – December 31, 2027), with total funding not exceeding $300,000 over a maximum three-year period. The program may continue awards for up to two additional years without competition, contingent on satisfactory performance and Library funding priorities.

Eligible applicants include public and private organizations (both for-profit and non-profit), institutions of higher education, libraries, cultural institutions, K-12 schools, state agencies, and Indian tribes based in the 50 U.S. states, District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. Applicants must have a record of serving educators and learners in music, visual arts, performing arts, social studies, and history, and cannot have previously received Lewis-Houghton funding. The application deadline is 2:00 PM Eastern Time on September 28, 2026, with webinars scheduled for August 25 and September 9, 2026. Applications must be submitted via email to tps-grant@loc.gov as a Word or PDF document, with required forms including a completed Proposal Narrative using the provided template and SF-424 Application for Federal Domestic Assistance. Successful applicants must register with SAM.gov before award issuance. Projects must incorporate rights-free materials from the Library's music and creative arts digital collections to develop curriculum, teaching materials, and educational programs for middle and high school students focused on history, civics, and democracy education, with all materials required to be made publicly available online for a minimum of three years post-completion and licensed under Creative Commons or equivalent open license. Evaluation criteria include applicant expertise and reputation, soundness of project design, effective use of Library resources, demonstrated need and impact, operational capability, educational networks and dissemination plans, past performance, and budget reasonableness.

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The Library of Congress

Lewis-Houghton Civics and Democracy Initiative New Awards for 2027-2029 Notice of Funding Opportunity 030ADV26R0050

Amended September 16, 2026

NOTICE – 030ADV26R0050

08/19/2026 1

Table of Contents

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

A.1 Background A.2 Purpose A.3 Expected Awardee Activities

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

B.1 Questions and Answers B.2 Intellectual Property Rights and Data Availability, and Accessibility

C. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

D.1 Proposal Format

E. APPLICATION REVIEW

E.1 Criteria for Proposal Evaluation F. Pre-Award/Notice of Federal Award APPENDIX A: SAM.gov

APPENDIX B: A Sampling of Library of Congress Digital Collections That May Contain Music or Arts-related Primary Sources to teach history, civics, and/or democracy …...……………………………………13

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A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

This funding opportunity is authorized under the “Legislative Branch Appropriations Act of 2023” (Pub.

L. 117-389 (H.R. 8237)), subject to availability of funding. The resulting awards will be subject to the Library of Congress Regulation (LCR) 7-310. In addition, while the Library, as a legislative agency, is not subject to 2 CFR 200 – Uniform Administrative Requirements, Costs Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, the resulting awards will be subject to selective provisions of 2 CFR 200 as determined by the Library and indicated in this NOFO.

A.1 Background About the Library of Congress The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, with millions of books, films and video, audio recordings, photographs, newspapers, maps and manuscripts in its collections. The Library is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress. It is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution.

The Library’s mission is to engage, inspire, and inform Congress and the American people with a universal and enduring source of knowledge and creativity.

About the Teaching with Primary Sources Program (TPS) The Teaching with Primary Sources program (www.loc.gov/teachers) has been the Library of Congress’s premier educational grant program since 2006. The goals of the program have included providing instructional materials, tools, education and professional development that enhance teachers’ ability to integrate digitized primary sources from the Library of Congress into instruction that builds student literacy, critical thinking skills, content knowledge and ability to conduct original research. Since the establishment of the Center for Learning, Literacy and Engagement in 2018, and the release of the Library’s 2024-2028 Strategic Plan, the TPS goals both influence and reflect the Library’s broader outreach goals.

About the Lewis-Houghton Civics and Democracy Initiative (LHI) Named in honor of Rep. John R. Lewis (D-GA) and Rep. Amo Houghton (R-NY), the Lewis-Houghton Civics and Democracy Initiative (LHI) is included under the Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program. In the joint explanatory statement for the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2023, Congress established the Lewis-Houghton Civics and Democracy Initiative and appropriated funds to the Library of Congress to award grants to eligible organizations within the United States (U.S.) and its territories to develop digitally-enabled, creative arts-driven projects focused on using the digitized primary sources of the Library of Congress to teach history, civics and/or democracy. More information and a description of past LHI-funded projects can be found at: https://www.loc.gov/programs/teachers/about-this-program/teaching-with-primary-sources-partner-program/lewis-houghton/.

TPS Educational Consortium Grantee organizations become members of the TPS Educational Consortium. They include a wide variety of educational organizations including school districts, libraries, cultural institutions, universities and technology firms that have received Library funding to deliver teacher professional development, create teaching materials and develop apps and online interactives, based on Library of Congress materials.

