Humanities Initiatives 2025 - 030625.pdf

Notice of Funding Opportunity

Humanities Initiatives at Colleges and Universities Humanities Initiatives at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Humanities Initiatives at Hispanic-Serving Institutions Humanities Initiatives at Tribal Colleges and Universities

Humanities Initiatives at Community Colleges

Funding Opportunity Number: 20250506-AA-AB-AC-AD-AE

Funding Opportunity Type: New Federal Assistance Listing Number: 45.162

Application Deadline: May 6, 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.

Division of Education Email: hi@neh.gov Telephone: 202-606-2324 Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1

OMB control number 3136-0134, expiration date October 31, 2027 mailto:hi@neh.gov

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Executive Summary The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Division of Education Programs is accepting applications for the five Humanities Initiatives programs. These programs strengthen the teaching and study of the humanities at institutions of higher education by developing new or improving existing humanities programs, educational resources, or coursework.

Funding Opportunity Title Humanities Initiatives Funding Opportunity Number 20250506-AA-AB-AC-AD-AE Federal Assistance Listing Number 45.162 Deadline for Optional Draft March 25, 2025, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time Application Deadline May 6, 2025, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time Anticipated Award Announcement December 2025 Anticipated FY 2026 Funding Approximately $3,750,000 (all five Humanities

Initiatives programs combined) Estimated Number and Type of Awards Approximately 25 grants per deadline (all five

Humanities Initiatives programs combined) Award Amounts Up to $150,000 Cost Sharing/Match Required No Period of Performance One to three years.

Projects must start between February 1, 2026, and September 1, 2026.

Eligible Applicants Each of the five Humanities Initiatives programs has distinct eligibility criteria.

See C. Eligibility Information for additional information.

Program Resource Page Humanities Initiatives at Colleges and Universities

Humanities Initiatives at Historically Black Colleges and Universities Humanities Initiatives at Hispanic-Serving Institutions Humanities Initiatives at Tribal Colleges and Universities Humanities Initiatives at Community Colleges

Pre-Application Webinar Pre-recorded webinars will be posted to the program resource pages by February 6, 2025.

Pre-Application Live Q&A Session Register here to participate in a live Q&A session at 2 pm Eastern on Tuesday, March 4, 2025.

Published Modified Modified

Modified

January 21, 2025 January 23, 2025: Q&A registration information February 11, 2025: A2. Background and D6. Funding Restrictions March 6, 2025: D6. Funding Restrictions https://www.neh.gov/program/humanities-initiatives-colleges-and-universities https://www.neh.gov/grants/education/humanities-initiatives-historically-black-colleges-and-universities https://www.neh.gov/grants/education/humanities-initiatives-historically-black-colleges-and-universities https://www.neh.gov/grants/education/humanities-initiatives-hispanic-serving-institutions https://www.neh.gov/grants/education/humanities-initiatives-tribal-colleges-and-universities https://www.neh.gov/grants/education/humanities-initiatives-tribal-colleges-and-universities https://www.neh.gov/grants/education/humanities-initiatives-community-colleges https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fevents.gcc.teams.microsoft.com%2Fevent%2F70403130-9510-4084-9288-d8f903466d65%4093b06459-c77d-44b6-af7f-e813cddcdcc3&data=05%7C02%7Cjingram%40neh.gov%7Ca639f986fe514c3ac6a908dd3bb153f2%7C93b06459c77d44b6af7fe813cddcdcc3%7C0%7C0%7C638732354984963393%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=97DoK2cx5ySZznDhO4JvJxaR5rWbSRnCSAJ4Mhq23Z4%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 This notice solicits applications for the five Humanities Initiatives programs:

• Humanities Initiatives at Colleges and Universities

• Humanities Initiatives at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

• Humanities Initiatives at Hispanic-Serving Institutions

• Humanities Initiatives at Tribal Colleges and Universities

• Humanities Initiatives at Community Colleges

These programs strengthen the teaching and study of the humanities at institutions of higher education by developing new or improving existing humanities programs, educational resources, or coursework.

Projects must address a core topic or focused set of themes drawn from humanities areas such as history, philosophy, religion, languages and literature, or humanities-informed composition and writing skills. See A2. Background below for a more complete definition of the humanities.

