Media Projects Aug. 2023 and Jan. 2024.pdf

Notice of Funding Opportunity

Media Projects

Funding Opportunity Number: 20230809-TD-TR

Funding Opportunity Type: New

Federal Assistance Listing Number: 45.164

Application Deadlines covered by this Notice of Funding Opportunity:

August 9, 2023 January 10, 2024

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 Email: publicpgms@neh.gov Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1

OMB control number 3136-0134, expiration date October 31, 2024 mailto: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 Media Projects program. This program supports collaboration between media producers and scholars to develop content grounded in humanities scholarship and prepare documentary films, radio, and podcasts that engage public audiences with humanities ideas in creative and appealing ways. NEH makes Media Projects awards at two levels: Development and Production.

Funding Opportunity Title Media Projects Funding Opportunity Number 20230809-TD-TR Federal Assistance Listing Number 45.164 Optional Draft Deadlines August 2023: July 5, 2023, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time

January 2024: November 29, 2023, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time

Application Deadlines August 9, 2023, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time January 10, 2024, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time

Anticipated Award Announcements April 2024 August 2024

Anticipated FY 2024 Funding Approximately $3,500,000 per deadline Estimated Number and Type of Awards Approximately 12-15 grants per deadline Award Amounts Development: Up to $75,000

Production: Up to $700,000 (up to $1,000,000 for Chair’s Special Awards) See B. Federal Award Information

Cost Sharing/Match Required No, unless you request federal matching funds Period of Performance Development: six to twelve months

Production: one to three years

Projects submitted to the August 2023 deadline must start between May 1, 2024, and November 1, 2024.

Projects submitted to the January 2024 deadline must start between October 1, 2024, and April 1, 2025.

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.

Program Resource Page https://www.neh.gov/program/media-projects Pre-Application Webinar There will be a pre-recorded webinar posted on the program resource page by Monday, June 5, 2023.

Published Modified

May 4, 2023 May 9, 2023 (fixed hyperlinks) https://www.neh.gov/program/media-projects

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary ................................................................................................ i

Table of Contents ................................................................................................... ii

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 Media Projects program supports the development, production, and distribution of radio programs, podcasts, and documentary films that engage general audiences with humanities ideas in creative and appealing ways. Projects must be grounded in humanities scholarship and incorporate an approach that is thoughtful, balanced, and analytical; proposals must demonstrate the potential to attract a broad general audience.

The Division of Public Programs encourages media projects that promote a deeper understanding of American history and culture as well as those that examine international themes and subjects in the humanities.

Film and television projects may be stand-alone documentaries or a series of programs.

Radio and podcast projects may be single programs, a series, or segments within an ongoing program.

Projects may include supplementary components such as discussion programs or websites.

All projects should be intended for national or regional distribution.

All Media Projects proposals must:

• build on sound humanities scholarship

• deepen public understanding of significant humanities questions

• approach a subject analytically, presenting a variety of perspectives

• involve humanities scholars in all phases of development and production

• involve appropriate media professionals

• employ appealing and accessible formats that will actively engage the general public in learning

See D6. Funding Restrictions for unallowable activities.

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

Funding categories Media Projects offers two levels of funding: Development and Production.

Development Development awards (up to $75,000) enable media producers to collaborate with scholars to develop humanities content and other program elements. Awards must result in a script or detailed treatment(s). You may also use a Development award to plan for outreach and public engagement.

Prior to applying for a Development award, you should have:

• assessed the major humanities scholarship related to the subject

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• identified humanities themes

• assembled a group of humanities scholars to serve as advisers, and other experts if applicable

• consulted with the humanities scholars to identity the project’s interpretive ideas

• formed a media team to see the project through its development period

• identified resources (such as archival materials and potential interviewees)

Development awards may support activities such as:

• meetings with scholars

• preliminary interviews preparation of program treatments or scripts

• production of a work-in-progress or trailer

• creation of partnerships for outreach activities and public engagement

• archival and other scholarly research to further development of script and humanities themes

Production Production awards (up to $700,000) must result in the production and distribution of radio, podcast, television, and documentary film projects.