TPS Consortium members are valued as “Connectors” who help the Library achieve its vision of connecting to all Americans. TPS Consortium members extend the Library’s reach by connecting hundreds of thousands of American educators and learners, including K-12 teachers and their students, to Library of https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200?toc=1 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200?toc=1 https://www.loc.gov/about/general-information/#year-at-a-glance https://www.loc.gov/about/general-information/#year-at-a-glance http://www.loc.gov/teachers https://www.loc.gov/programs/teachers/about-this-program/teaching-with-primary-sources-partner-program/lewis-houghton/ https://www.loc.gov/programs/teachers/about-this-program/teaching-with-primary-sources-partner-program/lewis-houghton/

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Congress methods and materials. Consortium members collaborate, co-create, share ideas, network and actively participate as an educational community.

A.2 Purpose The purpose of this notice is for the Library of Congress to solicit project proposals from eligible organizations and select awardee organizations that will design and implement educational projects in which the Library’s music or creative arts-related digitized primary sources and other online materials are central to teaching and learning about history, civics, and/or democracy.

Awards made under Lewis-Houghton Civics and Democracy Initiative must include rights-free materials from the Library’s music or creative arts digital collections, to develop curriculum, teaching materials, educational programs, pedagogical approaches, and/or other tools for history, civic and democracy instruction targeted toward middle and high school educators and learners. LHI awards should center on inquiry-driven analysis of primary sources, build learners’ civic skills and foster participation in our nation’s democracy.

In addition to highlighting primary sources from the Library’s collections of music, dance, theater, visual arts, folk arts, film, photography, book arts, arts and literary manuscripts, and/or other creative arts, proposals may also include the use of arts-based pedagogies and other creative approaches. All proposals must expand the body of innovative strategies, tools, and materials for meaningful teaching and learning with Library of Congress materials.

The focus of LHI awards includes the design of educational projects using Library of Congress materials for use in and outside of formal classroom settings. In addition to using Library primary sources to deliver history, civics, and/or democracy learning experiences integrating the arts, projects must address demonstrated educational needs of specific recipient populations and provide solutions that standard practice, documented experience, or research suggest would be effective. Organizations that receive LHI awards make up a subset of the TPS Educational Consortium whose work spans areas of interest including but not limited to arts integration, civics education, multimodal learning, and teaching with audiovisual primary sources.

Funded projects will support the Library’s mission to use its collections to connect with all Americans, including those representing multiple communities, beliefs and endeavors, to engage, inspire and inform Congress and the American people with a universal and enduring source of knowledge and creativity.

Projects must use the Library’s digital collections for one or more of the following approaches:

a) Deliver educational programming to various categories of educators and learners in secondary education (middle and high school);

b) Create and distribute educational materials or tools for teaching specific content in history, civics, and/or democracy;

c) Convene meetings of like organizations to devise strategies for furthering common learning and teaching goals with Library of Congress materials related to music and/or the arts; and/or

d) Conduct research with significant practitioner involvement that investigates the impact of incorporating Library of Congress music and/or creative arts collections into history, civics, and/or democracy educational initiatives.

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See Appendix B for examples of digital collections on loc.gov that contain and relate to music and other creative arts such as dance, theater, visual arts, folk arts, film, photography, book arts, manuscripts, etc.

Please note: this list is not comprehensive. Applicants are encouraged to explore the collections on loc.gov to find materials suitable for their proposals.

As described in Section A.3.e, it is ultimately the grantee’s obligation to assess copyright and any other use restrictions and to obtain appropriate permission from third parties when necessary, before publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the Library's collections.

A.3 Expected Awardee Activities

a) Design, develop and implement an educational project that identifies: the learning needs of population(s) for which Library of Congress online resources can provide critical information, skills and perspectives; numbers of learners targeted; and the methodology for meeting learning goals across a variety of subjects.

b) Create and deliver TPS/LHI programming, materials, tools, and/or products using Library of Congress digitized primary resources and other online resources.

c) Make needed modifications to TPS/LHI programming, materials, and tools funded by the award based on feedback from users and Library staff.

d) Reflect on the success of their TPS/LHI activities through formal and informal data gathering.

e) Obtain all necessary permissions, releases and/or other clearances that must be acquired for use of any content to be included by awardee in awardee’s educational materials, programs, and tools. Such permissions, releases and/or other clearances may pertain to, but are not limited to, copyright, right of publicity, right of privacy, defamation, or any other right whatsoever. This does not include Library of Congress digital materials that are rights-free and/or in the public domain.

f) Enter into an agreement with the Library and openly license to the public any new copyrightable materials created in whole, or in part, with the award funds, as described in Section B.2.

g) Ensure that the curriculum, instructional materials, tools and accompanying products are made available online through channels approved by Library of Congress staff, including but not limited to the Consortium Created Materials site.

h) Maintain public access to the curriculum, instructional materials and tools developed under the award for a minimum of three years after the project completion date end period of performance for the cooperative agreement.

i) Disseminate the curriculum, instructional materials and tools developed under the award through existing networks of awardee’s subsidiary and partner organizations.

j) Participate in at least one of the two annual in-person TPS Consortium meetings per year.