The Humanities Initiatives programs support activities such as:

• Curriculum development developing and/or revising a set of courses (e.g., general education courses, honors courses or programs, capstone courses) creating teaching materials (e.g., course modules, readers, primary document collections, digital collections) planning and piloting a major, minor, or certificate program

• Student enrichment developing frameworks for sustainable humanities-focused internship programs creating ongoing opportunities for hands-on, place-based, or experiential learning designing programs or curricular innovations that help students understand the relevance of humanities education and make connections between the humanities, careers, and students’ lives after college

• Faculty development constructing pedagogy or curriculum through shared reading programs, faculty workshops, or other professional learning activities organizing a series of guest speakers for faculty and community audiences

• Partnerships creating bridge programs or dual enrollment programs between high school and college, or between community colleges and four-year institutions collaborating with museums, libraries, or other community organizations to create classroom materials producing humanities programming for students and community members https://www.neh.gov/program/humanities-initiatives-colleges-and-universities https://www.neh.gov/grants/education/humanities-initiatives-historically-black-colleges-and-universities https://www.neh.gov/grants/education/humanities-initiatives-hispanic-serving-institutions https://www.neh.gov/grants/education/humanities-initiatives-tribal-colleges-and-universities https://www.neh.gov/grants/education/humanities-initiatives-community-colleges

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NEH accepts applications for projects that would take between one and three years to complete, and projects of varying scope and duration are judged equally.

For example:

• a three-year project that combines curriculum development, a speaker series, and development of community partnerships in support of student internship opportunities

• an 18-month project to plan and pilot a major, minor, or certificate program and create teaching materials (e.g., course modules, readers, primary document collections, digital collections)

• a one-year project that convenes faculty work groups to develop and/or revise a set of courses (e.g., general education courses, honors courses or programs, capstone courses) that emphasize hands-on, place-based, or experiential learning

See the program resource pages for examples of previously funded projects and sample narratives. Each of the Humanities Initiatives program pages contains different samples and examples, which all may be useful as reference resources.

NEH does not expect you to retain the services of external evaluators to be competitive in the Humanities Initiatives programs.

See D6. Funding Restrictions for unallowable activities. Applications unrelated to the purpose of this program or that include unallowable costs or activities may be judged nonresponsive and returned without review.

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

Program Outputs and Outcomes The outputs of a successful Humanities Initiatives award may include, but are not limited to:

• A new or revised set of courses, programs, or curricula

• Teaching materials

• Humanities-based internship or experiential-learning programs

• Faculty development programs

• Partnerships with school districts, institutions of higher education, and/or community organizations

The outcomes of a successful Humanities Initiative program will include stronger humanities programs and/or enhanced capacity to teach the humanities at the awardee institution.

You will describe your project outputs, and how they would support the overall purpose of the Humanities Initiatives program, in Attachment 1: Narrative. If you receive an award, NEH will assess your performance based on the outputs you identify in the proposal. See F3. Reporting.

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.

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/grants/manage/organizations https://www.neh.gov/grants/manage/organizations

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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.

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 $150,000. This includes the sum of direct and indirect costs.

NEH anticipates awarding approximately $3,750,000 among an estimated 25 recipients.

NEH will award successful applicants outright funds, which are not contingent on additional funding from other sources.

NEH will not determine the exact amount available for funding until Congress makes official appropriations for FY 2026. NEH will issue awards subject to the availability of appropriated funds. NEH is publishing this notice as a contingency to ensure that NEH can process applications and issue awards in a timely manner, should sufficient funds become available.

Period of performance You may request a period of performance between one and three years with a start date between February 1, 2026, and September 1, 2026.

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.

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

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C. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants The Humanities Initiatives programs are for U.S.-accredited public or 501(c)(3) private institutions of higher education. Each of the five programs has distinct eligibility criteria as outlined below.

NEH encourages eligible institutions to submit their proposals to Humanities Initiatives at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Humanities Initiatives at Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Humanities Initiatives at Tribal Colleges and Universities, or Humanities Initiatives at Community Colleges, if relevant (see details, below). Otherwise, institutions should submit proposals through Humanities Initiatives at Colleges and Universities.

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.

Humanities Initiatives at Colleges and Universities U.S.-accredited public or 501(c)(3) private institutions of higher education are eligible.