Prior to applying for a Production award, you should have:

• conducted extensive research on your subject, including archival work and preliminary interviews

• identified humanities themes

• involved humanities scholars in creating and interpreting the project’s content

• drafted the script or detailed treatment(s)

• designed your plans for distribution, outreach, and partnerships

Production awards may support activities such as:

• archival research and rights clearances

• meetings with scholars

• additional script development

• production (including filming, recording, and editing) and distribution

• development of related resources that explore the humanities content and themes central to the project (e.g., websites and curriculum materials)

• outreach and public engagement

Chair’s Special Awards Within the Production level, NEH will occasionally make Chair’s Special Awards (up to $1,000,000) for projects of exceptional significance, audience reach, and complexity. A Chair’s Special Award should examine important humanities ideas in new ways and demonstrate the potential to reach especially large audiences. These goals can often be accomplished by combining a variety of program formats, forming creative collaborations among diverse institutions, and significantly expanding the scope and reach of the project. Chair’s Special Awards are rare; NEH typically awards no more than one per year.

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

Under Section 3(a) of the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965, as amended, “The term ‘humanities’ includes, but is not limited to, the study of the following:

language, both modern and classical; linguistics; literature; history; jurisprudence; philosophy;

archaeology; comparative religion; ethics; the history, criticism and theory of the arts; those aspects of the social sciences which have humanistic content and employ humanistic methods;

and the study and application of the humanities to the human environment with particular attention to reflecting our diverse heritage, traditions, and history and to the relevance of the humanities to the current conditions of national life.”

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

Learn more about NEH.

NEH Areas of Interest NEH is especially interested in supporting projects that advance humanities-related work in the following areas.

American Tapestry: Weaving Together Past, Present, and Future American Tapestry: Weaving Together Past, Present, and Future is a wide-ranging special initiative at NEH that leverages the humanities to tackle some of the most pressing challenges of our time: strengthening our democracy, advancing equity for all, and addressing our changing climate. The initiative encourages humanities projects that elevate the role of civics in schools and public programs, advance knowledge of the country’s history and political institutions, and examine threats to its democratic principles. The initiative also encourages projects that explore the untold stories of historically underrepresented groups and build capacity at cultural and educational institutions to benefit underserved communities. Finally, the initiative welcomes projects that promote research into the historical roots and cultural effects of climate change and support the cultural and educational sectors in building climate resilience. By supporting humanities projects that align with these three themes—strengthening our democracy, advancing equity for all, and addressing our changing climate—the American Tapestry initiative seeks to tell our country’s history in all its complexity and diversity.

United We Stand: Connecting Through Culture Hate must have no safe harbor in America – especially when that hate fuels the kind of violence we’ve seen from Oak Creek to Pittsburgh, from El Paso to Poway, and from Atlanta to Buffalo.

When ordinary Americans cannot participate in the basic activities of everyday life—like shopping at the grocery store or praying at their house of worship—without the fear of being targeted and killed for who they are, our security as well as democracy are at risk. In coordination with the White House “United We Stand” Summit in September 2022, NEH launched a new initiative titled United We Stand: Connecting Through Culture that uses the humanities to combat hate-motivated violence and promote civic engagement, social cohesion, and cross-cultural understanding. As a part of this initiative, NEH encourages humanities projects that further our understanding of the nation’s racial, ethnic, gender, and religious https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?hl=false&edition=prelim&req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title20-section956 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=236bb02f01d2e050f7a5b60c88a67066&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=236bb02f01d2e050f7a5b60c88a67066&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5 https://www.neh.gov/general-terms-and-conditions-awards-organizations-grants-and-cooperative-agreements-issued-january-2022 https://www.neh.gov/general-terms-and-conditions-awards-organizations-grants-and-cooperative-agreements-issued-january-2022 https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-1998-title20/pdf/USCODE-1998-title20-chap26-subchapI-sec952.pdf https://securegrants.neh.gov/publicquery/main.aspx https://www.neh.gov/about https://www.neh.gov/news/american-tapestry-weaving-together-past-present-and-future https://www.neh.gov/unitedwestand

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diversity; examine the sources of hate and intolerance in the United States; and explore progress towards greater inclusiveness.

