Digital Projects for the Public NOFO 20220608-MD-MN-MT. Mod.3.29.22.pdf

20220608-MD-MN-MT

Notice of Funding Opportunity

Funding Opportunity Title: Digital Projects for the Public

Funding Opportunity Number: 20220608-MD-MN-MT

Funding Opportunity Type(s): New

Federal Assistance Listing Number: 45.164

Application Deadline: June 8, 2022

Ensure your SAM.gov and Grants.gov registrations and passwords are current.

It may take up to one month to register with SAM.gov and Grants.gov.

NEH will not grant deadline extensions for lack of registration.

Division of Public Programs Telephone: 202-606-8269 Email: publicpgms@neh.gov Federal Relay: 800-877-8399

OMB control number 3136-0134, expiration date October 31, 2024 mailto:@neh.gov?subject=publicpgms@neh,gov

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Executive Summary The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Division of Public Programs is accepting applications for the Digital Projects for the Public program. This program supports projects that interpret and analyze humanities content in primarily digital platforms and formats, such as websites, mobile applications and tours, interactive touch screens and kiosks, games, and virtual environments.

Funding Opportunity Title Digital Projects for the Public Funding Opportunity Number 20220608-MD-MN-MT Federal Assistance Listing Number 45.164 Optional Draft Deadline May 5, 2022, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time Application Deadline June 8, 2022, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time Anticipated Announcement December 2022 Anticipated FY 2023 Funding Approximately $1,500,000 Estimated Number and Type of Awards Approximately 11-16 grants Award Amounts Discovery: up to $30,000

Prototyping: up to $100,000 Production: up to $400,000

Cost Sharing/Match Required No Period of Performance Up to three years

Projects must start between March 1, 2023, and September 1, 2023.

Eligible Applicants • U.S. nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status

• public and 501(c)(3) accredited institutions of higher education

• state and local governmental agencies

• federally recognized Native American tribal governments

See C. Eligibility Information for additional information.

Program Resource Page Digital Projects for the Public | The National Endowment for the Humanities (neh.gov)

Pre-Application Webinar There will be a prerecorded webinar posted on the program resource page by April 15, 2022, 11:59 p.m.

Eastern Time.

Published Modified

March 14, 2022 March 29, 2022 https://www.neh.gov/grants/public/digital-projects-the-public

20220608-MD-MN-MT

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 Digital Projects for the Public program supports projects that interpret and analyze humanities content in primarily digital platforms and formats, such as websites, mobile applications and tours, interactive touch screens and kiosks, games, and virtual environments.

All Digital Projects for the Public projects must:

• provide public audiences with structured analysis that deepens public understanding of significant humanities ideas

• incorporate sound humanities scholarship

• involve humanities scholars in all phases of development and production

• include appropriate digital media professionals

• reach a broad public through a realistic plan for development, marketing, and distribution

• demonstrate the capacity to sustain themselves

NEH seeks proposals that explore a range of interpretive possibilities. The most competitive projects are those which include collaboration with multiple scholars offering diverse perspectives. Projects that depend on input from a single scholar are not competitive.

NEH also welcomes applications for non-promotional digital components of larger projects. For these projects, you should explain how the digital platform will enrich the users’ learning experience and engagement. For instance, if your request is for a mobile experience that would operate within a museum or would work in conjunction with a film, you should explain how this project element will enhance the audience’s humanities learning experience.

Applicants may also choose to identify particular communities and groups, including students, to whom a project may have particular appeal.

NEH encourages audience evaluation throughout all stages of a project. Evaluation could include testing of the project’s concept, approach, and key components.

See D6. Funding Restrictions for unallowable activities.

See E1. Review Criteria for criteria used to evaluate applications under this notice.

Funding categories The Digital Projects for the Public program includes three funding categories:

• Discovery, to conduct preliminary research

• Prototyping, to design or create prototypes

• Production, to produce the final version of the project

Applicants are not required to obtain a Discovery grant before applying for a Prototyping grant, or to obtain a Prototyping grant before applying for a Production grant. Applicants who have received an award in one funding category may not receive a second award for the same project

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in the same funding category. For example, an applicant may receive a Prototyping award and a Production award but may not receive two Production awards for the same project. See C3.

