Climate Smart 2024 NOFO Final.pdf

Notice of Funding Opportunity

Climate Smart Humanities Organizations

Funding Opportunity Number: 20240912-CLI

Funding Opportunity Type: New

Federal Assistance Listing Number: 45.130

Application Deadlines:

September 18, 2024 September 17, 2025

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.

Office of Challenge Programs Email: challenge@neh.gov Telephone: 202-606-8309 Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1

OMB control number 3136-0134, expiration date October 31, 2024 mailto:challenge@neh.gov

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Executive Summary The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Office of Challenge Programs is accepting applications for the Climate Smart Humanities Organizations program. This program strengthens the institutional base of the humanities by funding operational assessments and strategic planning efforts to sustain and protect historical, cultural, educational, intellectual, and physical assets from the risks of climate change. Projects will result in a climate action, resilience, or adaptation plan including detailed assessments, measurable actions, and expected outcomes. Proposals must address how strategic planning for climate change will increase the organization’s resilience and support its work in the humanities over the long term. Projects are financed through a combination of federal matching funds and gifts raised from third-party, non-federal sources.

Funding Opportunity Title Climate Smart Humanities Organizations Funding Opportunity Number 20240912-CLI Federal Assistance Listing Number 45.130 Deadlines for Optional Drafts August 9, 2024, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time

August 8, 2025, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time Application Deadlines September 18, 2024, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time

September 17, 2025, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time Anticipated Award Announcements April 2025, April 2026 Anticipated FY 2025 and 2026 Funding

Approximately $2,500,000 per deadline

Estimated Number and Type of Awards

Approximately 10-20 grants per deadline

Award Amounts Up to $300,000 Cost Sharing/Match Required Yes, 1:1, third-party, non-federal gifts. See C2. Matching

Requirements.

Period of Performance Up to 24 months.

For the 2024 deadline, projects must start between May 1 and September 1, 2025.

For the 2025 deadline, projects must start between May 1 and September 1, 2026.

Eligible Applicants • nonprofit organizations recognized as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code

• accredited institutions of higher education (public or nonprofit)

• state and local governments and their agencies

• federally recognized Native American Tribal governments

See C. Eligibility Information for additional information.

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Program Resource Page Climate Smart Humanities Organizations | The National Endowment for the Humanities

Pre-Application Webinar Join us for an informational webinar Tuesday, June 24 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern:

https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/59c10778-b4b6-4ee6-b8f1-1bc46c901b6c@93b06459-c77d-44b6-af7f-e813cddcdcc3

Published May 29, 2024 https://www.neh.gov/program/climate-smart-humanities-organizations-0 https://www.neh.gov/program/climate-smart-humanities-organizations-0 https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fevents.gcc.teams.microsoft.com%2Fevent%2F59c10778-b4b6-4ee6-b8f1-1bc46c901b6c%4093b06459-c77d-44b6-af7f-e813cddcdcc3&data=05%7C02%7Cdperry%40neh.gov%7Cbf64bc5edfc24f84efaf08dc7f3e82f1%7C93b06459c77d44b6af7fe813cddcdcc3%7C0%7C0%7C638525153653804138%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=y8lI2KU0wUc4JtBjcgVBVCC1W8qiPsEtGaMJ54ZHke4%3D&reserved=0 https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fevents.gcc.teams.microsoft.com%2Fevent%2F59c10778-b4b6-4ee6-b8f1-1bc46c901b6c%4093b06459-c77d-44b6-af7f-e813cddcdcc3&data=05%7C02%7Cdperry%40neh.gov%7Cbf64bc5edfc24f84efaf08dc7f3e82f1%7C93b06459c77d44b6af7fe813cddcdcc3%7C0%7C0%7C638525153653804138%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=y8lI2KU0wUc4JtBjcgVBVCC1W8qiPsEtGaMJ54ZHke4%3D&reserved=0 https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fevents.gcc.teams.microsoft.com%2Fevent%2F59c10778-b4b6-4ee6-b8f1-1bc46c901b6c%4093b06459-c77d-44b6-af7f-e813cddcdcc3&data=05%7C02%7Cdperry%40neh.gov%7Cbf64bc5edfc24f84efaf08dc7f3e82f1%7C93b06459c77d44b6af7fe813cddcdcc3%7C0%7C0%7C638525153653804138%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=y8lI2KU0wUc4JtBjcgVBVCC1W8qiPsEtGaMJ54ZHke4%3D&reserved=0