NEH also encourages projects that include Native American organizations and communities as applicants and project partners. NEH will give all applications equal consideration in accordance with the program’s review criteria.

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 $75,000 for Development projects and up to $700,000 for Production projects. In rare circumstances, NEH may issue 26TChair’s Special Awards26T of up to $1,000,000 for significant projects that will reach an exceptionally large audience.

Your request should include the sum of direct and indirect costs.

For Production awards, programmatic policy requires that you have written commitments for funding to cover your entire project budget before NEH will release the full amount of awarded funds. However, you may request the release of up to 20% of grant funds before the full funding for the entire project budget is raised to use for essential activities such as conducting time-sensitive interviews or creating a demo reel for the project.

NEH anticipates awarding approximately $3,500,00 among an estimated 12-15 recipients per deadline.

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

NEH will not determine the amount available until Congress makes appropriations for FY 2024.

NEH will issue awards subject to the availability of appropriated funds. NEH is publishing this notice as a contingency action to ensure that NEH can process applications and issue awards in a timely manner, should sufficient funds become available.

Period of performance The period of performance is the span of time during which you may incur new obligations to carry out the work under the NEH award. It must start on the first day of the month and end on the last day of the month.

You may request a period of performance between six and twelve months for Development projects and one to three years for Production projects.

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If you apply for the August 9, 2023, deadline, your period of performance must start between May 1, 2024, and November 1, 2024.

If you apply for the January 10, 2024, deadline, your period of performance must start between October 1, 2024, and April 1, 2025.

C. Eligibility Information

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

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

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

• a state or local government or one of their agencies

• a federally recognized Native American Tribal government

If your organization is eligible, you are encouraged to partner with independent producers and other skilled professionals to carry out programmatic activities. Under this arrangement, the lead applicant submits the application on behalf of the partnership(s). Lead applicants must not function solely as fiscal agents or fiscal sponsors but must make substantive contributions to the success of the project. If NEH makes an award, the lead applicant is considered the recipient of record and assumes all programmatic, financial, and legal responsibilities associated with the award, including adherence to, and compliance with, federal regulations and the terms and conditions of the award.

Fiscal agents or fiscal sponsors may not apply on behalf of ineligible applicants.

See Substantive involvement.

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

2. Cost Sharing NEH does not require cost sharing in this program unless you request federal matching funds.

Cost sharing or matching is the portion of the project costs you pay for with non-NEH funds.

Peer reviewers will not consider cost sharing in their evaluation of applications.

If you request federal matching funds, you must raise third-party non-federal gifts dollar-for-dollar. NEH will certify the allowability of these gifts before releasing federal matching funds.

Typically, NEH distributes federal matching funds on an annual basis over the period of performance. See the NEH Federal Matching Funds Guidelines.

Include required third-party non-federal gifts on your Research and Related Budget and identify them in your budget justification.

You may contribute voluntary cost share to your project if the total costs exceed the amount awarded by NEH. Voluntary cost share includes:

https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/search-for-tax-exempt-organizations https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/search-for-tax-exempt-organizations https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/01/28/2022-01789/indian-entities-recognized-by-and-eligible-to-receive-services-from-the-united-states-bureau-of https://www.neh.gov/grants/manage/federal-matching-funds-guidelines

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• 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

While you may describe voluntary cost share in your budget justification, you should not include it on your Research and Related Budget.

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, but you may not submit multiple applications for the same project at the same deadline. If you have already applied to the Division of Public Programs for a project under a prior deadline, NEH will not accept a second application for the same project while the first is still under review. Be advised that this program’s January 2024 deadline falls during the review period for applications submitted to the August 2023 deadline, so you may not submit applications for the same project to both deadlines.

You are not required to obtain a Development award before applying for a Production award. If NEH has previously made an award in support of your project, you may submit an application for a new or subsequent stage of the project, which NEH will assess using the same criteria as other applications.