Other Eligibility Information.

NEH encourages potential applicants to contact the Division of Public Programs at 202-606- 8269 or publicpgms@neh.gov for advice on choosing the appropriate funding category.

Discovery The Discovery category (up to $30,000) supports the exploratory stages of a digital project that brings together humanities scholars, content experts, and digital media experts to determine which approaches a project might take. The Discovery phase should emphasize collaboration between these two types of expertise to identify the combination of content and platform that can most effectively communicate the humanities ideas to public audiences. To be successful at this level, the project team should have a solid grasp of the content and collections with which they will work and be looking for a platform to engage the content or the team should have chosen a subject and a platform and be looking to assess and interpret the humanities content.

In either case, the project team must include both humanities scholars and content and media experts.

Activities may include:

• content research and narrative development

• consultation with humanities scholars

• consultation with digital media experts

• platform research and selection

• identification or digitization of production assets

• preliminary design

• audience evaluation

• user experience mockups

• storyboarding

Discovery awards should culminate in the creation of a written design document that details fundamental aspects of the project such as the content, format, technical specifications, budget, work plan, intended audience, and learning objectives. The design document should serve as a roadmap for further work on the project.

Prototyping The Prototyping category (up to $100,000) supports the creation of a proof-of-concept prototype. Applicants in this category must submit a design document that describes the platform, user interface, design, and the ways in which the project’s central humanities ideas will be conveyed. These awards should result in the testing and creation of a digital prototype that explains the key digital features and humanities content of the project.

• refinement of humanities content

• consultation with humanities scholars and digital media experts

• finalization of the platform

• scripting mailto:publicpgms@neh.gov

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• creation or digitization of audiovisual assets that will engage public audiences

• user interface and backend development

• testing (including early launches) and de-bugging

• final design

• audience evaluation

• other activities that will advance the project towards the production stage

Completed prototypes should demonstrate the project’s technological feasibility and design through screenshots, videos, mockups, or other illustrations.

Production The Production category (up to $400,000) supports the production and distribution of humanities projects that have a primarily digital format. Applicants must submit a design document and a prototype that demonstrate a solid command of the humanities content and scholarship related to the subject. The prototype must also show how the narrative, audiovisual, and interactive elements function to bolster an audience’s understanding of the project’s humanities ideas.

• ongoing consultation with scholars

• additional research and writing

• fine-tuning the hardware, software, and platform

• the final design, production, and distribution of digital media projects

• finalization of the script and/or audiovisual assets

• rights and licensing fees for audiovisual assets

• production of complementary components such as museum displays

• publication of complementary materials, such as catalogs and curriculum guides

• publicity, outreach activities, and public programs

• project evaluation

NEH expects that by the conclusion of the period of performance, the team will have fully produced the project and distributed it for widespread public use.

2. Background This program is authorized by 20 U.S.C. § 956, et seq. 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).

According to the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965, “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.”

https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?hl=false&edition=prelim&req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title20-section956&num=0&saved=%7CKHRpdGxlOjIwIHNlY3Rpb246OTU2YSBlZGl0aW9uOnByZWxpbSk%3D%7C%7C%7C0%7Cfalse%7Cprelim 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.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.neh.gov/about/history/national-foundation-arts-and-humanities-act-1965-pl-89-209

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Use the Funded Projects Query Form to find examples of NEH-supported projects.

Learn more about NEH.

NEH Initiatives NEH seeks to support projects that respond to the following initiative. NEH will give all applications equal consideration in accordance with the program’s review criteria.

A More Perfect Union: Exploring America's Story and Commemorating its 250th Anniversary The task of building a more perfect Union rooted in the ideal of human equality falls to every generation of Americans, ours no less than our predecessors. The basic goals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness endure over time, even as the challenges change: from founding a nation out of colonies; to dismantling the institution of slavery; to prevailing through times of economic depression and war; to advancing civil rights for all; to strengthening our democratic institutions; to building a more inclusive and sustainable society.

NEH’s A More Perfect Union initiative encourages projects that explore, reflect on, and tell the stories of our quest for a more just, inclusive, and sustainable society throughout our history.