Humanities Initiatives at Historically Black Colleges and Universities U.S.-accredited public or 501(c)(3) private Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as defined by Executive Order 13532, are eligible. See the U.S. Department of Education’s accredited HBCU listing.

Humanities Initiatives at Hispanic-Serving Institutions U.S.-accredited public or 501(c)(3) private Hispanic-Serving Institutions of higher education are eligible.

To determine whether your institution is eligible, consult the Eligibility Matrix on the U.S.

Department of Education website. The Eligibility Matrix is a read-only Excel worksheet that lists data for postsecondary institutions. Download the file from the link “Eligibility Matrix 2024,” then select “HSI” from the options at the bottom of the screen. You will next see a list of institutions, listed alphabetically. Find your institution and then look at column J (“Meets the 2024 Title V HSI Definition”). If the column states “yes,” your institution is eligible.

Institutions must apply annually to the U.S. Department of Education for Title III and Title V eligibility designations, so institutional designations can change from year to year.

If you are unable to verify your institution’s status as a Hispanic-Serving Institution by consulting the most recent Eligibility Matrix, you may establish your status with a letter or other document from the U.S. Department of Education dated 2024 or 2025, certifying Title III and Title V eligibility. Attach it as a PDF as Attachment 6. In addition to submitting documentation of Title III https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/promoting-excellence-innovation-and-sustainability-historically-black-colleges-and-https://sites.ed.gov/whhbcu/one-hundred-and-five-historically-black-colleges-and-universities/ https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/idues/eligibility.html https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/idues/eligibility.html

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and Title V eligibility, your institution must also meet the U.S. Department of Education’s definition of a Hispanic-Serving Institution. You may determine your institution’s eligibility by verifying that your institution meets the 25% Hispanic student enrollment threshold using the National Center for Education Statistics’ College Navigator (search for your institution, then click on “Enrollment”).

Humanities Initiatives at Tribal Colleges and Universities U.S.-accredited Tribal Colleges and Universities, as defined by Executive Order 13592, that are tribally controlled or nonprofits with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status are eligible. Eligible institutions are those recognized by the Department of Education and listed on the American Indian Higher Education Consortium’s website.

Humanities Initiatives at Community Colleges U.S.-accredited public or 501(c)(3) private community colleges and post-secondary two-year institutions of higher education are eligible.

2. Cost Sharing NEH does not require cost sharing in this program.

Cost sharing refers to project costs that are covered with non-NEH funds. You may contribute voluntary cost share if the total project costs exceed the amount awarded by NEH. Voluntary cost share includes:

• cash contributions made to the project by you or a third party

• your unrecovered indirect costs

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

Do not include voluntary cost share on your Research and Related Budget. The Research and Related Budget should include only funds you are requesting from NEH. You may describe voluntary cost share in your budget justification.

Peer reviewers will not consider any voluntary cost share in their evaluation of applications.

You must maintain auditable records of the source and use of cost share. See 2 CFR § 200.306.

Learn about types of funds NEH offers.

3. Other Eligibility Information You 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, you should explain in the narratives how the project director would allocate their time between the awards.

Collaboration with other postsecondary institutions is welcome, but the project director must be employed by the applicant institution.

https://sites.ed.gov/hispanic-initiative/hispanic-serving-institutions-hsis/ https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/ https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2011/12/02/executive-order-13592-improving-american-indian-and-alaska-native-educat https://www.aihec.org/tcu-roster-and-profiles/ https://www.aihec.org/tcu-roster-and-profiles/ 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 https://www.neh.gov/grants/manage/types-funding

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Projects may, but need not be, related to the cultural identity of the applicant institution. For example, a Hispanic-Serving Institution could submit a proposal on ancient Greek drama.

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

If NEH has previously made an award in support of your project, you may apply for a new or subsequent stage of the project, which NEH will assess using the review criteria of the current competition.

Per 2 CFR § 200.403(f), NEH does not permit overlapping costs on two or more awards for federal funding and/or approved federal award budgets. If you are submitting 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 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. You may use funds from, or sites and materials controlled by, other federal entities in your project.

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 hi@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 20250506-AA-AB-AC-AD-AE.

There is also a link on each program resource page.

This funding opportunity includes 5 application packages, which you can find under the “Package” tab. Select the appropriate one based upon your project type.