Regional meetings do not satisfy this requirement.

k) Participate in at least one online or in-person meeting or event convened by a member(s) of the TPS Consortium per year.

l) Participate in the TPS Educational Consortium by sharing ideas, methods, and information to enhance the development and dissemination of the national program and facilitate access to awardee’s networks and communities that can help broaden the reach and applicability of the TPS program.

https://tpsconsortiumcreatedmaterials.org/

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m) Participate in Consortium-wide TPS program design, testing, research, and evaluation activities, as requested by the Library, to support the quality of TPS resources and the efficacy of TPS program processes.

n) Promote the TPS and LHI programs and conduct outreach activities that inform potential program participants of the availability of the educational opportunities, curriculum, instructional materials and tools created under this award.

o) Participate in a TPS orientation and fundamentals program. (The Library intends to offer virtual and onsite options). Awardees should be available to participate in up to 10 hours of the orientation.

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

Federal Agency Name: Library of Congress Opportunity Title Lewis-Houghton Civics and Democracy Initiative: New Awards for 2027-2029 Opportunity Number 030ADV26R0050 Initial Period of Performance (Budget Period)

12 months: 1/1/2027-12/31/2027

Webinars o August 25, 2026: 1:00 PM ET: Click here to register o September 9, 2026: 10:00 AM ET: Click here to register

General Questions Submission Deadline

September 7, 2026

Technical Questions Submission Deadline

September 10, 2026

Application Submission Deadline 2:00 PM Eastern Time September 18, 2026 September 28, 2026.

Estimated Funds Available and Number of Awards

The Library intends to issue up to six awards of cooperative agreements, of maximum $100,000 each during the first budget period. Actual funding amount may be less than $100,000 for any award. The Library also has the discretion to issue no award or more than six.

The Library intends the program cycle to be three years. Thus, the Library may continue the award by up to additional two years, without competition. However, such decision is at the Library’s sole discretion based on the Library’s funding priorities and evaluation of the awardee’s satisfactory performance under the award and compliance with the cooperative agreement.

The total amount funded for each awardee shall not exceed $300,000 over a maximum of three-year budget period.

Funding Instrument Type Cooperative Agreement https://loc.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_UEwi_DnzTVeHLtdPEpOfzQ/ https://loc.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_1fmm8WcATMmKrNkRzSoZ_Q/

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Individual funding levels will be determined at the Library’s sole discretion based on its review of awardee’s application materials, agency and programmatic priorities, the number of applications received, and the total amount of funding available for the program. In reviewing awardee’s application materials, the Library will consider, among other things, the proposed project’s effective educational use of Library of Congress materials; content, quality and feasibility; and value and utility to its target audience. These and additional evaluation criteria are described in more detail in section E.1.

The Library will accept only one application from the same project team. There is no limitation on any individual or organization being included as a potential contractor in multiple applications submitted by other applicants. The use of teaming arrangements is not allowed. Applications from individuals will not be accepted.

The Library reserves the right to fund any, all, or only part of an awardee’s proposed project activities.

Additionally, the Library may modify the funding schedule, requirements, or program areas by amending this Notice. Any amendments will be posted in the same space as this Notice. It is the responsibility of the applicants to be aware of the amendments by regularly checking grants.gov.

Applicants cannot recover expenses relating to proposal/application preparation or submission from any awards resulting from this Notice.

B.1 Questions and Answers General Questions and Answers: All questions relating to this Notice must be submitted via email to tps-grant@loc.gov no later than the date stated in Section B of the Notice (“General Questions Submission Deadline”). “The subject of each e-mail must read as follows: Notice 030ADV26R0050 – Lewis-Houghton Initiative New Awards – 2027.”

Answers will be provided in a Q&A document uploaded to grants.gov. Questions received after the deadline(s) stated in Section B above may not be answered.

Technical Questions Submission: Applicants experiencing problems with submitting proposals can request technical assistance until the date specified in Section B above (“Technical Questions Submission Deadline”).

B.2 Intellectual Property Rights and Data Availability, and Accessibility

B.2.1. Intellectual Property and Data Availability.

License to the Library and the public: Awardees shall provide the Library with a worldwide, royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable right to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use any materials created under the awards (“Project Content”) for Federal purposes, and to authorize others to do so. In addition, awardees shall provide an open license to the public, at a minimum to use the Project Content for free, with proper attribution. The license must be worldwide, royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable, and grant the public permission to access, reproduce, publicly perform or display, adapt, distribute, build upon, and otherwise use the Project Content for any educational or non-commercial purposes. All materials must be labeled as open educational resources (OER). All computer software source code developed or created under the awards must be openly licensed, allowing the public to freely use and build upon the source code for any educational or non-commercial purposes. Awardees are encouraged (but are not required) to use the CC BY-NC Creative Commons license to satisfy this requirement. The https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

08/19/2026 7 license to the public must accompany the Project Content when the awardees share the Project Content online.