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Table of Contents A. Program Description

1. Purpose

2. Background

B. Federal Award Information

1. Type of Application and Award

2. Summary of Funding

C. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

2. Cost Sharing

3. Other Eligibility Information

D. Application and Submission Information

1. Application Package

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management

4. Submission Dates and Times

5. Intergovernmental Review

6. Funding Restrictions

E. Application Review Information

1. Review Criteria

2. Review and Selection Process

3. Assessment of Risk and Other Pre-Award Activities

4. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates

F. Federal Award Administration Information

1. Federal Award Notices

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

3. Reporting

G. Agency Contacts

H. Other Information

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A. Program Description

1. Purpose The Climate Smart Humanities Organizations (Climate Smart) program strengthens the institutional base of the humanities by funding operational assessments and strategic planning efforts to sustain and protect historical, cultural, educational, intellectual, and physical assets from the risks of climate change. Projects must improve a humanities organization’s capacity to respond to a changing climate through operational and/or risk assessments and result in physical or digital planning document(s) outlining specific mitigation and/or adaptation actions the organization will implement over time. Climate Smart supports individual and consortium projects, and requires certification of an equal amount of third-party, non-federal gifts to release NEH funds.

Some examples of potential climate smart projects are:

• A university museum seeks to measure and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to meet campus-wide “net-zero” targets. Assessments include energy audits of the museum building and off-site storage, evaluation of mechanical systems, and calculation of the carbon footprint of daily operations. Working with university facilities and outside consultants, the museum establishes a step-by-step climate action plan that details operational and physical changes to meet zero emissions, along with required resources.

The non-federal match is met through a state sustainability grant and targeted donations from university alumni.

• An archive located adjacent to a river analyzes the costs, risks, and benefits of adapting its current building to meet increasing flood hazards; renovating or relocating an existing building farther inland; or building a new, purpose-built structure outside of the local community. Assessment activities include working with local experts to identify projected flood hazards, pre-decisional cost estimates for renovation and new construction, and community listening sessions. The resulting climate adaptation plan summarizes the result of assessment activities and provides data for the organization’s leadership, local officials, and community members to better understand possible hazards and evaluate each option, while ensuring that important humanities-based research materials remain accessible to all stakeholders. Matching funds are raised through a non-federal community development grant program.

• Three historic homes in the same town establish a consortium to coordinate resilience efforts through individual and joint strategic planning. One historic home submits the proposal and coordinates the award, including regular meetings and a joint training workshop for board members and staff of participant organizations. In addition, each site works individually with a consultant to consider historically appropriate building, programming, and grounds interventions that might reduce energy consumption and improve the visitor experience at each location. The project results in climate resilience plans specific to each house and a formal partnership agreement to develop a shared off-site collection storage space that is more energy efficient, reduces costs, and protects humanities collections from climate-related hazards. The board members of each historic home contribute the required matching funds and supply a pledge letter with the application.

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Project Design Climate smart strategic planning focuses on two distinct but related types of activities that increase resilience:

• mitigation planning focuses on reducing your institution’s environmental impact and energy costs

• adaptation planning prepares for and adjusts to actual and expected climate change scenarios to protect humanities-focused institutional assets and facilities.

In developing your project, your organization should consider if your project scope will include mitigation, adaptation, or a combination of both types of assessments and planning. NEH encourages you to address both mitigation and adaptation, but you may choose to focus on one or the other. In your narrative, please provide a justification for what type of assessments and planning will occur, and how it will increase organizational resilience and support your work in the humanities. This award does not support implementation costs, including construction or renovation. See D6. Funding Restrictions.