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 https://www.neh.gov/grants/policy-on-late-submissions

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Program Application Package Humanities Initiatives at Colleges and Universities AA2025 Humanities Initiatives at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

AB2025

Humanities Initiatives at Hispanic-Serving Institutions AC2025 Humanities Initiatives at Tribal Colleges and Universities AD2025 Humanities Initiatives at Community Colleges AE2025

Each package includes a series of required and conditionally required forms. You will upload additional application components using the Attachments Form.

You must complete a multistep registration process prior to submitting your application. See D3.

Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management.

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

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 attachments must be PDFs and 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 attachments 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.

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

• 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.

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.

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

• Mandatory: You must not exceed the page limit.

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

Application Component File Name Designation Page limit Attachments 1: Narrative narrative.pdf Required 8 (mandatory) 2: Work plan workplan.pdf Required 2 (suggested) 3: Résumés resumes.pdf Required 2 pages per person (suggested)

4. Reading List readings.pdf Recommended 2 (suggested)

5. Letters of Commitment and Support letters.pdf Required

6: Letter certifying Title III and Title V eligibility (for HSI applicants whose university is not on the U.S. Dept. of Education matrix)

HSIdesignation.pdf Conditionally required (see instructions)

7: Subrecipient budget(s) subrecipient.pdf Conditionally required

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

9: Explanation of delinquent federal debt delinquentdebt.pdf Conditionally required for recipients

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Application Component File Name Designation Page Limit 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 and Budget Justification

Required

Attachments Form Required Certification Regarding Lobbying Conditionally

Standard Form-LLL “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities”

Conditionally

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 eight single-spaced pages. Do not include an executive summary, cover page, or table of contents. You may include images, charts, diagrams, footnotes, or endnotes if they fit within the page limit. Name the file narrative.pdf.

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

Intellectual Rationale (aligns with review criterion “Intellectual quality”) Identify the core humanities topic or set of humanities themes your project will address and describe your approach. Describe the intellectual and scholarly content of these themes, situating them in the broader context of institutional priorities. Describe your intended audience, including its estimated size (e.g., the number of students and faculty members). Explain how your project will enrich humanities teaching and learning at your institution.

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Design and Activities (aligns with review criteria “Design quality and feasibility” and “Intellectual quality”) Describe how your project activities will explore and develop the humanities themes and topics you outlined in the narrative’s Intellectual Rationale and how this development will inform the project as a whole. Describe how your project will progress during the period of performance, identifying specific steps and providing examples as appropriate. List the main texts and resources your project will use and explain why you chose them. If you will create curricular resources, including digital humanities projects, explain how instructors will use them in existing or new courses.

You will provide a more detailed schedule describing your project activities in Attachment 2:

Work plan.

You will provide a more detailed list of texts and resources your project will use in Attachment 4:

Reading list.

Project Personnel (aligns with review criterion “Design quality and feasibility”) Identify the project director(s), members of the project team, and any external contributors, such as visiting scholars and consultants. Define their roles and briefly state their specific qualifications for the project

You will provide 2-page résumés or biographies in Attachment 3: Résumés.

Institutional Context (aligns with review criteria “Design quality and feasibility” and “Potential for significant impact”) Briefly explain the context of the humanities at your institution. Summarize its programs, curriculum, students, faculty, and resources (e.g., library, archival, or museum holdings) available for humanities study and explain how these resources support the project.

If applicable, describe previous efforts to address the project’s objectives. If the proposal is related to a previous project, describe how the current effort builds on past work.

If you plan to collaborate with other institutions or community partners, describe their roles, contribution, and any prior collaboration(s). If applicable, you may refer to one or more letters of commitment included in Attachment 5.

Describe the institutional support for the project. If applicable, you may refer to one or more institutional letters of support included in Attachment 5.

Impact and dissemination (aligns with review criterion “Potential for significant impact”) Describe your project’s anticipated impact on humanities teaching and learning at your institution, which may include such elements as enhanced capacity to teach the humanities, stronger programs that lead to increased student enrollment, and/or new teaching resources and co-curricular programming. If you will develop digital materials, describe how you will maintain them beyond the period of performance. If applicable, you may refer to one or more institutional letters of support included in Attachment 5.