Responsibility to Secure Licenses: The Library strongly encourages awardees to use only materials that are rights-free and/or in the public domain. However, in circumstances where third-party materials may not be all rights-free or in the public domain, awardees have the sole and exclusive responsibility to obtain any licenses, consents, clearances, permissions, and/or releases (collectively “Licenses”) necessary to use those third-party materials to create and use the Project Content for the Library and public’s purposes. Also, awardees must ensure that their Project Content will not interfere with or violate any third party’s rights, including but not limited to any copyright, trademark, patent, privacy, reputation, and publicity (collectively “Rights”), or otherwise be contrary to law.

Data Availability: All data, methodology, factual inputs, models, analyses, technical information, reports, conclusions, valuation products or other scientific assessments (hereafter “Data”) in any medium or form, including textual, numerical, graphic, cartographic, narrative, or audiovisual, resulting from an award issued under this NOFO shall be available for use by the Library, in a manner that is sufficient for independent verification. The Library has the right to obtain, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the Data produced under the awards, and to authorize others to receive, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use such Data for educational or non-commercial purposes consistent with the Library’s mission, which includes allowing meaningful third-party evaluation.

B.2.2. Accessibility Requirements. The Library is committed to ensuring that the digital content, software, and websites (broadly, “information and communications technology” or “ICT”) that it presents to the public and uses internally are accessible to individuals with disabilities. Because the goal is that awardee project materials be as widely accessible as possible, including potential access via Library websites, all awardee project materials and other materials required to be provided to the Library must meet or exceed the accessibility standards that apply to the Library’s ICT. The Library’s ICT must meet the accessibility requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (see 42 U.S.C.

§12209). It is Library policy that, in many cases, this can be accomplished by meeting the standards required for executive branch agencies under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (see 29 U.S.C. § 794d and 36 C.F.R. 1194.1), which applies the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.0. However, all Library web content and mobile applications, as defined by 28 C.F.R. Part 35, Subpart H, must meet, at a minimum, the ADA regulations found in that subpart, which apply WCAG 2.1.

The Attachment to this Notice of Funding Opportunity provides a definition of ICT and additional information regarding the accessibility standards. Awardee project materials may become subject to additional or different requirements if either the ADA or Section 508 are modified and as a result require different standards that take effect prior to the end of the period of performance.

Applicants may identify in their application any exemptions to the requirements in the ADA or the Section 508 Standards that they consider applicable to their project materials. In such cases, the applicant also must identify any additional measures that would be required to bring the project materials into compliance with the ADA or the Section 508 Standards, so the Library can assess the feasibility of implementing such measures as necessary.

Awardees must certify compliance with the applicable accessibility standards when providing project materials to the Library.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-36/chapter-XI/part-1194/section-1194.1 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-28/part-35/subpart-H https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-28/part-35/subpart-H

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B.2.3. Restriction on use of Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools. Awardees must not use generative artificial intelligence (generative AI) to create or produce any project materials. For purposes of this restriction, generative AI tools are those that produce synthetic text, images, code, video, and music in response to user prompts and include, but are not limited to, ChatGPT, BARD, DALL-E, MidJourney, and Stable Diffusion. For purposes of this restriction, generative AI does not include the use of AI-enhanced word processing, email, or search tools that are already widely incorporated in day-to-day life, such as AI tools embedded in image editing applications and spelling or grammar checking functions.

C. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

C.1 Eligible Applicants must

a) Be public or private organizations, either not-for profit or for-profit organizations, including but not limited to institutions of higher education, colleges, universities, professional associations, library systems, cultural institutions, other educational organizations, such as K-12 schools, after-school programs, literacy organizations, centers, clubs, associations of home-schooling parents, honor societies, and other professional, civic, regional, state, and community groups, and collaborative partnerships (such as an organization with content expertise paired with a state or regional educational entity); states; public or private agencies, including for-profit agencies; and Indian tribes and tribal organizations;

b) Have a record of serving populations of learners who may be served by the LHI program, including but not limited to educators and students of music, visual arts, performing arts, poetry, media studies, and other creative arts; social studies and history educators and students; teaching artists; cultural workers; community-engaged civics practitioners; librarians and media specialists; museum educators; and additional groups interested in the intersection of arts and civics learning with primary sources.

c) Not have received funding from the Lewis-Houghton Civics and Democracy Initiative directly from the Library of Congress;

d) Be based in any of the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, territories, and commonwealths (Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands) (collectively the “United States”); and

e) Propose a project that will be conducted any of the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, territories, and commonwealths (Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands) (collectively the “United States”).

C.2 Other Eligibility Information

a) Applicants may apply as organizations or state agencies; and Indian tribes and tribal organizations.

b) Late, incomplete, or ineligible applications will not be considered for funding under this Notice.

c) Applications from other federal agencies will not be accepted.

d) An applicant (or a principal member of an applicant as defined in 2 CFR 180.995) that has been convicted or found to be at fault in connection with their performance of any Federal award or contract in the past five years may be disqualified.

e) System for Award Management (SAM.gov) Registration: Successful applicants must be registered on SAM.gov before an award is made. Information on how to register on SAM.gov can be found on the SAM website. This process can take several weeks, so if an applicant is not already registered, it should start that process immediately. Registration is free and is required for any applicant that wants to receive any kind of federal award or contract. An award will not

08/19/2026 9 be given to an applicant without a completed SAM.gov registration by the time the award is made. See Appendix A for additional information.