Mitigation assessments inform a comprehensive climate action plan by measuring the environmental impact of your organization’s operations, including energy use, waste production, and resource consumption. Your NEH project should propose specific assessments and explain how they will result in an actionable plan that will reduce your environmental impact and increase organizational resilience.

Mitigation assessments might include:

• comprehensive energy audits of an organization’s building(s), land use, utilities, operations, and facilities

• measurement of an organization’s carbon footprint, including energy sources, transportation, material use, and supplies

• testing of existing HVAC, natural gas, water, and other systems to identify leaks and improve efficiency

• evaluation of alternative energy sources, such as solar, geothermal, wind, or hydrogen fuel cells as long-term cost-efficient and sustainable options

• exploration of historically informed approaches to building and land use, such as introducing native groundcover or passive heating/cooling systems

• consultation with local government or utilities entities to explore participating in regional collectives for purchase of carbon offsets, industrial composting, energy collectives, or similar programs

Using data obtained from these assessments, your NEH grant will result in a climate action plan that describes specific short-, medium-, and long-term actions to reduce your organization’s impact on the environment, the resources and skills needed to implement each action, and how your organization will measure and evaluate implementation.

Adaptation assessments inform a comprehensive climate adaptation through identifying current and anticipated climate hazards and their potential impact on your humanities organization’s building(s), operations, finances, programming, staff, and audiences. Your NEH project should consider a range of hazards and assess your organization’s capacity to prepare for and respond to them.

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Adaptation assessments may include:

• examining location-specific risks associated with sea level rise, extreme weather, flooding, wildfires, etc.

• assessing buildings and grounds to determine their capacity to withstand current and future climatic events

• evaluating the impact of changing environmental conditions on programs and operations, such as timing and location of events, operating hours, and seasonal programming

• collecting data to record trends in temperature, weather, or other climate-related events over time and modeling future scenarios as they relate to and impact the applicant organization

• collecting and evaluating current emergency and continuity of operation plans

• consulting with engineers to consider plans to retrofit, relocate, or strengthen existing buildings, systems, and landscaping

• considering climate smart water management, such as reducing impervious surfaces and water recycling/reuse efforts that capture rainfall and mitigate water damage to humanities buildings and collections

• exploring community partnerships that support the organization’s adaptation and resilience effort, including mutual aid networks and training opportunities

Based on those assessments, your climate adaptation plan will describe short-, medium-, or long-term actions that will reduce your organization’s vulnerability to climate-related hazards, the resources and skills needed to implement each action, and how your organization will measure and evaluate implementation.

In addition to assessments, your organization may propose other activities that would inform your final planning document. These additional activities may include:

• hiring a sustainability officer or consultant to evaluate current operations and coordinate assessment efforts for the final climate smart strategic plan

• training to encourage climate smart behavior of staff and visitors/users to reduce institutional environmental impact and raise awareness of climate smart efforts

• forming internal and external working groups, including consultants and community forums

• collecting and analyzing data, writing reports, and working with outside experts

• developing educational materials, signs, equipment, and training activities directly associated with humanities-centered climate smart strategic planning

• disseminating the completed strategic plans (for example, through online posting, publication, and presentations)

Intended Applicants This program is intended to increase the operational resilience of humanities organizations such as museums, libraries, archives, historic houses, and humanities-centered subunits of colleges and universities. Your application should clearly articulate how your organization engages with humanities themes through collections, sites, and/or programming. Your application will be evaluated on project design, as well as the degree to which the final climate smart strategic plan supports the institutional base of the humanities.

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In the organizational profile attachment, you will provide information on your staff, budget, audience, and mission. This helps NEH and reviewers understand how your mission is related to the humanities. Peer reviewers are asked to assess the suitability of your organization to this funding opportunity based on the organizational profile and narrative.

Eligible applicants that do not work primarily in the humanities must clearly articulate how the proposed project will enhance and preserve humanities collections, sites, and/or programing.

Consortium Proposals You may propose to undertake planning efforts for your organization alone or as a consortium of humanities organizations. A consortium proposal includes two or more humanities organizations working together and can include shared consultants, training, or resources.

Project outcomes must include actionable climate smart plans for each consortium member.

