Media Projects Aug. 2024 and Jan. 2025_103124.pdf

Notice of Funding Opportunity

Media Projects

Funding Opportunity Number: 20240814-TD-TR

Funding Opportunity Type: New

Federal Assistance Listing Number: 45.164

Application Deadlines:

August 14, 2024 January 8, 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 Public Programs Email: publicpgms@neh.gov

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

20240814-TD-TR

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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 and television, radio programs, 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 20240814-TD-TR Federal Assistance Listing Number 45.164 Deadlines for Optional Draft July 10, 2024, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time

December 4, 2024, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time Application Deadlines August 14, 2024, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time

January 8, 2025, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time Anticipated Award Announcements April 2025

August 2025 Anticipated FY 2025 Funding Approximately $3,500,000 per deadline Estimated Number and Type of Awards Approximately 10-12 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 2024 deadline must start between May 1, 2025, and November 1, 2025.

Projects submitted to the January 2025 deadline must start between October 1, 2025, and April 1, 2026.

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

• accredited institutions of higher education (public or nonprofit)

• state and local governments and their agencies

• federally recognized Native American Tribal governments

See C. Eligibility Information for additional information.

Program Resource Page https://www.neh.gov/program/media-projects Pre-Application Webinar A prerecorded webinar is posted on the program resource page.

Published Updated

May 15, 2024 October 31, 2024 (fix links) https://www.neh.gov/program/media-projects 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, documentary films and television programs 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. 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. Proposals must demonstrate the potential to attract a broad general audience and should be intended for national or regional distribution.

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 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

• demonstrate the potential to attract a broad general audience

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

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

Development awards are available only for film and television projects. Radio and podcast projects cannot apply for Development awards, but they may apply for Production.

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

• assessed the major humanities scholarship related to the subject

• identified humanities themes

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

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• 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 for film and $350,000 for radio and podcast programs) 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.

If you are seeking a Chair’s Special Award, your application must highlight the elements of your project that demonstrate exceptional significance, audience reach, and complexity, as described above. Submit a budget for up to $1,000,000. If you are not selected at this level, your application will still be considered at the $700,000 maximum amount.

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Program Outputs Development awards should result in a script or detailed treatment(s).

Production awards must result in the production and distribution of radio, podcast, television, and documentary film projects.

You will describe your project outputs, and how they would support the overall purpose of the Media Projects 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 F.3 Reporting.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Learn more about NEH.

NEH Areas of Interest NEH is especially interested in supporting projects that advance humanities-related work in the following areas. NEH will give all applications equal consideration in accordance with the program’s review criteria.

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

American Tapestry: Weaving Together Past, Present, and Future American Tapestry: Weaving Together Past, Present, and Future is a wide-ranging special initiative at NEH that leverages the humanities to tackle some of the most pressing challenges of our time: strengthening our democracy, advancing equity for all, and addressing our changing climate. The initiative encourages humanities projects that elevate the role of civics in schools https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?hl=false&edition=prelim&req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title20-section956 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=236bb02f01d2e050f7a5b60c88a67066&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=236bb02f01d2e050f7a5b60c88a67066&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5 https://www.neh.gov/general-terms-and-conditions-awards-organizations-grants-and-cooperative-agreements-issued-january-2022 https://www.neh.gov/general-terms-and-conditions-awards-organizations-grants-and-cooperative-agreements-issued-january-2022 https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-1998-title20/pdf/USCODE-1998-title20-chap26-subchapI-sec952.pdf https://securegrants.neh.gov/publicquery/main.aspx https://www.neh.gov/about https://www.neh.gov/news/american-tapestry-weaving-together-past-present-and-future

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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 – such as shopping at the grocery store or praying at their house of worship – without the fear of being targeted and killed for who they are, our security as well as democracy are at risk. In coordination with the White House “United We Stand” Summit in September 2022, NEH launched a new initiative titled United We Stand: Connecting Through Culture that uses the humanities to combat hate-motivated violence and promote civic engagement, social cohesion, and cross-cultural understanding. As a part of this initiative, NEH encourages humanities projects that further our understanding of the nation’s racial, ethnic, gender, and religious diversity; examine the sources of hate and intolerance in the United States; and explore progress towards greater inclusiveness. NEH especially welcomes projects that explore the Muslim American and/or the Jewish American experience, including the history of Islamophobia and/or antisemitism.