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

• All submissions must be in English, submitted by the due date at the time specified in Section B above, provide budget and cost information in U.S. dollars, and meet the specifications of this Notice. All applications must be submitted via email to tps-grant@loc.gov as described in this notice.

• The Proposal Narrative Template must be downloaded and completed by the applicant. Upon completion, the Narrative should be included as an attachment to the application in Word or PDF format.

• All proposals must be submitted electronically via email to tps-grant@loc.gov (note there is no “s” after “grant” in the email address) with the following requirements:

o The email must include the opportunity number (030ADV26R0050) in the subject line.

o The maximum size file allowed through the Library’s email system is 20MB. In addition, certain files might need to undergo a conversion to be accepted by the Library’s servers.

This conversion increases the file size by 30% to 40%, therefore, please take this into consideration, when determining file sizes.

o The Library’s email system cannot accept files greater than 20MB. If needed, applicant may send their application materials across multiple emails but must ensure they are all clearly identified, with the opportunity number (030ADV26R0050) and an identifier (“1 of X emails”, “2 of X emails”, etc.) in the subject line.

o Required file naming conventions are as follows: [NOFO#] – [Applicant Short Name] – [Document Name] o E.g. 030ADV26R0050 – University of TPS – Proposal Narrative o Applicant must not submit zipped or locked files.

• Applicant must not submit files via a third-party website (such as OneDrive or Box.com).

• Applicant must not submit files via grants.gov.

Applications submitted to grants.gov will not be accepted.

D.1 Proposal Format Applicants must complete a Proposal Narrative and Budget Plan. The template for the Proposal Narrative and instructions on completing the Budget Plan can be found in the Supporting Documents Checklist section of this Notice in grants.gov.

D.1.1 Required Form SF-424 All applicants must complete the appropriate standard SF-424, Application for Federal Domestic Assistance. This form should be downloaded from grants.gov, completed by the applicant and included with their application documents sent by email.

Note: For Block 2 of the SF-424 form, the CFDA number is 42.011 for this award. The CFDA Title is “Library of Congress Grants.”

D.2 Agency Points of Contact

Lewis-Houghton Initiative Contracts and Grants Directorate Eileen Manchester C/O Grants Officer mailto:tps-grant@loc.gov

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LHI Program Manager Email: ejakeway@loc.gov

Email: tps-grant@loc.gov

Library of Congress - 101 Independence Avenue, S.E., Washington DC, 20540

E. APPLICATION REVIEW

The Library will evaluate applications received as described below. However:

a) Applications not received by the deadline specified in this Notice will not be reviewed.

b) Incomplete applications that do not include all required information or documents will not be reviewed.

c) Applications submitted by applicants that do not meet eligibility requirements listed in Section C will not be reviewed.

d) Applications that are not sent by email to tps-grant@loc.gov will not be reviewed.

E.1 Criteria for Proposal Evaluation The Library will assemble panels comprising subject matter experts in areas such as education, creative arts programming, museum and library studies, and grants management to review and evaluate submissions. Panels will evaluate submissions on the basis of: the applicant’s demonstrated history of providing high-quality curricula, materials and tools focused on a specific subject or population; the applicant’s leadership in educational networks that propagate teaching excellence in the field targeted by the proposal; experience, knowledge and contacts within the broader targeted community that would support significant adoption and use of the tools or materials created; quality and use of previously created curricula, instructional materials and tools; and programmatic and financial capability of the applicant, as witnessed by the soundness of the project plan and management of similar previous projects.

Specifically, Library staff and review panels will evaluate applications based on the following criteria:

a) Expertise and Specialized Knowledge

i) Extent to which an applicant has an established regional or national reputation for providing the type and scope of materials proposed under this award.

ii) Applicant’s expertise and experience in developing and delivering curriculum, instructional materials, and tools similar to those described in the proposal.

b) Soundness of Proposed Project

i) Evidence that methodology and design are appropriate to the scope of the project proposed.

ii) Evidence that the project uses existing or emerging standards or effective practices.

Demonstrated expertise and skill of personnel to be assigned to the project.

c) Proposed Use of Library Resources

i) Extent to which the proposed project incorporates primary sources from the online collections of the Library of Congress, including but not limited to music and/or creative arts-related primary sources such as those held by the Music Division, American Folklife Center, Manuscript Division, Prints and Photographs Division, and the National Audiovisual Conservation Center.

ii) Extent to which the proposed project incorporates teaching methods and materials from the Library’s Teachers Page.

mailto:ejakeway@loc.gov mailto:tps-grant@loc.gov https://www.loc.gov/programs/teachers/

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iii) The degree to which analysis of Library of Congress resources is critical to building understanding of key concepts within the proposed curriculum, materials, or tools.

d) Need and Impact

i) Evidence that the proposed project addresses a recognized need in the targeted population of learners.

ii) Extent to which the curriculum, instructional materials or tools developed are likely to be used by a significant portion of the targeted community, to further learning within the specific subject or context identified by the applicant.

iii) Extent to which the project’s benefits will continue beyond the award period.