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Describe how you will disseminate project outcomes to a wider audience at or beyond your institution (e.g., by sharing your curricular model with campus colleagues or with other faculty at a local/regional workshop, making a professional conference presentation, or publishing your findings in a digital or print format).

Evaluation (aligns with review criterion “Design quality and feasibility”) Explain how you will conduct formative and summative assessment to evaluate the project’s success at meeting the goals outlined under Impact and Dissemination. The evaluation plan should outline both qualitative and quantitative measures, as appropriate to the goals being evaluated. As a reminder, NEH does not require external evaluation in this program.

You must limit your narrative to eight pages. Name the file narrative.pdf.

Narrative Guidance Each section of the narrative aligns with corresponding review criteria. Use the crosswalk to ensure you address all criteria.

Narrative Section Review Criteria Intellectual rationale Intellectual quality Design and activities Design quality and feasibility and Intellectual quality Project personnel Design quality and feasibility Institutional context Design quality and feasibility and Potential for significant impact Impact and dissemination Potential for significant impact Evaluation Design quality and feasibility

Attachment 2: Work plan (required) Your work plan should reflect the major activities you describe in your narrative, the project dates on your SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance - Short Organizational, and your Research and Related Budget.

Describe the activities that will take place during the period of performance to achieve each of the proposed objectives. Use a timeline that includes each activity and identifies responsible staff. Explain how outcomes from one activity will carry over into the next. For multi-institutional collaborative projects, discuss the distribution of responsibilities across each institution. Identify meaningful support and collaboration with key stakeholders in planning, designing, and implementing activities.

Include in your work plan a required, virtual meeting for all Humanities Initiative project team members in February 2026.

This attachment has a suggested length of two pages. Name the file workplan.pdf.

Attachment 3: Résumés (required) Include résumés or brief bios for the project director(s) and other project personnel. Résumés and bios have a suggested length of two pages per person. Name the file resumes.pdf.

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Attachment 4: Reading list (recommended) Include a list of relevant readings and resources for the project, which could include books, articles, primary sources, films, videos, databases, works of art, etc. This list should convey to reviewers the humanities content that informs your curriculum or initiative. You may also list texts that might be included on syllabi, serve as the basis for faculty development, or feature in the project in other ways. Consider subheadings or other delineators in organizing key themes and categories. The reading list has a suggested length of two single-spaced pages. Name the file readings.pdf.

Attachment 5: Letters of commitment and support (required) Provide a letter indicating institutional support for the project and explaining its importance to the mission and curriculum from a member of the leadership at your institution, such as the president, a provost, or a dean. This letter is required.

You may also provide documents that describe working relationships between your organization and other individuals, entities, and programs cited in the proposal. These may be formal letters or informal exchanges such as emails.

In all cases, letters that demonstrate familiarity with the project and strong support are most effective.

Elected government officials, NEH staff, and current members of the National Council on the Humanities may not serve as letter writers. Tribal leaders writing in their capacity as institutional leaders of a tribal college or university are exempt from this restriction.

Name the file letters.pdf.

Attachment 6: Letter certifying Title III and Title V eligibility for HSI applicants whose university is not on the U.S. Dept. of Education matrix (conditionally required) If your institution qualifies as an HSI but is not on the U.S. Dept. of Education Matrix, provide a 2024 or 2025 letter or other document from the Department of Education, certifying Title III and Title V eligibility. Name the file HSIdesignation.pdf.

Attachment 7: Subrecipient budget(s) (conditionally required) If your project includes subawards, you must provide a separate Research and Related Budget and budget justification for each subrecipient.

Download a fillable PDF of the Research and Related Budget form from the NEH website for each subrecipient. You must open and complete this form in Adobe Reader 8.0 or higher rather than in your web browser.

Prepare a budget and budget justification for each subrecipient using the same instructions in this notice, with a few exceptions:

• Enter the subrecipient’s Unique Entity Identifier, organization name, and period of performance start and end date (these fields will not prepopulate).

• For “budget type,” check “Subaward/Consortium.”

https://www.neh.gov/about/national-council-on-the-humanities https://www.neh.gov/about/national-council-on-the-humanities https://www.neh.gov/sites/default/files/inline-files/RR_Budget10_3_0-V3.0.pdf

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If your subrecipients have a federally negotiated indirect cost rate, you must honor it. If they do not have a federally negotiated indirect cost rate, they may negotiate a rate with you consistent with 2 CFR § 200.414 or use the de minimis rate.