NEH especially welcomes projects that bring the perspective of the humanities to questions of racial justice, gender equality, the evolution of the American landscape, as well as America’s place in the world. Projects that strengthen Americans’ knowledge of our principles of constitutional governance and democracy are strongly encouraged, as are projects that address the experiences of Native Americans and other under-represented communities. In addition, NEH welcomes projects that develop innovative approaches to sustaining the nation’s humanities infrastructure and preserving its historical record.

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.

2. Summary of Funding

Award Amounts You may request up to:

• $30,000 in the Discovery category

• $100,000 in the Prototyping category

• $400,000 in the Production category

Successful applicants will be awarded outright funds.

Approximately $1,500,000 is expected to be available to fund 11-16 recipients.

https://securegrants.neh.gov/publicquery/main.aspx https://www.neh.gov/about https://www.neh.gov/250

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NEH will not determine the amount available until Congress enacts the final FY 2023 budget.

This notice is subject to the availability of appropriated funds, and is a contingency action taken to ensure that, should funds become available for this purpose, applications can be processed and funds awarded in a timely manner.

Period of Performance All awards have a period of performance of up to three years, with start date as early as March 1, 2023 and as late as September 1, 2023.

The period of performance must start on the first day of the month.

C. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants Eligible applicants must be established in the United States or its jurisdictions and be one of the following:

• a nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status

• an accredited institution of higher education (public or 501(c)(3))

• a unit of state or local government

• a federally recognized Native American tribal government

Eligible applicants acting solely as fiscal agents or fiscal sponsors may not apply on behalf of ineligible applicants.

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

2. Cost Sharing Cost sharing is not required in this program.

Cost sharing or matching is the portion of the project costs not paid by NEH funds. Cost sharing will not be considered in the evaluation of applications.

Applicants may contribute voluntary cost share to projects in which the total costs exceed the amount awarded by NEH. Voluntary cost share includes:

• cash contributions made to the project by the applicant

• unrecovered indirect costs

• third party cash contributions made to the project

• third-party in-kind contributions (non-cash contributions, such as property or services, that benefit the project and are contributed by non-federal third parties, without charge, to the recipient)

Recipients must maintain auditable records of the source and use of contributed cost share. See

2 CFR § 200.306.

Learn about types of funding offered by NEH.

https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/search-for-tax-exempt-organizations https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/01/30/2020-01707/indian-entities-recognized-by-and-eligible-to-receive-services-from-the-united-states-bureau-of https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=3aeab4e3a836f5b6807999701e518c94&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1306 https://www.neh.gov/grants/manage/types-funding

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3. Other Eligibility Information Eligible applicants may submit multiple applications for separate and distinct projects under this notice. An individual may serve as project director for multiple proposed projects under this notice. If an individual will serve as project director on multiple applications, the applicant should explain in the narratives how the project director would allocate their time between the awards.

Applicants may revise and resubmit previously rejected applications, which NEH will assess using the same criteria as others in the current competition.

Prior NEH award recipients may request support for a new or subsequent stage of the same project. NEH will assess these applications using the same criteria as others in the current competition.

As a matter of programmatic policy, NEH will not fund a project more than once at each funding level.

Per 2 CFR 200 § 403(f), overlapping project costs across multiple applications for federal funding and/or approved federal award budgets are not allowed. However, applicants may seek funding for complementary aspects of the same overall project. NEH may disallow costs or reject applications with overlapping project costs. An individual’s level of effort cannot exceed 100% across all active federally funded awards.

NEH does not make awards to other federal entities or to applicants whose projects are so closely intertwined with a federal entity that the project takes on characteristics of the federal entity’s own authorized activities. Applicants may use funds from, or sites and materials controlled by, other federal entities in their projects. Such resources may not be used as gifts to release NEH matching funds.

NEH does not provide financial assistance to foreign institutions or organizations. Nevertheless, otherwise eligible American institutions may apply for collaborative projects involving U.S. and foreign organizations provided they 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). Eligible applicants may obtain the services of foreign individuals and consultants to carry out various programmatic activities on a fee-for-service basis, as specified in 2 CFR § 200.459 and secure vendor contracts such as in-country transportation services. If you are interested in submitting an application for a project involving international collaboration, consult with program staff.