You may also create a climate smart plan for future partnership activities, including the roles and responsibilities of each consortium member.

Joint activities may include:

• hiring consultants or sharing existing staff to conduct assessments

• planning for a mutual aid network of humanities institutions with shared emergency supplies, training with first responders, and contracts for remediation services after severe weather events

• evaluating shared resources, such as alternative energy sources, collection storage spaces, or transportation partnerships that result in mutual benefit, lower costs, and a reduced carbon footprint

• developing collective efforts to meet organizational, state, or local climate targets, such as emissions or energy use reduction, building standards, or zero-waste goals

• establishing partnerships that facilitate reuse and repurposing of materials and/or supplies

• sharing efforts to develop climate literacy for staff, visitors, students, or other users

One organization must submit the application on behalf of all consortium members, and is solely responsible for all grant management activities, including certifying gifts, submitting reports, and communicating with NEH. Consortium participants may raise and contribute third-party, non-federal gift funds to help meet your organization’s match requirement;

however, gifts funds may not originate directly from the consortium organizations. See Subrecipient monitoring requirements.

Consortium participants receiving project funds (NEH and/or matching funds) must be identified in the in the budget as subrecipients (see F5. Subawards/Consortiums/Contractual Costs in the budget instructions) and provide a letter of commitment that explains their role in the project in Attachment 7: Letters of commitment and support. Subrecipients must meet NEH eligibility requirements and provide you with a subrecipient budget in Attachment 8:

Subrecipient budget(s). Consortium projects where the primary applicant is managing and expending all funds, including matching gifts, are not required to include a subrecipient budget, but must still submit a letter of commitment.

Consortium applications will be evaluated to determine the overall significance to the humanities of participating organizations, the proposed assessment activities, and resulting strategic plan(s). Non-humanities organizations, such as performing arts venues and arts

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centers dedicated to the creation or performance of art, are not eligible subrecipients. Such organizations may participate as a consortium member but may not receive NEH award funds.

If your application is successful, NEH will require you to submit a formal Memorandum of Agreement signed by all consortium participants.

Program Outcomes and Outputs The output of a successful Climate Smart award will be one or more detailed, data-informed climate smart strategic planning documents with specific goals, targets, and associated actions that your organization intends to undertake after the period of performance of the NEH award.

The climate smart strategic plan should describe the expected benefits to the organization’s cultural and educational assets, facilities, services, staff, and audiences served, and how it will enhance, promote, and sustain work in the humanities. The plans may exist in digital or hard copy and may include information regarding the planning process, operational assessments, impact on the humanities, results of energy or building audits, conceptual design documents, educational materials, future targets, and evaluation metrics.

You may propose activities to disseminate the completed strategic plan to appropriate stakeholders, including board members, staff, audiences (e.g., visitors, students, users), municipal partners (e.g., first responders), volunteers, community representatives, and peer institutions. NEH encourages you to make your plan publicly available on your website and in other public-facing formats. You must submit a copy of your completed plan to NEH. See F3.

Reporting.

You will describe your project outcomes and outputs, and how they would support the overall purpose of the Climate Smart program, in Attachment 1: Narrative.

See D6. Funding Restrictions for unallowable activities.

See E1. Review Criteria for the standards NEH will use to evaluate applications under this notice.

Restriction on implementation activities, design, renovation, construction, and ground disturbing activities Implementation activities proposed in the final climate smart strategic plan must be pre-decisional; that is, they do not commit the organization to a particular plan of action beyond the period of performance of the NEH award. Rather, as with all strategic plans, the implementation activities are considered iterative and set intentions - but not final policy - for future organizational behavior.

Similarly, building or site renderings and preliminary design documents developed as part of climate smart strategic planning must also be pre-decisional. That is, they can inform opportunities identified in the final climate smart plan, but not commit the organization to a particular course of action. No element of the final climate smart plan may restrict the subsequent consideration of alternatives to avoid or minimize adverse effects on historic properties or sites. Advanced schematic design and construction documents, including those intended to be used for procurement and/or financing, and planning solely intended to inform future construction or renovation are not allowable in this program.