Rather than attaching related documents (budget justification, additional personnel, additional equipment) to the form itself, you will separately convert each document into a PDF and combine all subrecipients’ budget forms and related documents into a single document. Do not attach portfolios containing multiple PDFs.

NEH cannot accept security-enhanced PDFs (e.g., XFA files, PDFs that include password-protection, encryption, digital signatures). Remove these features (or “flatten” these files) before merging them into a single PDF and uploading it to the Attachments Form.

Name the file subrecipient.pdf.

Attachment 8: Federally negotiated indirect cost rate agreement (conditionally required) If your organization is claiming indirect costs and has a current federally negotiated indirect cost rate agreement, provide a copy of the agreement. If applicable, provide the indirect cost rate agreements for subrecipients claiming indirect costs. If you and your subrecipients are requesting the de minimis rate, you do not need to submit this attachment. Name the file agreement.pdf.

Attachment 9: Explanation of delinquent federal debt (conditionally required for recipients) If your organization is delinquent in the repayment of any federal debt, explain why. Provide evidence that you have entered into a repayment agreement with the Internal Revenue Service, if applicable, and that you are current on all payments due. Examples of relevant debt include delinquent payroll or other taxes, audit disallowances, and benefit overpayments. See OMB Circular A-129. Name the file delinquentdebt.pdf.

Application Components: Grants.gov Forms

SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance – Short Organizational (Grants.gov form) This form requests basic information about your institution, the proposed project, and key contacts. Items 1, 2, and 4 will be automatically filled in; leave item 3 blank.

5. Applicant Information a-d. Provide your organization’s legal name, address, and web address. Select the applicant type that best describes your organization from the drop-down menu.

e-f. Provide your organization’s employer/taxpayer identification number (EIN/TIN), and Unique Entity Identifier assigned by the System for Award Management. If you do not know your identifier, contact your grant administrator or chief financial officer. See D3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management.

g. Provide your congressional district with your two-character state abbreviation followed by your three-character district number. For example, if your institution is located in the 5th https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=d22b09774a679ad264cf0098635dabb8&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1414 https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/omb/circulars_a129_rev2013 https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/omb/circulars_a129_rev2013 https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

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congressional district of Alabama, enter “AL-005.” If your institution is in a state or U.S.

jurisdiction that does not have districts, enter “000” in place of the district number. If your institution is outside the U.S., enter “00-000.”

6. Project Information

a. Provide your project’s title. It should be brief (no more than 125 characters, including spaces), descriptive of the project, and easily understood by the general public. If NEH funds your project, the agency may retitle your project for clarity in internal and external communications, including the public announcement of awards. Regardless, you may use your preferred title when carrying out the project.

b. Provide a brief description of your project (no more than 1,000 characters, including spaces).

You should write the description for a nonspecialist audience, clearly stating the importance of the proposed work and its relation to larger issues in the humanities. This description will appear on the cover sheet of your application and will serve as a project abstract during the review process. If funded, this description will also appear in NEH’s database of funded projects.

c. State your project’s period of performance start and end dates. Your project must start on the first day of the month and end on the last day of the month. See B2. Summary of Funding for allowable periods of performance.

7. Project Director Provide the project director’s name, title, and contact information. The project director is responsible for the programmatic aspects and day-to-day management of the proposed project.

If the project director is not employed by the applicant organization, you must have a formal written agreement with the project director that specifies an official relationship between the parties even if the relationship does not involve a salary or other form of remuneration.

8. Primary Contact/Grant Administrator Provide the name, title, and contact information for the official responsible for the administration of the award (e.g., negotiating the budget and ensuring compliance with the terms and conditions of the award).

As a matter of NEH policy, the project director and primary contact/grant administrator must not be the same person.

The grant administrator (also called the “institutional grant administrator”) functions as the representative of the recipient organization. This individual should have authority to act on the organization’s behalf in matters related to the administration of the award. The institutional grant administrator must sign or countersign financial reports and prior approval requests such as budget revisions, extensions to the period of performance, and changes in key personnel.

NEH will address official correspondence (for example, the offer letter or Notice of Action) to the institutional grant administrator and copy the project director.