Applications must be received by the deadline, except for the limited reasons covered by NEH’s late submission policy. Incomplete, nonresponsive, or ineligible applications will not be considered for funding under this notice. Applications that exceed specified page limits or violate formatting instructions will not be reviewed. See the Application Components Table.

Substantive Involvement Applicant institutions must not function solely as fiscal agents or fiscal sponsors. Fiscal sponsorship activities alone (proposal submissions, reporting, fulfillment of contractual obligations, maintaining IRS status, etc.) are insufficient.

By contrast, an applicant does not function solely as a fiscal agent or fiscal sponsor if it makes 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.neh.gov/grants/policy-on-late-submissions

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any substantive contributions to the project. Examples of substantive contribution include, but are not limited to:

• monitoring the progress of a digital project

• contributing to the work plan, research plan, budget, outreach plan, fundraising plan, and/or distribution plan

• contributing to choices of personnel who work on a project, including project scholars and production staff

• contributing to the research, analysis, and interpretation of content

• consulting with other project personnel regarding humanities themes, formats, scripts, and/or intellectual approaches to the content

• providing direction, advice, and/or mentorship to the production team

• providing input on grant product(s) prior to completion (e.g., reviewing a prototype)

• participating in engagement, direction, and/or supervision of independent digital media

• professionals

• contributing to the development of ancillary resources to support the project

• contributing to outreach and public engagement

Most applicants will not engage in all of these activities. An applicant that makes at least some substantive contributions to the success of the project, however, is not subject to the prohibition on fiscal agents or fiscal sponsors.

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 20220608-MD-MN-MT. There is also a link on the program resource page.

This funding opportunity includes three application packages, which you can find under the “Package” tab. Select the appropriate one based upon your project type. Each package includes a series of required and conditionally required forms. You will upload additional application components into the Attachments Form.

• Discovery: MD2022

• Prototyping: MT2022

• Production: MN2022

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

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

If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you can contact NEH using Federal Relay at 800-877-8399.

mailto:publicpgms@neh.gov

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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.

NEH has assigned each application components one of the following designations:

• Required: All applicants must submit this component.

• Conditionally Required: Applicants must submit this component if they meet the specified conditions.

• Recommended: NEH encourages, but does not require, applicants to submit this component.

You must submit all required and relevant conditionally required components. Applications missing any required or relevant conditionally required components will be considered incomplete and rejected from further consideration.

NEH has established page limits for some application components:

• Mandatory: Applicants must not exceed the page limit.

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

You must abide by the page limits and formatting instructions in this notice. Applications that exceed page limits or violate formatting instructions will be considered nonresponsive and rejected from further consideration.

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

• paper 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-point

In addition, you are encouraged 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 (citations are included in page counts)

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Application Component File Name Designation Page limits Grants.gov forms SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance - Short Organizational

Required

Supplementary Cover Sheet for NEH Grant Programs

Required

Project/Performance Site(s) Location Form

Required

Research and Related Budget Required Attachments Form Required Certification Regarding Lobbying Conditionally required

Standard Form-LLL “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities”

Conditionally

Attachments 1: Narrative narrative.pdf Required 15 pages

(mandatory) 2: Bibliography bibliography.pdf Required 2 (suggested) 3: Resumes and letters of commitment resumes.pdf Required 2 pages each (suggested)

4: Work plan workplan.pdf Required 5: Description of your work sample sample.pdf Required

6: Design document design.pdf Required for Prototyping and Production

(suggested)

7: Prototype prototype.pdf Required for Production

8: Images and links to other assets images.pdf Recommended

9: Subrecipient budgets subrecipient.pdf Conditionally

10: Federally negotiated indirect cost rate agreement.pdf Conditionally

11: Explanation of delinquent federal debt delinquentdebt.pdf Conditionally

Narrative Compose a narrative that provides 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 fifteen single-spaced pages with one-inch margins and a font size of at least eleven point. Do not include an executive summary or a table of

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contents. You may include images, charts, diagrams, footnotes, and endnotes if they fit within the page limit.