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If your application includes activities that would require review under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, NEH will remove those from the scope of the project prior to issuing an offer or award. Removal of these activities may result in a corresponding budget reduction.

2. Background NEH offers this funding opportunity under the authority of 20 U.S.C. § 956. Awards are subject to 2 CFR Part 200 Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, and the General Terms and Conditions for Awards to Organizations (for grants and cooperative agreements issued January 1, 2022 or later).

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.

NEH encourages projects that include Native American organizations and communities as applicants and project partners.

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.

https://www.neh.gov/grants/manage/section-106-the-national-historic-preservation-act https://www.neh.gov/grants/manage/section-106-the-national-historic-preservation-act https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?hl=false&edition=prelim&req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title20-section956 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=236bb02f01d2e050f7a5b60c88a67066&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=236bb02f01d2e050f7a5b60c88a67066&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5 https://www.neh.gov/general-terms-and-conditions-awards-organizations-grants-and-cooperative-agreements-issued-january-2022 https://www.neh.gov/general-terms-and-conditions-awards-organizations-grants-and-cooperative-agreements-issued-january-2022 https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-1998-title20/pdf/USCODE-1998-title20-chap26-subchapI-sec952.pdf https://securegrants.neh.gov/publicquery/main.aspx https://www.neh.gov/about https://www.neh.gov/news/american-tapestry-weaving-together-past-present-and-future

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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.

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.

NEH will provide funding in the form of grants. Successful applicants will receive an offer of federal matching funds, subject to specific regulatory and other conditions. See C2. Matching Requirements.

2. Summary of Funding

Award amounts NEH anticipates awarding approximately $2,500,000 to an estimated 10-20 recipients per deadline.

You may request up to $300,000 in federal matching funds, which must be met at a 1:1 ratio by third-party, non-federal gifts. You may propose a budget of up to $600,000 ($300,000 from NEH plus $300,000 in matching funds). Your request should be appropriate to your organization’s ability to meet the required match, the number of participating organizations, https://www.neh.gov/unitedwestand https://www.neh.gov/bsi https://www.neh.gov/bsi

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and the goals of the project. In general, NEH anticipates that budgets for projects proposed by individual organizations will be less than those proposed by consortiums.

Successful applicants will receive an offer of federal matching funds, subject to specific regulatory and other conditions. See C2. Matching Requirements. NEH will issue the award only when you have met the conditions of the offer. Recipients must certify that they have raised eligible contributions from third-party, non-federal gifts before NEH releases federal matching funds (see NEH Federal Matching Funds Guidelines). The full amount of federal matching funds may not be available for release in the first year of a multi-year period of performance. Typically, NEH distributes federal matching funds on an annual basis over the period of performance.

NEH will not determine the exact amount available for funding until Congress makes appropriations for FY 2025. NEH will issue awards subject to the availability of appropriated funds. NEH is publishing this notice as a contingency action to ensure that NEH can process applications and issue awards in a timely manner, should sufficient funds become available.

If you receive an offer, NEH will assess your institution’s ability to raise and certify funds, meet award conditions, and the progress of your proposed project. NEH may withdraw its offer if you fail to meet the offer conditions or raise matching funds with supporting documentation. See E4.

Anticipated Announcements and Award Dates.

Issuance of an award and funding beyond the first year is dependent on the availability of appropriated funds in subsequent fiscal years, satisfactory performance (including meeting the offer conditions and raising third-party, non-federal gifts), and a decision that continued funding is in the best interest of the federal government. Failure to raise third-party, non-federal gifts according to the agreed upon funding schedule may also result in a reduction or forfeiture of award funds.

Period of performance You may request a period of performance up to 24 months. The period of performance is the time during which you may incur expenses to carry out the work under the award. It must start on the first day of the month and end on the last day of the month.

If you apply for the 2024 deadline, you must request a period of performance start date between May 1 and September 1, 2025.

If you apply for the 2025 deadline, you must request a period of performance start date between May 1 and September 1, 2026.