9. Authorized Representative Provide the name, title, and contact information for the authorized organization representative (AOR) who is submitting the application on behalf of the institution. This person, often called an “authorizing official,” is typically someone from the Office of Sponsored Projects, or the

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institution’s president, vice president, executive director, or board chair. The institution’s Grants.gov E-Business Point of Contact must designate the AOR. The AOR’s signature must match the contact’s name. See the Grants.gov Online User Guide.

Supplementary Cover Sheet for NEH Grant Programs (Grants.gov form)

1. Project Director Select the project director’s major field of study from the drop-down menu.

2. Institutional Information Select your institution type from the drop-down menu.

3. Project Funding Enter the amount requested under “Outright Funds.” Do not enter anything under “Federal Match” or “Cost Sharing.”

Learn more about the types of funding NEH offers.

4. Application Information Indicate whether you or others will submit complementary proposals to other NEH programs, government agencies, or private entities. If so, specify when and to whom. NEH will not consider this information when evaluating the merits of your proposal. See C3. Other Eligibility Information for restrictions regarding overlapping costs.

For type of application, check “new.”

Select the project’s primary discipline from the drop-down menu. If applicable, select the project’s secondary and tertiary disciplines.

Project/Performance Site Location(s) Form (Grants.gov form) Provide the primary location and any other locations where you will conduct project activities during the period of performance.

Enter congressional districts using the two-letter state abbreviation followed by your three-character district number. For example, if your institution is in the 5th congressional district of Alabama, enter “AL-005.” If your institution is in a state or U.S. jurisdiction that does not have districts, enter “000” in place of the district number. If your institution is outside the U.S., enter “00-000.”

The form has space for 300 sites. If your project includes additional locations, list them in a separate document. Save the document as a PDF named additionallocations.pdf and attach it under “Additional Locations.”

Research and Related Budget (Grants.gov form) 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 the SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance - Short Organizational form prior to completing your Research and Related Budget.

https://apply07.grants.gov/help/html/help/index.htm?callingApp=custom#t=GetStarted%2FGetStarted.htm https://www.neh.gov/grants/manage/types-funding https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

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Complete a separate detailed budget for each 12-month span of the period of performance. The form will generate a cumulative budget.

The form indicates required fields in yellow. Round all costs to the nearest whole dollar. The inclusion of a cost category on the Research and Related Budget form does not automatically indicate that an expense is allowable in this program. See D6. Funding Restrictions to ensure that proposed costs are allowable.

If you provide voluntary cost share, do not include it on the Research and Related Budget form.

You may describe it in your budget justification.

All costs 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. Costs are subject to audit, record retention, and other requirements set forth in 2 CFR 200 Subpart F - Audit Requirements.

You should include only your own employees under A. Senior/Key Person and B. Other Personnel. Include team members in leadership roles in the project under A. Senior/Key Person. Include other team members under B. Other Personnel. Include costs for non-employees under F3. Consultant Services or F5. Subawards/Consortium/Contractual Costs, as appropriate.

If you charge indirect costs to the project, you must not charge the same costs to the project as direct costs. See H. Indirect Costs.

Introductory Fields Your SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance - Short Organizational form should pre-populate introductory fields. If not pre-populated, indicate your organization’s Unique Entity Identifier, name, and the period of performance. This should match the information you provide 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. For budget type, check “project.”

A. Senior/Key Person Include personnel who are employed by the applicant institution in leadership roles on the project. Do not include collaborators at other institutions or consultants, as you will include them in F. Other Direct Costs.

Enter the base salary (annual compensation) for each senior/key person and identify the number of months they 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. You may use both columns if your institutional policy requires separate accounting for academic and summer months. If your institution does 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 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200#subpart-F

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not use a nine-month academic year and 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 senior/key person. Per 2 CFR § 200.431, fringe benefits are allowances and services you provide in addition to salaries and wages. Fringe benefits may include the costs of leave (e.g., vacation, family-related, sick, or military), employee insurance, pensions, and unemployment benefit plans.

Requested salaries and wages must comply with 2 CFR §§ 200.430 and .466 and fringe benefits must comply with 2 CFR § 200.431.

The form will calculate the requested salary and fringe benefits for each key 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 additional senior/key persons 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…