PKG00264885-instructions.pdf

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

Funding Opportunity Title:

State and Jurisdictional Humanities Councils

General Operating Support Grants

Funding Opportunity Number: 20210503-SO

Funding Opportunity Types: New, Supplement

Federal Assistance Listing Number: 45.129

Application Due Date: May 3, 2021

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

NEH will not grant deadline extensions for lack of registration.

Registration in all systems, including SAM.gov and Grants.gov, may take up to 1 month to complete.

Office of Federal/State Partnership Telephone: 202-606-8254 Email: fedstate@neh.gov

TTY: 800-877-8399

mailto:fedstate@neh.gov

20210503-SO i

Executive Summary The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Office of Federal/State Partnership is accepting applications for State and Jurisdictional Humanities Councils General Operating Support Grants. The purpose of this program is to provide general operating support grants to fund humanities councils in the United States and its jurisdictions. State and jurisdictional humanities councils tailor their grantmaking and programs to the needs, resources, and interests of their state or jurisdiction, while also extending the reach of NEH-funded projects and further strengthening NEH’s connection to local communities throughout the U.S. and its jurisdictions. NEH determines annual funding for each state and jurisdictional humanities council according to a legislatively mandated formula.

Funding Opportunity Title: State and Jurisdictional Humanities Councils General

Operating Support Grants Funding Opportunity Number: 20210503-S0 Federal Assistance Listing Number (CFDA):

45.129

Application Due Date: May 3, 2021, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time Anticipated Announcement: October 2021 Anticipated Total Annual Available FY 22 Funding:

Approximately $50,000,000

Estimated Number and Type of Awards:

56 grants

Funding Range: Approximately $300,000 to $3,000,000 Cost Sharing/Match Required: Yes. See C. Eligibility Information.

Period of Performance: State and Jurisdictional Humanities Councils General

Operating Support Grants have a period of performance of five years.

Within a five-year period of performance, a General Operating Support Grant funds activity in years one, two, and three, and funds closeout requirements in years four and five. State and jurisdictional humanities councils must apply annually to receive this funding. The funding period is November 1, 2021-October 31, 2022.

See B. Federal Award Information.

Eligible Applicants: The only eligible applicants are the independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) state and jurisdictional humanities councils on this list.

See C. Eligibility Information.

Program Resource Page: https://www.neh.gov/grants/fedstate/state-humanities-councils-general-operating-support-grants https://www.neh.gov/about/state-humanities-councils https://www.neh.gov/grants/fedstate/state-humanities-councils-general-operating-support-grants

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Table of Contents

A. Program Description

1. Purpose

2. Background

B. Federal Award Information

1. Type of Application and Award

2. Summary of Funding

C. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

2. Cost-Sharing or Matching

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 National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency in the executive branch. As designated by Congress, NEH awards approximately 40 percent of the agency’s annual appropriation to humanities councils in the United States and its jurisdictions in the form of General Operating Support Grants.

With the General Operating Support Grants, state and jurisdictional humanities councils deliver on NEH’s mission to advance knowledge and understanding of the humanities and to increase public awareness of, access to, and support for the humanities at the state and local level. State and jurisdictional humanities councils tailor their grantmaking and programs to the needs, resources, and interests of their state or jurisdiction, while also extending the reach of NEH-funded projects and further strengthening NEH’s connection to local communities throughout the U.S. and its jurisdictions.

Unallowable activities are described in D6. Funding Restrictions.

2. Background This program is authorized by 20 U.S.C. §956, et seq. Awards are subject to 2 CFR Part 200 Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, and the General Terms and Conditions for General Support Grants to State Humanities Councils (for grants issued on or after December 26, 2014).

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

Learn more about NEH.

B. Federal Award Information

1. Type of Application and Award Types of applications sought: new and supplements.

NEH will provide funding in the form of grants.

2. Summary of Funding Approximately $50,000,000 is expected to be available to fund 56 recipients. Awards will range from approximately $300,000 to approximately $3 million. NEH determines annual funding for each state and jurisdictional humanities council according to a legislatively mandated formula.