While you must include a proposed project start date with your application, the final period of performance start date will be determined by the month in which you meet all requirements established in the offer letter, including certification of gifts. If you are not certifying gifts with the application, you should not propose a period of performance that begins prior to your first certification of 25% of your total required match. (See Fundraising Chart.)

You must certify a minimum of 25% of your total required match prior to the approved period of performance date identified in the offer letter. Failure to certify the first 25% within 60 days of the period of performance will result in a rescinded offer. You must certify all remaining gifts by March 31, 2026 (for the 2024 deadline) or March 31, 2027 (for the 2025 deadline). See C.2 Matching Requirements. NEH funds will be made available to draw down as gifts are raised and certified.

https://www.neh.gov/grants/manage/federal-matching-funds-guidelines

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C. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants To be eligible to apply, your organization must be established in the United States or its jurisdictions as one of the following:

• a nonprofit organization recognized as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code

• an accredited institution of higher education (public or nonprofit)

• a state or local government or one of their agencies

• a federally recognized Native American Tribal government

Individuals and other organizations, including foreign and for-profit entities, are ineligible.

If your organization is eligible, you may apply on behalf of a consortium of collaborating organizations. If NEH selects your proposal for funding, you will be programmatically, legally, and fiscally responsible for the award.

The recipient may not function solely as a fiscal agent but should make substantive contributions to the success of the project.

Institutions of higher education and local governments Institutions of higher education, municipalities, and local and tribal governments may apply to develop a climate action plan for one or more humanities-based subunits, such as a library, archive, or museum. Your proposal should focus exclusively on creating strategic planning documents specifically for those humanities-based subunits.

Institution-specific foundations Institution-specific foundations specifically created for the purpose of raising money for a single, humanities-based entity, such as a university or a museum, may serve as the legal recipient.

The institution-specific foundation must have a memorandum or other form of legal agreement in place designating it as the agent for the recipient for soliciting and receiving donations for the Climate Smart Humanities Organizations award. If NEH makes an award, the arrangement is subject to the flow down requirements at 2 CFR § 200.332.

2. Matching Requirements The Climate Smart Humanities Organization program requires successful recipients to certify one dollar of third-party, non-federal gifts for each dollar released by NEH (1:1 ratio). Matching funds can come from individual donors, private foundations, corporations, state or local grants, among other sources, and must be consistent with the NEH Federal Matching Funds Guidelines.

In-kind gifts and funds derived from the recipient or subrecipient organizations are not eligible sources of certified gifts in this program.

Your budget and budget justification must include the total of both federal funds and the required match. Total project costs (federal funds and the required match) should be included in Research and Related Budget and identify what project activities they will support in the budget justification. NEH will make funds available to draw down as gifts are raised and certified.

https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/search-for-tax-exempt-organizations https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/search-for-tax-exempt-organizations https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/01/28/2022-01789/indian-entities-recognized-by-and-eligible-to-receive-services-from-the-united-states-bureau-of https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR031321e29ac5bbd/section-200.332

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Allowability of gifts Gifts may not originate from the recipient institution, subrecipient participants, or institution specific foundations. This restriction also applies to superordinate multi-campus college and university systems. You may not shift or reallocate internal funds for matching purposes.

You must use Climate Smart Humanities Organizations funds (federal matching funds and third-party, non-federal gifts) only to support the purposes outlined in the approved budget within the period of performance.

You must maintain auditable records of the source and use of required certified gifts. See 2 CFR § 200.306.

For additional information on allowable gifts and certification requirements, see NEH Federal Matching Funds Guidelines.

Gift certification Successful applicants will receive an offer of federal matching funds, subject to specific regulatory and other conditions. NEH will issue an award only when offerees have met all conditions of the offer.

If NEH selects your project for funding, you must certify 25% of required third-party, non-federal gifts prior to your anticipated period of performance start date. You must certify the remaining 75% of gifts by March 31, 2026 (for the 2024 deadline) or March 31, 2027 (for the 2025 deadline). If you fail to meet these deadlines, NEH may reduce or terminate your award. You may certify gifts up to three times a year to release federal matching funds or to fulfill any portion of the matching requirement. You are encouraged, but not required, to certify gifts with your application.