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

Per 2 CFR § 200.403(f), you must not include the same project costs in more than one application for federal funding and/or approved federal award budget. However, you may submit multiple proposals for complementary aspects of the same overall project. NEH may disallow costs or reject applications that include overlapping project costs. An individual’s level of effort cannot exceed 100% across multiple active federally funded awards.

NEH does not issue awards to other federal entities. If your project is so closely intertwined with a federal entity that the project takes on characteristics of the federal entity’s own authorized activities, it is ineligible. You may use funds from, or sites and materials controlled by, other federal entities in your project, but you may not use them as gifts to release NEH matching funds.

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

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 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

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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.

Substantive involvement Applicant institutions must not function solely as fiscal agents or fiscal sponsors. Organizations engaging solely in fiscal sponsorship activities (e.g., proposal submissions, reporting, fulfillment of contractual obligations, maintaining IRS status) may not apply as a lead applicant.

By contrast, an eligible applicant makes substantive contributions to the project. Examples of substantive contribution include:

• monitoring the progress of a media 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, treatments, 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 “rough cuts”)

• participating in engagement, direction, and/or supervision of independent 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 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 lead applicant serving solely as fiscal agents or fiscal sponsors.

Learn more about managing subawards.

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 20230809-TD-TR There is also a link on the program resource page.

This funding opportunity includes two 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.

https://www.neh.gov/grants/policy-on-late-submissions https://www.neh.gov/general-guidance-pass-through-entities-managing-subawards https://www.neh.gov/program/media-projects

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Funding Level August 9, 2023 deadline January 10, 2024 deadline Development Production

TD82023

TR82023

TD12024

TR12024

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 telecommunications relay at 7-1-1.

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 component one of the following designations:

• Required: You must submit this component.

• Conditionally Required: You must submit this component if your proposal meets the specified conditions.

• Optional: You may submit this component, but NEH does not require it.

You must submit all required components and conditionally required components relevant to your proposal. NEH will not review applications missing any required documents or relevant conditionally required documents.

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.

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

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

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

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

• a font no smaller than 11 points

In addition, you are encouraged to format your components consistent with the following:

• single-spacing

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

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

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Application Component Table Application Component File Name Designation Page limit Completed 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

Assurances to Labor Standards 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 (mandatory) 2: Work plan workplan.pdf Required 3: Script or detailed treatment script.pdf or detailedtreatment.pdf Required Varies, see instructions (suggested)

4: Description of a work sample worksample.pdf Required 5: Bibliography bibliography.pdf Required 2 (suggested) 6: Résumés and letters of interest and commitment resumes.pdf Required 2 pages per résumé (suggested)

7: Digital design digitaldesign.pdf Conditionally

8: Images images.pdf Optional 9: Subrecipient budget(s) subrecipient.pdf Conditionally

10: Federally negotiated indirect cost rate agreement agreement.pdf Conditionally

11: Explanation of delinquent federal debt delinquentdebt.pdf Conditionally

The table above lists all the components that are required or conditionally required for this application. Use the column on the right to record your completion of each one.

Narrative 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.

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You must limit the narrative to fifteen single-spaced pages. Do not include an executive summary, cover page, or a table of contents. You may include images, charts, diagrams, footnotes, and endnotes if they fit within the page limit.

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

A. Nature of the request (aligns with all review criteria) In one or two paragraphs, state the subject and format of the project, the intended outcome of the award, and the amount of funding requested from NEH.

If you are requesting support for a radio, podcast, television, or film series, indicate the number and length of programs planned for the series.

If you are requesting a 26TChair’s Special Award26T, describe the aspects of your project that merit this higher funding level.

B. Program synopsis (Production only) (aligns with review criterion 1) Provide a brief synopsis (approximately 500 words) that describes how the program or series will unfold from beginning to end.

C. Humanities content (aligns with review criterion 1) Describe the interpretative framework that guides the project. Use thematic statements to explain the major humanities ideas and questions engaged by the project and the scholarship informing them.

If there are other productions on similar or related subjects, explain how your project will make a new contribution.

D. Creative approach (aligns with review criteria 2 and 6) Describe the program’s audiovisual style and approach. Will the program use narration, a host, interviews, dramatic recreations, animation, or other techniques?