The actual amount available will not be determined until enactment of the final FY 2022 federal budget. This notice is subject to the appropriation of funds, and is a contingency action taken to https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:20%20section:956a%20edition:prelim) https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=236bb02f01d2e050f7a5b60c88a67066&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=236bb02f01d2e050f7a5b60c88a67066&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=236bb02f01d2e050f7a5b60c88a67066&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5 https://www.neh.gov/general-terms-and-conditions-general-support-grants-state-humanities-councils-after-dec-2014 https://www.neh.gov/general-terms-and-conditions-general-support-grants-state-humanities-councils-after-dec-2014 https://www.neh.gov/about

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ensure that, should funds become available for this purpose, applications can be processed and funds awarded in a timely manner.

State and Jurisdictional Humanities Councils General Operating Support Grants have a period of performance of five years. General Operating Support Grants fund activities in years one, two, and three, and fund closeout requirements in years four and five. State and jurisdictional humanities councils must apply annually to receive this funding. The funding period under this notice is November 1, 2021 to October 31, 2022. State and jurisdictional humanities councils are expected to obligate most of the funds awarded each year by the end of the annual funding period.

Applicants will apply for a new award with a five-year period of performance in year three of their current award.

Successful applicants will be awarded outright funds, federal matching funds, or a combination of the two, depending on the availability of funds. When federal matching funds are offered, the recipient must raise cash contributions from nonfederal third parties and have them certified by NEH before the funds are released (see NEH’s Federal Matching Funds Guidelines). Funds raised to satisfy a match count toward an institution’s required cost share for a project (see C2.

Cost Sharing).

Funding beyond the first year is dependent on the availability of appropriated funds for State and Jurisdictional Humanities Councils General Operating Support Grants in subsequent fiscal years, satisfactory recipient performance, and a decision that continued funding is in the best interest of the Federal Government.

C. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants The only eligible applicants are the independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) state and jurisdictional humanities councils on this list.

Individuals and other organizations (including foreign and for-profit entities) are not eligible to apply.

2. Cost-Sharing or Matching This program requires a one-to-one cost share. Cost sharing or matching means the portion of the project costs not paid by NEH funds. By law, NEH cannot support more than 50 percent of the costs of a state or jurisdictional humanities council’s activity. All expenditures of NEH funds must be matched by cash, earned income, other federal grants, or in-kind contributions. State and jurisdictional humanities councils are permitted to use federal funds to meet their cost-share, but are not permitted to use federal funds or in-kind contributions to match treasury matching funds, if offered.

NEH views cost sharing as a means of ensuring that many individuals and organizations are meaningfully involved in a council’s work. NEH strongly encourages state and jurisdictional humanities councils to meet their cost-sharing requirements from a wide range of contributions;

it discourages councils from meeting the requirements by relying solely on contributions at the subrecipient level.

The following policy applies only to the American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and U.S. Virgin Islands humanities councils: In accordance with 48 http://www.neh.gov/grants/manage/federal-matching-funds-guidelines http://www.neh.gov/about/state-humanities-councils https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:48%20section:1469a%20edition:prelim)

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U.S.C. 1469a (d), as amended, NEH waives the cost-sharing requirement for the first $200,000 in outright funds awarded each fiscal year under this notice. The remainder of the annual outright funding provided under the legislated formula continues to require dollar-for-dollar cost sharing, as does the entire federal matching funds offer.

More information is available in the Matching Guidelines for General Support Grants to State Humanities Councils.

Recipients are responsible for maintaining auditable records of cost sharing contributions. See 2 CFR §200.306 for additional information.

3. Other Eligibility Information An applicant may not submit multiple applications under this notice.

If for any reason an application is submitted more than once prior to the application due date (including submitting to the wrong funding opportunity number or making corrections/ updates), NEH will only accept your last validated online submission, under the correct funding opportunity number, prior to the Grants.gov application due date as the final and only acceptable application.

Two or more applications for federal funding and/or approved federal award budgets are not permitted to include overlapping project costs.