Your period of performance may not begin prior to your first certification of 25% of your total required match. See Attachment 10: Certification of gifts.

3. Other Eligibility Information An organization may submit only one application under this notice. If you submit multiple applications (including submitting to the wrong funding opportunity or making corrections/updates), NEH will only accept your last validated submission prior to the deadline under the correct Grants.gov funding opportunity.

You may revise and resubmit previously rejected applications. Submissions are subject to the application requirements and review criteria of this competition.

If you are a current recipient of an award from the Office of Challenge Programs, you may apply to the Climate Smart Humanities Organizations program only if you have: 1) completely met your required match and had all gifts certified and processed by the Office of Grant Management, and 2) met all the requirements of the offer and/or award letters, including submission of timely performance and financial reports. This restriction applies only to awards issued through the Office of Challenge Programs; you may have multiple applications and https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=3aeab4e3a836f5b6807999701e518c94&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1306 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=3aeab4e3a836f5b6807999701e518c94&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1306

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awards through other NEH offices or divisions. Contact program staff at challenge@neh.gov if you have questions about this restriction.

Per 2 CFR § 200.403(f), you must not include the same project costs in more than one application for federal funding or approved federal award budget. If one application to NEH is pending, a second application for the same project costs, even if to a different program, may be ruled ineligible. However, you may submit multiple proposals for complementary aspects of the same overall project. If you are submitting complementary proposals to other NEH programs or government agencies, specify when and to whom in the Supplementary Cover Sheet for NEH Grant Programs. NEH may disallow costs or reject applications that include overlapping project costs. An individual’s level of effort cannot exceed 100% across multiple active federally funded awards.

NEH does not issue 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. Proposals for the construction of permanent improvements to lands or facilities that belong to another federal agency are typically ineligible for NEH support. You may use funds from, or sites and materials controlled by, other federal entities in your project, but you may not use them as gifts to release federal matching funds.

NEH does not provide financial assistance to foreign institutions or organizations. If you are an eligible domestic entity, you may apply for collaborative projects involving foreign organizations provided you do not use NEH funds for the purpose of issuing subawards to any foreign organization, as defined in 2 CFR §§ 200.1 and .331(a). You may obtain the services of foreign individuals and consultants to carry out programmatic activities on a fee-for-service basis, as specified in 2 CFR § 200.459. You may obtain goods and services from foreign vendors, such as in-country transportation services, in accordance with 2 CFR § 200.331(b). If you plan to submit an application involving international collaboration, contact program staff at challenge@neh.gov.

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 or a Grants.gov system-to-system solution. You can find this funding opportunity in Grants.gov under number 20240912-CLI. 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.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-E/subject-group-ECFRea20080eff2ea53/section-200.403 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=35fcd29238edd42c8b1f8b1628e39d47&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_11 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=b76712a585433486e57dafcd521c952e&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1331 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=35fcd29238edd42c8b1f8b1628e39d47&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1459 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=b76712a585433486e57dafcd521c952e&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1331 mailto:challenge@neh.gov https://www.neh.gov/grants/policy-on-late-submissions https://www.neh.gov/program/climate-smart-humanities-organizations-0

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You must complete a multistep registration process prior to submitting your application. See D3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management.

Contact challenge@neh.gov to request a paper copy of this notice.

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 include a narrative, budget, and other forms and attachments. You will complete the forms within Grants.gov Workspace and upload other components into the Attachments Form. See the Application Component Table.

Application formatting Your application components must conform to the following formatting requirements, unless otherwise indicated:

• pages no larger than standard letter (8 ½" x 11”)

• at least one-inch margins on all sides for all pages

• a font no smaller than 11 points

In addition, NEH encourages you to format your components consistent with the following:

• single-spacing

• a readable font such as Arial, Georgia, Helvetica, or Times New Roman

• any standard citation style (include citations in page counts)

Application Component Table 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 NEH does not require it.

• Conditionally required for recipients: You are encouraged but not required to submit this component when you apply. You must submit it if you receive an award if your proposal meets the specified conditions.