Soundness of the applicant’s proposed plan to assess the impact of project activities.

e) Programmatic and Operational Capability

i) Evidence that the applicant will complete the project activities in the time allocated, through effective deployment and management of resources, including personnel, money, facilities, equipment, and supplies.

ii) The degree to which the curriculum, instructional materials or tools are flexible enough to allow for meaningful adaptations by other educational organizations while maintaining their effectiveness.

f) Educational Networks and Dissemination

i) Extent to which the applicant can demonstrate past collaborations with other educational entities, leading to the design, testing and distribution of curricula, instructional materials, and tools.

ii) Extent to which the applicant includes a sound plan to disseminate the curriculum, app/online interactive or instructional materials, developed under this award, through already-existing affiliations and networks, and by recruiting additional dissemination partners, where needed.

iii) Extent to which the applicant demonstrates an ability and commitment to incorporate knowledge, materials and activities developed during the award period into the applicant’s continuing work after the funding under this NOFO has ended.

g) Past Activities

i) The degree to which the applicant convincingly demonstrates that it possesses the institutional capacity to successfully complete the project. The applicant must demonstrate recent and relevant field experience, and quality performance. If relevant, the application must include a description of experience and representative accomplishments of the organization conducting activities of the type required under this Notice.

h) Budget and Project Costs

i) Whether the proposed costs are allowable in accordance with the cost principles found in 2 CFR 200 Subpart E .

ii) (1) The extent of the applicant's understanding of the financial aspects of the TPS LHI program and the applicant's ability to perform the proposed project activities within the amount requested; (2) whether the applicant's proposal will achieve the program objectives with reasonable economy and efficiency; and (3) whether any special conditions relating to costs should be included in the award.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-E

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iii) As stated in §200.306, voluntary cost share is not expected and will not be used as a factor during the merit review of the application. However, if provided, it will be reviewed for compliance with the standards set forth in §200.306 “Cost Sharing (Matching)” for U.S. entities.

iv) Evidence of sound financial management and submission of an appropriate and cost-efficient budget.

F. Pre-Award/Notice of Federal Award Following review, applicants may be requested to revise the project scope and/or budget before an award is made. The Library reserves the right to award without requesting clarification or additional details on the application.

Once all outstanding issues have been resolved, the Library will send a draft Award Agreement via email to the successful applicant for review, comments and acceptance, to be followed by full execution of the Award Agreement. The Award Agreement will include instructions specific to each recipient on how to request payment. If applicable, the instructions will detail any additional information/forms required and where to submit payment requests.

Applicants whose projects are not selected for funding will receive written notice, generally by e-mail, within 60 days of the final agency decision.

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APPENDIX A: System for Award Management (SAM) Applicants must obtain a Unique Entity ID number by registering with SAM.gov. The Library may not make a Federal award to an applicant that has not completed the SAM.gov registration. If an applicant selected for funding has not completed their SAM.gov registration by the time the Library is ready to make an award, the Library may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive an award. Once such determination is made, the Library can use that funding to issue an award to another qualifying applicant. There is no cost to register with SAM.gov. There are third-party vendors who will charge a fee in exchange for registering entities with SAM.gov; please be aware you can register and request help for free. Award recipients must continue to maintain an active SAM.gov registration with current information through the life of their Federal award(s). Applicants must enter their Unique Entity ID number where indicated on the SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance form.

How to register with SAM.gov Select “Get Started” in the section shown below on the landing page of the SAM.gov website to register.

You will have to register as an Entity. An Entity on SAM.gov is defined as prime contractors, organizations, or individuals applying for assistance awards. SAM.gov will issue you a Unique Entity Identification (UEI) number.

More information on the registration process can be found on the “Help” tab on SAM.gov.

Once registered in SAM.gov, entities must renew and revalidate their SAM registration at least once every 12 months from the date previously registered. To complete the process on SAM.gov, you will need the same information used to obtain your Employer Identification Number (EIN) and other data to complete registration and reporting requirements.

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Appendix B: A Sampling of Library of Congress Digital Collections That May Contain Music or Arts-related Primary Sources to teach history, civics, and/or democracy

The following list contains select examples of digital collections on loc.gov that contain and relate to music and other creative arts, such as dance, theater, visual arts, folk arts, film, photography, book arts, manuscripts, etc.

Please note: this list is neither comprehensive nor exclusive and is provided for applicants’ reference purposes only. Applicants are encouraged to explore the collections on loc.gov to find rights-free materials suitable for their proposals. Applicants may also contact reference specialists by topic area using the Library of Congress Ask a Librarian service.