Councils are authorized to issue subawards to private nonprofit organizations; institutions of higher education; state, local, and federally recognized Indian tribal governments; groups of persons that form an association to carry out a project; and individuals. Non-public organizations or groups that apply to the councils for funding must be constituted for nonprofit purposes, and donations to them must be deductible under Section 170(c) of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. §170(c)). It is not necessary that such organizations or groups be incorporated or have tax exempt status. State and jurisdictional humanities councils may not award subawards to foreign or for-profit entities or to fiscal agents on behalf of ineligible applicants.

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

Incomplete applications will delay your award.

D. Application and Submission Information

1. Application Package You are required to apply online through Grants.gov Workspace using the Standard Form 424 (SF-424) application package associated with the funding opportunity and following the instructions provided by Grants.gov unless otherwise noted below.

The State and Jurisdictional Humanities Councils General Operating Support Grants application package is available in Grants.gov. A link to the application package can be found on the program resource page.

https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:48%20section:1469a%20edition:prelim) https://www.neh.gov/grants/manage/matching-guidelines-general-support-grants-state-humanities-councils https://www.neh.gov/grants/manage/matching-guidelines-general-support-grants-state-humanities-councils https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=3aeab4e3a836f5b6807999701e518c94&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1306 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=3aeab4e3a836f5b6807999701e518c94&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1306 https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:26%20section:170%20edition:prelim) https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html

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To request a paper copy of this notice, contact fedstate@neh.gov.

Applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing can contact NEH via Federal Relay at 800-877-8399.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission In addition to the standard forms included in the Grants.gov application package, your application also consists of other required attachments outlined below. You will upload these components into the Attachments Form.

The Application Components Table below will help you prepare a complete application.

Applications missing any required documents or conditionally required documents from this list will be considered incomplete and may be rejected from further consideration.

Application component

Notes Naming convention

SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance - Short Organizational

Required Grants.gov form

Supplementary Cover Sheet for NEH State Councils

Required Grants.gov form

Project/Performance Site(s) Location Form

Required Grants.gov form

Certification Regarding Lobbying

Required Grants.gov form

Standard Form-LLL, “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities”

Conditionally required

Grants.gov form

Attachments Form Required Grants.gov form Attachment 1:

Annual plan

Required plan.pdf

Attachment 2:

Explanation of delinquent federal debt

Conditionally required delinquentdebt.pdf

SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance – Short Organizational This form asks for basic information about the project, the project director, and the institution.

Items 1, 2, and 4 will be automatically filled in; item 3 should be left blank. Provide the following information:

5. Applicant Information Provide your organization’s legal name, address, employer/taxpayer identification number (EIN/TIN), D-U-N-S® number, website address, and congressional district of the institution.

If your institution is located, for example, in the 5th Congressional District of your state or jurisdiction, put a “5.” If your institution doesn’t have a congressional district (for example, it is in a state or jurisdiction that doesn’t have districts or is in a foreign country), put a “0” (zero).

mailto:fedstate@neh.gov

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Also choose the “type” that best describes your institution (you only need to select one).

All institutions applying to federal programs are required to provide a D-U-N-S® number, issued by Dun & Bradstreet, as part of their application. Project directors should contact their institution’s grants administrator or chief financial officer to obtain their institution’s D-U-N-S® number.

6. Project Information

a. Name your project “State or Jurisdictional Humanities Program.”

b. Provide a brief (no more than one thousand characters) description of your project using the following structure: “With the General Operating Support Grant, [insert council name] brings the humanities to life through subawards and/or public programming in [insert state or jurisdiction]. The council tailors its subaward-making and public programs to the needs, resources, and interests of [insert state or jurisdiction]. In doing so, it delivers on its mission to [insert mission].”

c. The start date is November 1, 2021. The end date is October 31, 2022.

7. Project Director The project director, typically the board chair of the state or jurisdictional humanities council, is responsible for oversight of the programmatic aspects of the state or jurisdictional humanities council. Because the project director’s involvement in the proposed project is critical to its success, applicants must notify NEH immediately if the project director listed in the application changes.