NEH’s Support for the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative As a part of NEH’s partnership with the Department of the Interior on the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative, NEH encourages projects that further public understanding and knowledge of the Federal Indian boarding school system. From 1819 through the 1970s the government of the United States operated a system of schools for Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children premised on a policy of coerced cultural assimilation. Native children were forcibly separated from their families and sent to attend federal Indian boarding schools, where they were frequently subject to harsh treatment and abuse. A number of these students died, and others never returned to their families and communities. Many were also deprived of their cultural inheritance. NEH encourages projects that document and explore the history of the federal Indian boarding schools as well as projects that contribute to Native and Indigenous cultural and language revitalization.

B. Federal Award Information

1. Type of Application and Award NEH seeks new applications in response to this notice.

NEH will provide funding in the form of grants.

https://www.neh.gov/unitedwestand https://www.neh.gov/bsi https://www.neh.gov/bsi

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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 Production projects that demonstrate exceptional significance, audience reach, and complexity.

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 immediate, 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 10-12 recipients per deadline.

NEH will award successful applicants outright funds, which are not contingent on additional funding from other sources. If you are also requesting matching funds, see C2.

NEH will not determine the exact amount available for funding until Congress makes official appropriations for FY 2025. 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 six and twelve months for Development projects and one to three years for Production projects.

If you apply for the August 14, 2024, deadline, your period of performance must start between May 1, 2025, and November 1, 2025.

If you apply for the January 8, 2025, deadline, your period of performance must start between October 1, 2025, and April 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.

C. Eligibility Information

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

• a nonprofit organization recognized as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/search-for-tax-exempt-organizations https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/search-for-tax-exempt-organizations

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• 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 refers to project costs that are covered with non-NEH funds. NEH distinguishes between two types of cost sharing: voluntary cost sharing and federal matching funds.

Voluntary cost sharing 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 only include 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.

Federal matching funds Production applicants may request up to $50,000 federal matching funds to leverage third party funding. Funds to satisfy a matching requirement must be from sources outside of the applicant institution (a third party) consistent with the NEH Federal Matching Funds Guidelines. If you request federal matching funds, you must raise third-party non-federal gifts dollar-for-dollar.

Include third-party non-federal gifts on your Research and Related Budget and identify what project activities they will support in the budget justification.

Successful applicants will receive an offer of federal matching funds, subject to specific regulatory and other conditions. NEH will certify the allowability of these gifts and will issue the 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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award only when you have met the conditions of the offer. The full amount of federal matching funds may not be available for release in the first year of a multi-year period of performance.

Typically, NEH distributes federal matching funds on an annual basis over the period of performance.

If NEH selects your project for funding, you must raise and certify all eligible gifts and pledges at least one year before the end of your period of performance. NEH advises applicants who are requesting matching funds to consider a period of performance that allows adequate time to raise and certify funds. If you fail to certify required gifts and do not request an extension, by the end of the offer period, the matching funds offer may be withdrawn. See NEH Federal Matching Funds Guidelines.

NEH will not release federal matching funds until you raise and certify eligible gifts. In-kind gifts and funds derived from the recipient organization are not eligible sources of certified gifts in this program.

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 2025 deadline falls during the review period for applications submitted to the August 2024 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 apply 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 the current competition.

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

NEH does not issue awards to other federal entities. If your project is so closely intertwined with a federal entity that the project takes on characteristics of the federal entity’s own authorized activities, it is ineligible. You may use funds from, or sites and materials controlled by, other https://www.neh.gov/grants/manage/federal-matching-funds-guidelines https://www.neh.gov/grants/manage/federal-matching-funds-guidelines 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

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federal entities in your project, but you may not use them as gifts to release federal matching funds.

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

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, would satisfy eligibility requirements and is not subject to the prohibition on lead applicants serving solely as fiscal agents or fiscal sponsors.

Describe the applicant’s substantive involvement in section L of your narrative.

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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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 20240814-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 using the Attachments Form.

Funding Level August 14, 2024 January 8, 2025 Development Production

TD82024

TR82024

TD12025

TR12025

You must complete a multistep registration process prior to submitting 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, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

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

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

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

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

• a font no smaller than 11 points

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

• single-spacing

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

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

Application Component Table NEH has assigned each application component one of the following designations:

• Required: You must submit this component.