Organize your narrative using the following section headings. Each section aligns with corresponding review criteria.

A. Nature of request (aligns with all review criteria)

• In one to two paragraphs, provide a brief overview of the project, its goals and intended outcomes, its format, and the amount of funding requested.

B. Humanities content (aligns with review criterion 1)

• Discuss the significance of the subject and its relevance to the public.

• Describe the scholarly content of the project, using thematic statements to identify the major humanities ideas and questions to be addressed.

• If applicable, describe how the project would differ from other projects that explore similar subject matter.

C. Project format (aligns with review criteria 1, 2, and 5)

• Briefly describe the format(s) and design(s) that you plan to implement and demonstrate how this approach will convey the central humanities ideas.

• Explain how the final project will convey the central humanities ideas and engage users.

• Identify the most important resources on which the project will draw, including audio and visual materials, documents, and other artifacts.

• For Discovery proposals, explain how users will navigate and experience the completed project. (Prototyping and Production applications should include this in the Design Document.)

• If there are successful models for this type of approach, briefly describe them.

• If applicable, explain how the proposed digital project relates to a larger project, such as a museum exhibit; describe any nondigital components, such as discussion programs.

D. User-generated content (aligns with review criterion 1)

• If the project includes user-generated content, describe how it will add to the humanities content and explain the criteria and process to be used for selecting and monitoring the content that will be made available to the public.

• Describe the policies and process to be used to prevent the dissemination of obscene, libelous, or defamatory content (including hate speech, personal attacks, or material constituting harassment).

E. Audience and distribution (aligns with review criterion 5)

• For Discovery proposals, discuss potential audiences for the project and the ways in which you would reach them. Estimate the number of people who will use the completed project and explain the basis for this assessment.

• For Prototyping and Production proposals, provide distribution and marketing plans and identify partners and targeted audience. Estimate the number of people who will use the completed project and explain the basis for this assessment.

https://nehemail-my.sharepoint.com/personal/tcarrigan_neh_gov/Documents/Digital%20Projects%20for%20the%20Public%202021/Prior%20versions

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F. Rights, permissions, and licensing (aligns with review criteria 2 and 4)

• Explain how you will determine who controls the rights to the materials and technologies being used.

• For Production proposals, describe licensing costs and development fees, if applicable.

G. Humanities advisers (aligns with review criteria 1 and 3)

• List the names of the project’s humanities advisers (scholars).

• In one or two sentences, describe their qualifications and the contributions that each will make to shape the project’s content.

H. Project and digital media teams (aligns with review criteria 2 and 3)

• List the key staff from the applicant organization and the principal members of the digital media team.

• In one or two sentences, describe each person’s qualifications and their expected contributions to the project.

• If student workers will be employed, explain the selection criteria, supervision plan, and plans for maintaining quality and consistency of work.

• If applicable, describe the applicant’s anticipated substantive involvement in the project.

I. State of the project (aligns with review criterion 4)

• Discuss the project’s history and the work that has been accomplished to date.

• If the project has received previous NEH funding, describe how it met the goals of the previous award(s).

• For Production proposals, if applicable, provide examples of earlier work that best illustrate the project’s evolution and integration of user feedback and testing. You may include URLs, such as earlier iterations of the project, accompanying education materials, or resources used.

• For Production proposals, describe how the production phase will enable the project to fulfill its goals, including reaching its intended audience.

J. Organization profile (aligns with review criterion 4)

• Briefly describe the applicant organization’s current mission, principal activities, and resources. Explain how these elements will enable it to carry out the project successfully.

If different, describe the production organization(s) as well.

K. Fundraising plan (aligns with review criterion 4)

• Specify the source and amount of all funds raised to date, including NEH awards, for all aspects of the project.

• Provide specific plans for raising funds from outside sources to cover costs that will exceed NEH support.

L. Project evaluation (aligns with review criteria 1, 2, and 5)

• For Discovery proposals, explain how you will evaluate the potential appeal and efficacy of the content and platform. Discuss how feedback will be incorporated into your development process.

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• For Prototyping and Production proposals, discuss how you will evaluate the user experience, particularly how effectively the prototype conveys the humanities content.