Music Division The Library of Congress Music Division holds approximately 27 million items spanning over 1,000 years of Western music history and practice, from a 10th-century liturgical chant fragment to recently-commissioned chamber music premiered on the Library’s world-famous concert series. The collections include published music and books, music and literary manuscripts, iconography, periodicals, musical instruments, published and unpublished copyright deposits, and over 800 special collections with a variety of material related to music, theater and dance.

Some of the Music Division’s digital collections include:

• A.P. Schmidt Company archives, 1869 to 1958: Arthur Paul Schmidt (1846-1921) was a German-born music publisher who pioneered the development and dissemination of American music.

This online collection contains music manuscripts from the A.P. Schmidt Company Archives. The collection is particularly rich in music manuscripts by women.

• Civil War Sheet Music: This collection consists of over 2,500 pieces culled from the Library's collections. Recurring themes in this collection include emancipation (represented by sundry polkas and quicksteps), constitutional reconstruction, reconciling the nation, and songs heralding the Union or the Confederacy.

• Federal Theatre Project, 1935 to 1939: This collection contains documentation for stage productions mounted by the Federal Theatre Project in the 1935-39 period. The collection includes a wide variety of materials: billboards, cast lists, correspondence, costume designs, ground plans, lighting cue sheets, lighting plots, music, photographs, playbills, playscripts and playscript "sides" (i.e., an individual role or part), posters, production notebooks, programs, property lists, publicity reports and clippings, radio scripts, research reports, reviews, scenarios, set designs, study guides, and technical reports.

• Music for the Nation: American Sheet Music, ca. 1870 to 1885: Consists of over 47,000 pieces of sheet music registered for copyright during the years 1870 to 1885. Included are popular songs, piano music, sacred and secular choral music, solo instrumental music, method books and instructional materials, and music for band and orchestra.

• Silent Film Scores and Arrangements: Music and sound have served an integral role in film, and the Silent Film Scores and Arrangements digital collection offers unique insight into that development. The collection includes over 3,000 items published or created for use in silent film accompaniment between 1904-1927.

• Sheet Music of the Musical Theater: Sheet Music of the Musical Theater is a collection of more than 16,000 pieces of sheet music published between 1880 and 1922. These songs, specified as https://ask.loc.gov/ https://www.loc.gov/rr/perform/div-intro.html https://www.loc.gov/collections/a-p-schmidt-collection/about-this-collection/ https://www.loc.gov/collections/civil-war-sheet-music/about-this-collection/ https://www.loc.gov/collections/federal-theatre-project-1935-to-1939/about-this-collection/ https://www.loc.gov/collections/american-sheet-music-1870-to-1885/about-this-collection/ https://www.loc.gov/collections/silent-film-scores-and-arrangements/about-this-collection/ https://www.loc.gov/collections/musical-theater-sheet-music/about-this-collection/

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“M1508” items in the Library’s classification system, were taken from musicals, revues and operettas primarily of the American and British stage.

• Women's Suffrage in Sheet Music: Women's Suffrage in Sheet Music includes over 200 pieces of sheet music spanning the years 1838-1923, over half of which highlight women's emerging voices and suffrage efforts. The collection includes published rally songs and songsters written and compiled by notable composers and suffragists, as well as music manuscripts submitted for copyright deposit by everyday citizens. Anti-suffragists raised voices in song as well, and popular music of the era echoed anti-suffrage sentiments of the day with specific references to the movement. The Library of Congress preserves sheet music and songsters that represent suffragist voices, anti-suffrage views, and general societal angst at play throughout the women's suffrage movement, all of which are represented in this digital collection.

American Folklife Center Since 1976—when Congress passed the American Folklife Preservation Act (Public Law 94-201) and President Ford signed it into law—the American Folklife Center has fulfilled its charge to “preserve and present” folklife in all its diversity. Over the years the Center's staff have coordinated and conducted large-scale fieldwork projects, produced rich public programs onsite and online, supported training for researchers and fieldworkers, provided robust reference services, and, built a significant multiformat archive that holds cultural documentation of lived human experience and meaning-making from around the world.

The American Folklife Center and the professional fieldworkers who carry out these projects feel a strong ethical responsibility to the people they have visited and who have consented to have their lives documented for the historical record. The Center asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented in them. Researchers are also reminded that privacy and publicity rights may pertain to certain uses of such materials.

Some of the American Folklife Center’s digital collections include:

• Chicago Ethnic Arts Project collection: The Chicago Ethnic Arts Project survey was conducted in 1976-1981 (primarily in 1977) by the American Folklife Center at the request of the Illinois Arts Council to assess and document the status of ethnic art traditions in more than twenty ethnic communities in Chicago, Illinois and was jointly sponsored by both organizations. The collection consists of approximately 344 sound recordings, 14,141 photographs, 269 folders of manuscript materials, 2 video recordings, publications, ephemera, administrative files, and field notes produced and collected during the 1977 Chicago Ethnic Arts Project field survey.