Provide the name, title, mailing address, email address, and telephone and fax numbers for the project director.

8. Primary Contact/Grants Administrator The primary contact/grants administrator is typically the executive director of the state or jurisdictional humanities council.

Provide the contact information for the official responsible for the administration of the NEH award (that is, negotiating the project budget and ensuring compliance with the terms and conditions of the award).

As a matter of NEH policy, the project director named in item 7 may not be the same individual listed as the primary contact/grants administrator in item 8. The role of the project director must be distinguished from that of the institutional grants administrator, who functions as the representative of the recipient organization with authority to act on the organization’s behalf in matters related to the administration of the award. All financial reports and prior approval requests such as budget revisions, extensions of the period of performance, and changes in key personnel must be signed or countersigned by the institutional grants administrator. Similarly, official correspondence from NEH to a recipient (for example, an offer letter, the award document, an extension, a supplement or amendment) is addressed to the institutional grants administrator and copied to the project director.

9. Authorized Representative Provide the contact information for the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) who is submitting the application on behalf of the institution. This person, often called an “Authorizing Official,” is typically the president, vice president, executive director, provost, or chancellor. To

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become an AOR, the person must be designated by the institution’s E-Business Point of Contact.

For more information, consult the Grants.gov Online User Guide.

Supplementary Cover Sheet for NEH State Councils Provide the following information:

1. Project Director Use the pull-down menu to select the major field of study for the project director.

2. Institutional Information Use the pull-down menu to select the name of your council.

3. Application Information For Type of Application, check “new” if the application requests a new five-year period of performance (“new” requests are submitted in year three of your current period of performance). Check “supplement” if the application requests year two or year three funding for your current NEH grant. If you are requesting a supplement, provide the current grant number.

In 2021, the only state and jurisdictional humanities councils that should apply for “new” awards are Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia, and Wyoming. Contact the Office of Federal/State Partnership if you are unsure which type of application to select.

For the project’s Primary Field Code, use the pull-down menu to indicate the fields of your project. You may select one, two, or three fields. If you select more than one, list the primary field first.

Project/Performance Site Location(s) Form Provide the primary location and any other locations where the project activity will occur during the period of performance. The primary location is the council’s headquarters.

This form allows for the collection of multiple performance sites. If you need to add more project/performance site locations than the form allows, enter the information in a separate file and add it to the "Additional Locations" section. Instructions for each requested data element may be viewed by positioning your cursor over the blank field.

Certification Regarding Lobbying All applicants must complete and submit the Certification Regarding Lobbying.

Standard Form-LLL, “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities” If nonfederal funds have been or will be used for lobbying, you must also complete and submit Standard Form-LLL, “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities.” See 2 CFR §200.450 for additional information.

Attachments Form Attach your application components to this form. Consult the Application Components Table to learn about the required application components, how to name each attachment, and the order in which to attach them. You must name and attach your files in the proper order so that NEH can identify them.

https://apply07.grants.gov/help/html/help/index.htm#t=GetStarted%2FGetStarted.htm https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=d18afa8261f74bd59854a0ab2fb8f8a3&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1450

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Your attachments must be in Portable Document Format (.pdf). Make sure that all files in formats other than PDF (images, Word or Excel files, etc.) have been properly saved as PDF files. Do not simply rename your non-PDF files with PDF extensions. If an attachment contains multiple documents, you must merge those documents into a single PDF. Do not attach a zip file containing multiple PDFs.

Visit Grants.gov’s Adobe Software Compatibility page to verify the compatibility of your current software or to download the appropriate version. Even if you choose to complete the online webforms in Workspace, you will need to convert the files that you will attach (to the Attachments Form) into PDFs. If you have a problem installing Adobe Reader, it may be because you do not have permission to install a new program on your computer. Many organizations have rules about installing new programs. If you encounter a problem installing Adobe Reader, contact your system administrator.

