EATH Program Announcement Feb 2026.pdf

Program Announcement: Endowments for Advancing the Humanities December 12, 2025

See below for deadlines, program purpose, application components, and review criteria specific to this competition. Refer to this program announcement together with the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for all information necessary to develop your proposal.

Program Announcement Title Endowments for Advancing the Humanities Funding Opportunity Number 20260210-CHE Federal Assistance Listing Number 45.160 Application Deadline February 10, 2026, 11:59 p.m. Eastern time Anticipated Award Announcement June 2026 Anticipated FY 2026 Funding Approximately $10,000,000 Estimated Number and Type of Awards Approximately 5 grants Award Amounts Up to $5 million in NEH federal matching funds, plus an additional $100,000 in outright funds for fundraising support costs.

Cost Sharing/Match Required 1:1 Annual Gift Certification Deadline January 31 Period of Performance Projects must begin between November 1, 2026, and January 1, 2027, with a period of performance of up to three years.

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 in the Notice of Funding Opportunity for additional information.

Program Purpose The purpose of this program is to fund 20-year term endowments that advance the humanities on college and university campuses and at independent educational institutions, specifically by building the organization’s capacity in research and teaching of Western civilization, American history and government, and civics.

Endowments are financed through a combination of NEH federal matching funds and non-federal gifts. Under this notice, “gifts” are defined as contributions of third-party non-federal funds or the recipient's own institutional funds. During the period of performance, you will certify non-federal gifts that will be matched one-to-one with NEH federal matching funds.

During the endowment term you will use income from the endowment for NEH-approved humanities purposes.

You may request between $1,000,000 and $5,000,000 in federal matching funds, to be matched one-to-one with non-federal gifts. You may request up to an additional $100,000 in outright funds for fundraising support costs (salaries, consultants, contracts, or subawards for fundraising personnel only) and related indirect costs during the period of performance.

Application Components For full guidance on what to include in each attachment, refer to the Notice of Funding Opportunity, Section D. Application Contents and Format.

Your application must include the following:

Attachment 1: Narrative: (maximum of 10 single-spaced pages at 11 point or larger font with 1-inch margins) You should describe:

• Humanities significance and impact of the work your organization does.

• Advancing the humanities with endowment funds: Provide a detailed description of your plans for endowment funds and how they would promote research and teaching of Western civilization, American history and government, and civics. Describe long-term planning efforts at your organization, how this work aligns, and whether it is part of a larger initiative. What is your vision for this work over twenty years?

• Fundraising and investment plan: Demonstrate your organization’s financial stability and its past record of fundraising as well as your plans to raise the match for this project.

• Key personnel: Identify the people at your organization who will manage fundraising, the endowment, and the work to promote research and teaching of Western civilization, American history and government, and civics during the endowment term.

Attachment 2: Work Plan: (2 pages suggested limit)

Attachment 3: Institutional profile and financial documentation (8 pages suggested limit)

Attachment 4: Résumés or biographies of key personnel (suggested limit of 2 pages per resume or 2 paragraphs per biography)

Attachment 5: Letters of commitment (required) and support (encouraged)

Attachment 6: Other supporting documentation (optional) (suggested limit of 15 pages)

Consider including information about curricula, past speaker series, statistics on current program enrollment or participation, feasibility studies, executive summaries of strategic plans, etc.

Refer to Sections D4. and D5. of the NOFO for details on additional optional attachments and Grants.gov forms to include with your application.

https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/opportunities/instructions/PKG00291538-instructions.pdf https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/opportunities/instructions/PKG00291538-instructions.pdf

Review Criteria Your application will be reviewed on the following criteria:

1. Significance to the Humanities: The scope and significance of the applicant’s work in the humanities to promote research and teaching of Western civilization, American history and government, and civics.

2. Plans for Endowment Income and Likely Impact: The strength, clarity, and level of detail of the description and justification of the proposed plans for endowment income during the 20-year term. The impact of endowment funds for promoting research and teaching of Western civilization, American history and government, and civics.

Assessment and communication of the award’s impact.

3. Fundraising Feasibility, Institutional Commitment, and Financial Health: The quality, specificity, and feasibility of the fundraising plans, and the applicant’s likelihood of success in certifying all gifts. The overall fiscal health of the organization to support fundraising efforts, endowment establishment, and prudent management of endowment funds. The suitability of the investment strategy. The level of commitment and engagement by the applicant’s leadership and community to support and implement the proposal throughout the period of performance and endowment term.

4. Personnel: The qualifications of personnel identified to lead and support fundraising efforts and endowment management. The qualifications of personnel identified to promote research and teaching of Western civilization, American history and government, and civics during the endowment term.

Funding Restrictions Elementary and secondary schools (public and private) and school districts are not eligible applicants in this grant program.

For additional funding restrictions, see page 2 of the NOFO.

Notification and Award NEH will notify you of funding decisions by email in July 2026. This is not an authorization to begin performance or incur related costs.

If NEH selects your application for an endowment award, the NEH Office of Grant Management will send award documents to the institutional grant administrator and project director through eGMS Reach starting in November 2026.

Agency Contacts NEH staff will be happy to answer any questions and are available for a phone or video consultation to further discuss this opportunity. Contact us at collections@neh.gov.

Division of Collections and Infrastructure National Endowment for the Humanities 400 Seventh Street, SW Washington, DC 20506 mailto:collections@neh.gov

202-606-8570 collections@neh.gov mailto:collections@neh.gov