• Required for recipients: You are encouraged but not required to submit this component when you apply. You must submit it if you receive an award.

NEH will not review applications missing any required documents or relevant conditionally required documents.

Do not include attachments other than those listed in the table in this notice. If you do, NEH will reject your application.

In addition, NEH has established page limits for some application components:

• Mandatory: You must not exceed the page limit.

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• Suggested: NEH encourages, but does not require, you to abide by the page limit.

Note page limits and formatting instructions in this notice. NEH will not review applications that exceed mandatory page limits or deviate from formatting instructions.

Application Component

File Name Designation Page limit

Attachments 1: Narrative narrative.pdf Required 10 pages

(mandatory) 2: Work plan workplan.pdf Required 2 pages

(suggested) 3: Fundraising chart fundraising.pdf Required 1 page

(suggested) 4: Institutional profile profile.pdf Required 2 pages (suggested)

5: Consortium participants consortium.pdf Conditionally required 1 page per organization (suggested)

6: Résumés of project team members resumes.pdf Required 2 pages per person (suggested)

7: Letters of commitment and support letters.pdf Required

8: Subrecipient budgets subrecipient.pdf Conditionally Required

9: Other supporting documentation documentation.pdf Optional up to 5 pages (suggested)

10: Certification of gifts certification.pdf Required for recipients

11: Federally negotiated indirect cost rate agreement agreement.pdf Conditionally required

12: Explanation of delinquent federal debt delinquentdebt.pdf Conditionally required

Grants.gov forms SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance - Short Organizational

Required

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Supplementary Cover Sheet for NEH Grant Programs

Required

Project/Performance Site(s) Location Form

Required

Research and Related Budget and Budget justification

Required

Attachments Form Required Certification Regarding Lobbying

Conditionally required for recipients

Standard Form-LLL “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities”

Conditionally required for recipients

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.

You must limit the narrative to ten single-spaced pages with one-inch margins and a font size of at least eleven points. Do not include an executive summary or a table of contents. You may include images, charts, diagrams, footnotes, and endnotes if they fit within the page limit. You may include hyperlinks to outside references or sources; however, all key information must be contained within the narrative.

Organize your narrative using the following section headings. Each section aligns with one or more review criteria NEH will use to evaluate your proposal.

Humanities significance and impact (about 2 pages; aligns with review criterion 1) Briefly describe your organization, including its site, mission, governance, and humanities focus (collections, research, educational activities, and/or programs). Identify the audience(s) you serve, including its size. Explain how your organization advances the humanities at a local, regional, national, and/or international level. You may refer to the institutional profile in Attachment 4 and provide links to online offerings to illustrate your humanities collections and activities. Outline the expected impact of the proposed climate smart planning (both on the organization and its audiences), its contribution to climate mitigation and adaptation, and its benefits to the organization, including long-term sustainability.

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If your organization is leading a consortium proposal, explain the benefits of collaborative planning and its increased impact. You may refer to the list of consortium members in Attachment 5.

Strategic goals and institutional commitment (about 1 page; aligns with review criteria 1 and 2) Describe the motivations leading up to the current proposal including current and expected impacts of climate change on your organization and its humanities mission. Explain how comprehensive and strategic climate smart planning aligns with long-term institutional goals and whether it is part of a larger institutional, municipal, state, or other strategic planning process. Describe any preliminary efforts and how this proposal will build upon, expand, or supplant those efforts. Describe the commitment of your organization’s leadership and staff to climate smart planning and intentions for future implementation of goals, including possible sources of financial support. Refer to letters of commitment and support in Attachment 7. If applicable, include a brief description of consortium members’ goals and commitments.

Project outline and methodology (about 2 pages; aligns with review criterion 3) Detail the climate smart planning activities you would undertake. Explain how the proposed activities will result in a comprehensive strategic planning document. Indicate whether the assessment and final plan will address both mitigation and adaptation, or only certain aspects of climate smart planning. Discuss the choice of the approach or methodology underlying the planning process and refer to any specific standards, best practices, or assessment types that will inform the project, including specific local standards and/or initiatives.