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

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

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

Application Component File Name Designation Page limit 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: Work sample worksample.pdf Required 5: Bibliography bibliography.pdf Required 2 (suggested) 6: Biographies and letters of interest and commitment biographies.pdf Required 2 pages per person(suggested)

7: Digital design digitaldesign.pdf Conditionally required

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 required for recipients

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 and Budget Justification

Required

Attachments Form Required

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

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

• Mandatory: You must not exceed the page limit.

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

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

Application 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)

Limit the narrative to fifteen single-spaced pages. Confirm the page length before submitting your application. Narratives longer than fifteen pages will be declared ineligible. 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.

Name the file narrative.pdf.

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 and outputs of the award and how they would support the overall purpose of the Media Projects program and the amount of funding requested from NEH.

If you are requesting support for a series, indicate the number and length of programs planned for the series.

If you are requesting a 26TChair’s Special Award 26T, describe the aspects of your project that merit this higher funding level.

Certification Regarding Lobbying

Conditionally

Standard Form-LLL “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities”

Conditionally

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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 themes (aligns with review criterion 1) Thematic statements reach beyond a list of topics to demonstrate the larger critical ideas you want audiences to understand. Identify the most important humanities ideas and the humanities scholarship informing these themes. List and number your themes. A typical application identifies the three or four most important themes and provides approximately a half page to a full page on each theme. These numbers and lengths may vary, depending on the project. If applying to produce a podcast series without a coherent set of themes across all episodes, you may wish to identify recurring themes across multiple episodes.

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, field production, archival materials, dramatic recreations, animation, or other techniques? Identify and describe the most important resources available for the project, including specific 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 should help develop humanities themes and may also provide ideas for, and analysis of, the script, treatment(s), and rough cuts of programs. Scholars should also be compensated appropriately for their time and expertise. The team’s expertise should reflect the scope of the project and the humanities themes it engages. Include short biographies and letters of commitment from each scholar or other expert in Attachment 6: Biographies and letters of interest or commitment.

G. Media team (aligns with review criteria 3 and 4) Identify the key members of the media team, including, at a minimum, the director and writer for film projects or producer(s) for podcast and radio projects. If possible, 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 Attachment 6: Biographies and letters of interest or commitment 26T.

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

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I. Distribution plan and audiences (aligns with review criterion 5) Identify the audiences you will target. Provide distribution and marketing plans detailing how the NEH-funded product might be broadcast, distributed through theaters and festivals, and/or streamed. Describe partnerships that will help publicize the project and any promotional plans.

Development applications should provide an outline of potential plans. Production applications 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:

Biographies and letters of interest or commitment.

Estimate the size of the audience, across all platforms, for the completed project. Explain the basis for this assessment. For an ongoing series, describe current distribution practices and, if applicable, provide audience metrics, such as downloads.

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.

L. Substantive Involvement Describe the applicant organization’s substantive involvement with the project. If this information also appears in other sections of the proposal --such as the media team, work plan, budget, or letters of support -- reference these sections here. See C3. Substantive involvement for more information.

M. 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.

N. Social media, generative AI, 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).

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We strongly discourage the use of generative AI and other digital tools and techniques that make it difficult for audiences to distinguish between authentic archival historical materials and those fabricated by the production team to seem authentic. If you plan to use generative AI or other tools, describe your strategy for using these tools ethically, transparently, and responsibly.

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

Provide a detailed, month-by-month schedule of the major work to be done during the period of performance, including the specific people involved. The work plan should clearly demonstrate how the humanities scholars will be involved in reviewing and shaping the project.

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. As appropriate, identify meaningful support and collaboration with key stakeholders in planning, designing, and implementing activities.

Name the file workplan.pdf.

Attachment 3: Script or detailed treatment (required) You may use published humanities scholarship, archival resources, material that you have shot or recorded, preliminary interviews, or other research as the foundation for your script(s) or treatment(s).

Development For stand-alone films or television programs, include a preliminary treatment (recommended length of five pages per hour), describing how the film or television program would unfold from beginning to end, including the story structure, audiovisual approach, and humanities themes.

For a film or television series, submit a preliminary treatment (recommended length of five pages) for one episode and brief synopses of others.

Podcasts and radio projects are not eligible for Development funding.

Production For stand-alone films or television programs, include a script or detailed treatment describing how the film or television program would unfold from start to finish. Present a clear narrative, provide examples of specific audio and visual materials, and illustrate how the film or television program would integrate the humanities analysis and interpretive content. The script or treatment has a recommended length of fifteen pages per hour of the proposed program, but it may be shorter.