Identify and describe the most important resources available for the project, including interviews, archival collections, and other audio and visual materials.

You may provide visuals, including screenshots and digital components, in Attachment 8:Images.

E. Rights and permissions (aligns with review criteria 1, 2, and 5) Describe your plans for obtaining permissions and clearing rights to use the proposed materials.

F. Humanities scholars (aligns with review criterion 3) Identify the humanities scholars who will be serving as advisers and describe the contributions that each will make. Identify any additional experts, if applicable. The scholarly advisory team’s expertise should reflect the scope of the project and the humanities issues it engages. Include résumés and letters of commitment from each scholar or other expert in Attachment 6: Résumés and letters of interest or commitment.

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G. Media team (aligns with review criteria 3 and 4) Identify the principal members of the media team, including, at a minimum, the director and writer for film projects or producer(s) for podcast and radio projects. It is also helpful to identify the director of photography (for films), the editor, and, if applicable, the host and the lead digital designer. Summarize each person’s qualifications, suitability for the proposed project, and expected contributions. Include résumés and letters of commitment in 26TAttachment 6: Résumés and letters of interest or commitment26T.

H. Progress (aligns with review criterion 5) Describe the work that you have accomplished to date, including research and interviews ,if applicable.

I. Distribution plan and audiences (aligns with review criterion 5 Provide distribution and marketing plans detailing how the NEH-funded product might be broadcast, distributed through theaters and festivals, or streamed. Describe partnerships that will help publicize the project and any promotional plans. Development projects should provide an outline of potential plans. Production projects should provide specific strategies and arrangements for distribution. While NEH does not require distribution commitments at the time of the application, if you have received letters of interest or commitment from broadcasters or distributors, include them in Attachment 6: Résumés and letters of interest or commitment.

Identify the audiences you will target. If possible, estimate the size of the audience, across all platforms, for the completed project. Explain the basis for this assessment.

J. Fundraising plan and project costs (aligns with review criterion 5) Indicate the total budget for project activities you will conduct during the period of performance, including those costs that you will not cover with NEH funds.

Specify the source and amount of funds you have raised to date for all aspects of the project.

Provide your plans for raising additional funds from other sources, and/or securing in-kind support, to cover costs that will exceed NEH support.

K. Organization profile (aligns with review criteria 3 and 5) Describe the mission and typical activities of the applicant institution and, if different, the production organization. Each profile should be one to two paragraphs. Describe the applicant institution’s anticipated programmatic contributions to the project.

Applicant institutions must not function solely as fiscal agents or fiscal sponsors. The organization profile for the applicant institution must include a detailed description of the applicant’s substantive involvement to the project. Fiscal sponsorship activities alone (e.g., proposal submissions, reporting, fulfillment of contractual obligations, maintaining IRS status) are insufficient.

L. Digital component (if applicable) (aligns with review criteria 2 and 6) If your request includes funding for a digital component, such as a website, that will complement the film or audio project, describe its design and humanities content.

Provide information about the digital team responsible for creation of the digital component and content, plus outreach strategies for awareness.

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M. Social media and audience-generated content (if applicable) (aligns with review criteria 1 and 6) If your project includes a social media and/or an audience-generated component (for either the primary media product or ancillary digital components), describe how it will enhance the humanities content and explain the criteria and process for selecting and monitoring it. Describe your policies and process to prevent the dissemination of obscene, libelous, indecent, or defamatory content (including hate speech, personal attacks, or material constituting harassment).

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 entire 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 does not necessarily mean that

Narrative Alignment

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

Narrative Section Review Criteria

A. Nature of the request 26TAll review criteria26T B. Program synopsis26T (Production only) 1. Humanities content and significance C. Humanities content26T 1. Humanities content and significance D. Creative approach26T 26T2. Creative approach, script, and resources26T

6. Audience reach E. Rights and permissions (if applicable)

1. Humanities content and significance 26T2. Creative approach, script, and resources26

5. Workplan, budget, likelihood of success F. Humanities scholars 3. Project personnel G. Media team 3. Project personnel

4. Work sample H. Progress 5. Workplan, budget, likelihood of success I. Distribution plan and audiences 5. Workplan, budget, likelihood of success J. Fundraising plan and project costs 5. Workplan, budget, likelihood of success K. Organization profile 3. Project personnel

5.Workplan, budget, likelihood of success L. Digital component (if applicable)

2. Creative approach, script, and resources

6. Audience reach

M. Social media and audience generated content (if applicable)

1. Humanities content and significance

6. Audience reach

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an expense is allowable. See D6. Funding Restrictions to ensure that proposed costs are allowable.