• For Prototyping and Production proposals, explain how you plan to test, troubleshoot, and de-bug the project.

• For Production proposals, explain any testing and evaluation done to date and explain how you plan to test and evaluate the project moving forward.

• For Production proposals, describe how data from audience evaluations will be collected and appraised.

Narrative Guidance

To ensure that you fully address the review criteria, this table provides a crosswalk between the narrative language and where each section falls within the review criteria.

Narrative Section Review Criteria A. Nature of request All review criteria B. Humanities content 1: Humanities content C. Project format 1: Humanities content

2: Creative approach and technical design 5: Audience reach

D. User-generated content 1: Humanities content E. Audience and distribution 5: Audience reach F. Rights, permissions and licensing 2: Creative approach and technical design

4: Project feasibility G. Humanities advisors 1: Humanities content

3: Project personnel H. Project and digital media team 2: Creative approach and technical design

3: Project personnel I. State of the project 4: Project feasibility J. Organization profile 4: Project feasibility K. Fundraising plan 4: Project feasibility L. Project evaluation 1: Humanities content

2: Creative approach and technical design 5: Audience reach

Research and Related Budget You must submit a project budget using the Research and Related Budget form included in the Grants.gov application package and attach a budget justification.

Complete a single detailed budget for the proposed period of performance. The form will generate a cumulative budget.

Required fields are indicated in yellow. Round to the nearest whole dollar amount in all dollar fields. The inclusion of a cost category on the Research and Related Budget does not automatically indicate that an expense is allowable. See D6. Funding Restrictions to ensure that costs are not disallowed.

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If you are exclusively requesting outright funds, your budget should include only funding requested from NEH. If you are requesting federal matching funds, your budget must equal total funding requested from NEH (outright and federal matching funds) and the one-to-one required third party cost share for the federal matching funds. Refer to the NEH Federal Matching Funds Guidelines regarding the eligibility of gifts for matching purposes. Total federal matching funds and cost share should be equal to the amounts indicated on the Supplementary Cover Sheet for NEH Grant Programs in the “Federal Matching” and “Cost Sharing” fields.

Learn about types of funds offered by NEH.

Do not include voluntary cost sharing on the Research and Related Budget form, but describe it in your budget justification.

All costs, whether supported by NEH funds or required cost sharing contributions (if applicable), must be reasonable, necessary to accomplish project objectives, allowable in terms of 2 CFR 200 Subpart E - Cost Principles, auditable, and incurred during the period of performance. All costs are subject to audit, record retention, and other requirements set forth in 2 CFR 200 Subpart F - Audit Requirements.

Team members who are playing a leadership role in the project should be included under A.

Senior/Key Person. Additional team members should be included under B. Other Personnel.

Only personnel employed by the applicant institution should be included in A. and B. Depending on their role on the project, costs for other team members may be included under F3.

Consultant Services or F5. Subawards/Consortium/Contractual Costs.

If you charge indirect costs to the project, ensure that expenses charged to the project as direct costs are not included in your organization's indirect cost. See H. Indirect Costs.

Introductory Fields If not pre-populated, indicate your organization’s Unique Entity Identifier, name, and the period of performance. This should be the same as the information provided on your SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance - Short Organizational. Your period of performance must start on the first day of the month and end on the last day of the month. Check “project” for budget type.

A. Senior/Key Person Include personnel who are employed by the applicant institution who will play a leadership role on the project. Do not include collaborators at other institutions or consultants, as they will be included in F. Other Direct Costs.

Enter the base salary (annual compensation) and identify the number of months each senior/key person will devote to the project. If you do not include base salaries, your award may be delayed.

Many non-academic institutions organize their budgets using calendar months. If your organization does not differentiate between academic and summer months, use only the calendar months column.

If your organization follows an academic calendar, you may differentiate levels of effort by using the academic and summer months columns. If effort remains constant, but your institutional business process requires noting academic and summer months separately, you may use both https://www.neh.gov/grants/manage/federal-matching-funds-guidelines https://www.neh.gov/grants/manage/federal-matching-funds-guidelines https://www.neh.gov/grants/manage/types-funding https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-E https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=236bb02f01d2e050f7a5b60c88a67066&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#sp2.1.200.e https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200#subpart-F

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columns. If your institution does not use a nine-month academic year or a three-month summer period, include your institution's definition of these terms in your budget justification.