If you are applying to produce all or part of a film series or television series, include at least one complete script/detailed treatment (recommended length of fifteen pages per hour) and shorter treatments (a recommended length of fewer than five-pages) describing each of the remaining episodes.

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If you are applying to produce a radio or podcast series, include two detailed treatments (a recommended length of up to two pages per script/treatment) and shorter descriptions of the other programs (recommended length of a half page each). The detailed treatments and descriptions should identify the subject of each episode, the main humanities ideas to be explored, and the expected content resources, such as potential interviews, field production sites, and archival materials. Each detailed treatment should also present a narrative for the episode and describe how the episode would be structured.

For a podcast series, you may wish to include short descriptions of backup stories that you can use in case the primary proposed story (or stories) cannot be completed.

Name the file script.pdf or detailedtreatment.pdf.

Attachment 4: Work sample (required) Submit one sample of a previously completed work that best demonstrates the experience and qualifications of the media team (especially the director or producer) to develop and/or produce the proposed project successfully. Describe the sample and indicate what role(s) the members of the media team played. Your sample must be a complete film or audio program, rather than a demo reel or a segment from a longer project.

You may submit a second work sample if another person is centrally involved in the production. For example, you may submit an additional sample from a co-director, a website designer, or an on-air host who will be central to the project.

Do not submit multiple work samples from the same individual or production team/firm.

In addition to the finished work(s), you may submit a link to a trailer, rough cut, or work-in-progress for the proposed project. A trailer, rough cut, or work-in-progress is not considered a “completed work” and should not be the only sample submitted. A trailer, rough cut, or work-in-progress is not required, but it is encouraged for Production requests, as an illustration of the project’s creative approach.

If you are requesting NEH support for supplementary digital components, include an example of previously completed work from the principal members of the digital team. Identify the project personnel who worked on this sample and include additional information on the audience or distribution of the work sample. Clearly indicate that this URL is your digital work sample.

Submit your sample(s) by providing a URL link to a safe, established website. NEH recommends you submit your video samples using Vimeo or YouTube links. Do not submit your sample as a file in Dropbox, Google Drive, or another cloud-storage service. Ensure the link remains active and that the sample will be accessible through the review period, which can last up to nine months from the date of submission. If you are linking through a third party, such as a broadcaster or distributor, confirm that the link will be accessible. Check your links and passwords carefully when you submit your application; periodically check these links after you submit. You may not revise your online sample after the deadline; however, if you notice that a link is broken, notify the Division of Public Programs to request permission to fix it. NEH will not notify applicants if it discovers broken links.

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Per 2 CFR §200.111 26T, you must submit your application in English. Work samples in a language other than English must be accompanied by a translation (for documents and audio programs) or include subtitles (for videos and film clips).

Name the file worksample.pdf.

Attachment 5: Bibliography (required) Include a short bibliography of the humanities scholarship that significantly informs the project.

The bibliography has a recommended length of two pages. Any standard format is acceptable.

Name the file bibliography.pdf.

Attachment 6: Biographies and letters of interest or commitment (required) List the media team and humanities scholars, as well as any other experts, at the beginning of the attachment, using the following format: full name, title, institutional affiliation.

Attach a biography (recommended no longer than two pages) highlighting major professional accomplishments and expertise for everyone listed. You may submit a short résumé instead of a professional biography for each team member, but we recommend editing the résumé so that it does not exceed two pages. Reviewers may not read résumés that exceed the suggested limit.

Include letters or emails of commitment from the key persons on the media team and all consultants (including humanities scholars).

Include letters or emails of commitment from all participating organizations and (if applicable) letters of commitment from broadcasters or distributors.

Elected government officials, NEH staff, and current members of NEH’s 26TNational Council on the Humanities26T may not serve as letter writers.

Name the file biographies.pdf.

Attachment 7: Digital design (conditionally required) If you are requesting support for an ancillary digital component (such as a website or an app), describe the user experience using sample text, mockups, wireframes, screenshots, or storyboards. Include specific examples of how you will convey the project’s central humanities ideas.

Name the file digitaldesign.pdf.

Attachment 8: Images (optional) You may include images with your application as a single PDF attachment. Include a list of the images.

Name the file images.pdf.

https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=0c1f960746939f297c78045736c0fd6d&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1111 https://www.neh.gov/about/national-council-on-the-humanities https://www.neh.gov/about/national-council-on-the-humanities

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Attachment 9: 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.”

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…