• Ethnic Heritage and Language Schools in America Project: The collection consists of field notes, interviews, curriculum materials, sound recordings, photographs, and one videorecording resulting from a survey conducted by the American Folklife Center in 1982, which documented 23 ethnic schools in the United States.

• Voices Remembering Slavery: Freed People Tell Their Stories: The recordings of former slaves in Voices Remembering Slavery: Freed People Tell Their Stories took place between 1932 and 1975 in nine states. Twenty-two interviewees discussed how they felt about slavery, slaveholders, coercion of slaves, their families, and freedom. Several individuals sang songs, many of which were learned during the time of their enslavement. It is important to note that all of the interviewees spoke sixty or more years after the end of their enslavement, and it is their full lives that are reflected in these recordings. The individuals documented in this presentation have much to say about living as African Americans from the 1870s to the 1930s, and beyond.

https://www.loc.gov/collections/womens-suffrage-sheet-music/about-this-collection/ https://www.congress.gov/bill/94th-congress/house-bill/6673?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%2294-201%22%5D%7D&s=3&r=2 https://www.loc.gov/collections/chicago-ethnic-arts-project/about-this-collection/ https://www.loc.gov/collections/ethnic-heritage-and-language-schools-in-america-project/about-this-collection/ https://www.loc.gov/collections/voices-remembering-slavery/about-this-collection/

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Recorded Sound & Moving Image Research Centers (National Audio-Visual Conservation Center)

The Recorded Sound Research Center provides access to the commercial and archival audio holdings of the Library of Congress. The Library's audio collections are now the largest in the United States and among the most comprehensive in the world. The Moving Image Research Center provides access and information services to an international community of film and television professionals, archivists, scholars, and researchers.

Some of the Recorded Sound and Moving Image Centers’ digital collections include:

• Historical Media Publications Collection: This is a collection of publications related to the burgeoning development of the moving image and broadcasting industries in the early to mid- 20th century. From industry publications to fan magazines and standalone monographs on film censorship and theater management, these reference materials support and contextualize the film, television, radio and other sound recordings held at the Library's National Audio-Visual Conservation Center.

• Inventing Entertainment: The Early Motion Pictures and Sound Recordings of the Edison Companies: This is a collection of early motion pictures and sound recordings made by the Edison Companies, including films documenting Edison's day-to-day life.

• The Joe Smith Collection: This is a collection of around 200 celebrated singers, musicians and industry icons talking about their lives, music, experiences and contemporaries. While president of Capitol Records/EMI, Joe Smith recorded 238 hours of interviews over two years.

• The National Jukebox: The National Jukebox includes recordings issued on record labels now owned by Sony Music Entertainment, which has granted the Library of Congress a gratis license to stream acoustical recordings. At launch, the Jukebox includes more than 10,000 recordings made by the Victor Talking Machine Company between 1901 and 1925. Jukebox content will be increased regularly, with additional Victor recordings and acoustically recorded titles made by other Sony-owned U.S. labels, including Columbia, OKeh, and others.

• The National Screening Room: The National Screening Room showcases the riches of the Library's vast moving image collection, designed to make otherwise unavailable movies, both copyrighted and in the public domain, accessible to viewers worldwide.

Prints and Photographs Division

The Prints and Photographs Division (P&P), formally established in 1897 as the Department of Graphic Arts, was founded upon a rich reserve of prints, drawings, and photographs assembled in the 19th century through gift, purchase, and transfer from other government agencies.

Early conceived as a department devoted to the fine arts, P&P has come to assume a leading role in the visual documentation of politics, society, and daily culture. Today, its collections form the most comprehensive pictorial record of the history of the U.S., the lives, concerns, and achievements of its people, and U.S.’s place in the larger world.

Some of the Prints & Photographs Division’s digital collections include:

https://www.loc.gov/collections/historical-media-publications-collection/about-this-collection/ https://www.loc.gov/collections/edison-company-motion-pictures-and-sound-recordings/about-this-collection/ https://www.loc.gov/collections/edison-company-motion-pictures-and-sound-recordings/about-this-collection/ https://www.loc.gov/collections/joe-smith/about-this-collection/ https://www.loc.gov/collections/national-jukebox/about-this-collection/ https://www.loc.gov/collections/national-screening-room/about-this-collection/

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• African American Photographs Assembled for 1900 Paris Exposition: The Paris Exposition of 1900 (Exposition universelle internationale de 1900) devoted a building to matters of "social economy." The United States section of the building featured an exhibit that, according to W. E.

B. Du Bois, attempted to show "(a) The history of the American Negro. (b) His present condition.

(c) His education. (d) His literature." The Library of Congress holds approximately 220 mounted photographs reportedly displayed in the exhibition (LOTs11293-11308), as well as material specially compiled by Du Bois.

• Baseball Cards from the Benjamin K. Edwards Collection: The Benjamin K. Edwards Collection includes 2,100 early baseball cards dating from 1887 to 1914. Distributed in cigarette packs, these cards were the forerunners of modern sports trading cards.

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