If you only request outright funds, your budget should include only the funding you are requesting from NEH. If you request federal matching funds, your budget must equal the 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.

The total federal matching funds and cost share should equal 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 NEH offers.

If you will provide voluntary cost share, do not include it on the Research and Related Budget form. You may describe it in your budget justification. If your budget exceeds the amount you are requesting from NEH, provide a separate, full budget for review.

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.

You should only include 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 those same costs to the project as direct costs. 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 you provide on your SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance - Short Organizational. You may need to complete the SF-424 prior to completing your Research and Related Budget. 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.

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If your organization follows an academic calendar, you may differentiate levels of effort by using the academic and summer months columns. You may also use both columns if your institutional policy requires accounting for academic and summer months separately. If your institution does 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 include, but are not limited to, the costs of leave (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 you are requesting 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 calculate the requested salary and fringe benefits for each group.

Post-doctoral associates, graduate students, and undergraduate students As a matter of programmatic policy, costs associated with post-doctoral associates, graduate students, and undergraduate students are not allowed in this program. NEH will disallow student costs.

Administrative/Clerical In most circumstances, you should include the salaries of administrative, secretarial, or clerical staff 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:

• The administrative or clerical services are integral to a project or activity.

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

• You explicitly include these costs in your budget or have prior written approval from

NEH.

• You do not also recover the costs as indirect costs.

If you include administrative or clerical salaries in your budget as direct costs, document how direct charging meets all four conditions in your budget justification. NEH may request additional information to assess if proposed costs are allowable.

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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.

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

Do not list collaborators at other institutions or consultants here, as you will include them 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. If your application is selected for funding, you must include the requirements of this section in all subawards, contracts, and purchase orders for work or products.

List each item of equipment you plan to 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 you are requesting 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 you are requesting for both domestic travel (local and long-distance) and foreign travel (including travel to Canada and Mexico). Provide a detailed breakdown of costs for each trip in your budget justification. If you make nonrefundable travel arrangements, it is at your own risk. You cannot charge cancelled travel to your award.

Travel costs must comply with 2 CFR § 200.475 and the General Terms and Conditions for Awards to Organizations. 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 attend 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.

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The form will calculate total travel costs.

E. Participant/Trainee Support Costs As a matter of programmatic policy, participant/trainee support costs are not allowed.

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

1. Materials and Supplies Enter the total funds you are requesting for materials and supplies that cost less than $5,000 per item, regardless of its useful life, unless your organization has established a different capitalization level. See 2 CFR §§ 200.314 and .453.

2. Publication Costs As a matter of programmatic policy, publication costs are not allowed.

3. Consultant Services Enter the total funds you are requesting 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 you are requesting for ADP/computer services, including computer-based retrieval of scientific, technical, and education information. Include personal computers and accessories under Materials and Supplies.

If a third party will provide these services, include them in Subawards/Consortium/Contractual Costs.

5. Subawards/Consortium/Contractual Costs Enter the total funds you are requesting (both direct and indirect costs) for activities third parties will perform.

Per 2 CFR §§ 200.1 and .331(a), a subrecipient carries out programmatic activities to meet the goals and objectives of the funded project. Often, when an applicant partners with a production company to produce a film or digital media project, the production company is considered a subrecipient.

Per 2 CFR §§ 200.12 and 331(b), a contractor provides goods and services within its normal business operations for the benefit of the recipient. Examples of contractor services include transportation services, catering or food services, transcription services, and data hosting or data storage.

If you are working with independent individuals who are providing expertise to the project, and they are neither your employees nor the employees of a subrecipient, then those individuals are consultants.

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