Enter the requested salary and fringe benefits for each person. Per 2 CFR § 200. 431, fringe benefits are allowances and services provided by employers to their employees as compensation in addition to regular salaries and wages. Fringe benefits include, but are not limited to, the costs of leave (vacation, family-related, sick, or military), employee insurance, pensions, and unemployment benefit plans.

You must claim salaries and wages in compliance with 2 CFR §§ 200.430 and .466 and fringe benefits in compliance with 2 CFR § 200.431.

The form will calculate the requested salary and fringe benefits for each person.

The form has space for up to eight people. If you request funds for additional key personnel, list them in a separate document using the same format as the Research and Related Budget. Save the document as a PDF named additionalpersonnel.pdf and attach it under “Additional/Senior Key Persons.” If applicable, enter the total funds requested for personnel listed in the attachment in the "Total Funds requested for all Senior/Key Persons in the attached file" field.

B. Other Personnel Include personnel employed by the applicant institution who will play a supporting role on the project. For each project role, identify the number of personnel proposed, the total number of months, total salary, and total fringe benefits requested as described in A. Senior/Key Person.

The form will calculate the requested salary and fringe benefits for each group.

Post-doctoral associates, graduate students, and undergraduate students If applicable, include charges for tuition remission and other forms of compensation paid to students as, or in lieu of, salaries and wages. Such costs are subject to the reporting requirements in 2 CFR § 200.430, and must be treated as direct or indirect costs in accordance with the actual work performed. Tuition remission may be charged on an average rate basis.

Secretarial/Clerical In most circumstances, the salaries of administrative, secretarial, or clerical staff are included as indirect costs (see H. Indirect Costs). Per 2 CFR § 200.413(c), you may charge salaries for administrative or clerical staff as direct costs only if the following conditions are met:

• Administrative or clerical services are integral to a project or activity.

• Individuals involved can be specifically identified with the project or activity.

• Such costs are explicitly included in the budget or have prior written approval of the federal awarding agency.

• The costs are not also recovered as indirect costs.

Document how direct charging for secretarial/clerical personnel meets all four conditions in your budget justification. NEH may request additional information to assess allowability.

Additional Other Personnel List additional project roles, if applicable. The form has space for six named roles. If you have more, combine project roles on the form and explain in your budget justification.

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You must claim salaries and wages in compliance with 2 CFR §§ 200.430 and .466 and fringe benefits in compliance with 2 CFR § 200.431.

Do not list collaborators at other institutions or consultants here, as they will be included in F.

Other Direct Costs.

C. Equipment Description Equipment is defined as nonexpendable personal property costing $5,000 or more per item and having a service life of more than one year (unless your organization has established a lower level). See 2 CFR §§ 200.313 and .439.

You may purchase equipment if analysis demonstrates that it is more economical and practical than leasing (equipment rental/user fees should be included in F. Other Direct Costs). You may charge depreciation in compliance with 2 CFR § 200.436.

Per 2 CFR § 200.322, you should preference goods, products, and materials produced in the United States purchased or acquired under a federal award. The requirements of this section must be included in all subawards, contracts, and purchase orders for work or products under this award.

List each item of equipment you will purchase and its estimated cost, including shipping and maintenance. Include supporting information, such as a price quote, in your budget justification.

The form has space for ten items. If you request funds for additional equipment, list them in a separate document. Save the document as a PDF named additionalequipment.pdf and attach it under “Additional Equipment.” Enter the total funds requested for the additional equipment in the “Total funds requested for all equipment listed in the attached file” field.

The form will calculate total equipment costs.

D. Travel Enter the total funds requested for both domestic (local and long-distance) and foreign travel (travel to Canada and Mexico is considered foreign travel). Provide a detailed breakdown of costs for each trip in your budget justification. Arrangements made on a non-refundable basis are at the risk of the recipient if the services must be cancelled for any reason.

Travel costs must comply with 2 CFR § 200.475 and foreign travel must comply with the General Terms and Conditions for Awards to Organizations (issued January 1, 2022 or later).

NEH uses the General Services Administration's published per diem rates to assess if proposed travel costs are reasonable.

You may not use NEH funds to support attendance at regularly occurring professional meetings unless the purpose of attending is to disseminate project-related findings.

Include travel costs for participants in E3 and travel costs for consultants in F3.

The form will calculate total travel costs.

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E. Participant/Trainee Support Costs Participants are the beneficiaries, not the providers, of a service or training opportunity (such as a workshop, conference, seminar, or symposium) funded by a federal award.

As defined in 2 CFR § 200.1, participant support costs are direct costs for expenses such as stipends, travel allowances, subsistence allowances, and registration fees paid to or on behalf of participants (but not employees) in connection with conferences or training projects.

Per 2 CFR § 200.432, a conference is defined as a meeting, retreat, seminar, symposium, workshop, or event, the primary purpose of which is the dissemination of technical information beyond the non-federal entity, that is necessary and reasonable for successful performance under the federal award.

Include supporting information in your budget justification. Arrangements made on a non-refundable basis are at the risk of the recipient or participant if the services must be cancelled for any reason.

The form will calculate total participant support costs.

1. Tuition/Fees/Health Insurance Leave this field blank.

2. Stipends Enter the total funds requested for participant stipends.

3. Travel Enter the total funds requested for participant travel. In your budget justification, name the travelers (if known) and itemize their travel expenses (e.g., roundtrip airfare, mileage or public transportation, related parking, etc.).

4. Subsistence Enter the total funds requested for participant subsistence. Subsistence expenses include lodging and service charges; meals, including taxes and tips; and incidental expenses (e.g., fees and tips).

5. Other Describe other participant support costs (e.g., local ground transportation to venues, admission fees, bottled water, etc.) and enter the total funds requested for the costs described.

Number of Participants/Trainees Enter the total number of participants. This field cannot exceed 999.

F. Other Direct Costs The form will calculate total other direct costs.

1. Materials and Supplies Enter the total funds requested for materials and supplies costing the lesser of the capitalization level established by the applicant or $5,000 per item, regardless of the length of its useful life.

See 2 CFR §§ 200.314 and .453.

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2. Publication Costs Enter the total funds requested for publication costs. You may request funds for the costs of documenting, preparing, publishing, or otherwise making available to others the findings and products of the work conducted under the award. Include supporting information in your budget justification.

3. Consultant Services Enter the total funds requested for consultant services. If your project includes an external advisory committee, include associated costs here.

Consultant fees must comply with 2 CFR § 200.459.

4. Automated Data Processing (ADP)/Computer Services Enter the total funds requested for ADP/computer services, including computer-based retrieval of scientific, technical, and education information. Include personal computers and accessories under Materials and Supplies.

If such services are provided by a third-party, include them in Subawards/Consortium/Contractual Costs.

5. Subawards/Consortium/Contractual Costs Enter the total funds requested (both direct and indirect costs) for activities to be performed by third-parties.

Per 2 CFR §§ 200.1 and .331(a), a subaward is an award provided by a pass-through entity to a subrecipient to carry out part of a federal award. Payments to contractors (as defined in 2 CFR §§ 200.1 and .331(b)) or payments to individuals who are beneficiaries of federal programs are not considered subawards.

A pass-through entity may provide a subaward through any form of legal agreement, including an agreement that the pass-through entity considers a contract. The substance of the relationship between a pass-through entity and a third party is more important than the form of the agreement when determining if the third-party functions as subrecipient or contractor. See 2 CFR § 200.331(c).

NEH may request additional information in order to assess reasonableness and allowability. See 2 CFR §§ 200.331 and .332.

If a subrecipient is claiming indirect costs, include their federally negotiated indirect cost rate agreement in Attachment 10: Federally negotiated indirect cost rate agreement. Subrecipients requesting the de minimis rate are not required to provide an agreement.

See F2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements for additional information on subrecipient monitoring.

6. Equipment or Facility Rental/User Fees Enter the total funds requested for rental/user fees for equipment and facilities.

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