When you open the Attachments Form, you will find fifteen attachment buttons, labeled “Attachment 1” through “Attachment 15.” By clicking on a button, you will be able to choose the file from your computer that you wish to attach.

Note the following Grants.gov file naming conventions: limit file names to 50 or fewer characters. Do not attach any documents with the same name. All attachments should have a unique name. Use only the following UTF-8 characters when naming your attachments: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, underscore, hyphen, space, period, parenthesis, curly braces, square brackets, ampersand, tilde, exclamation point, comma, semi colon, apostrophe, at sign, number sign, dollar sign, percent sign, plus sign, and equal sign. Attachments that do not follow this rule may cause the entire application to be rejected or cause issues during processing.

Grants.gov may accept and validate your submission even if required components are missing.

This may result in NEH rejecting your application as incomplete. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all required components are properly attached and submitted.

Provide the following items in the order specified below to complete the content of the application. Each attachment must be saved as a PDF and named in accordance with naming conventions outlined in the Application Components Table.

Attachment 1: Annual plan The annual plan presents a concise summary of the council’s plan for the corresponding funding period (November 1, 2021 – October 31, 2022). It will be reviewed along with the application.

In no more than 1,000 words, provide the following for the upcoming funding period (November 1, 2021 - October 31, 2022):

1. Overall goals for council-conducted programs and council subaward-making (general goals)

2. Anticipated outcomes, aligned to goals

3. Anticipated audiences served and plans to reach new and/or underserved audiences

4. Process for determining board composition and for soliciting nominations for board members

5. Plans for meeting cost-share requirements, including subaward cost-share, plans to raise outside funds, and a list of which staff members/human resources are involved in the council’s fundraising effort

6. Goals, anticipated challenges and/or changes in the council’s organization, operations, and/or governance, as well as plans to manage change and mitigate risk https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html

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Additionally, and excluded from the word count, provide the following information based on your board at the time of completing this annual plan:

1. The total number of board members as per by-laws (including gubernatorial appointees)

2. The total current board membership

a. Length of regular appointment term (in years)

b. Renewable term (yes/no)

c. Maximum years of continuous service

3. The number of gubernatorial appointees as per by-laws

a. Length of term (in years)

b. Renewable term (yes/no)

c. Maximum years of continuous service

d. Co-extensive with governor’s term (yes/no)

4. The number of members on which you base the number of gubernatorial appointees

5. The length of term for board chairs (in years)

a. Renewable (yes/no)

b. Maximum years of continuous service

Use a font size no smaller than 11 point. Name the file plan.pdf.

Attachment 2: Explanation of delinquent federal debt (conditionally required) If your organization is delinquent in the repayment of any federal debt, provide explanatory information. Provide evidence that you have entered into a repayment agreement with the Internal Revenue Service, and that you are current on all payments due. Examples of relevant debt include delinquent payroll or other taxes, audit disallowances, and benefit overpayments.

See OMB Circular A-129.

Name the file delinquentdebt.pdf.

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management All organizations must submit their applications for NEH funding via Grants.gov Workspace.

Before using Grants.gov for the first time, each organization must have an Employer Identification Number (EIN) and register with Grants.gov.

The Grants.gov registration process requires completing information in three separate systems:

1. Dun and Bradstreet (https://fedgov.dnb.com/webform)

2. System for Award Management (SAM) (https://www.sam.gov/SAM/)

3. Grants.gov (https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html)

Organizations must obtain a Unique Entity Identifier, currently a valid Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (D-U-N-S®) number. Organizations must also register with the System for Award Management (SAM) and continue to maintain active SAM registration with current information at all times during which you have an active federal award or an application or plan under consideration by an agency (unless the applicant is an individual or federal agency that is exempted from those requirements under 2 CFR §25.110(b) or (c), or has an exception approved by the agency under 2 CFR §25.110(d)).

https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/omb/circulars/A129/a-129.pdf https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html https://fedgov.dnb.com/webform https://www.sam.gov/SAM/ https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=a6de19ef87dd3683cbfcb9e3d261fffa&mc=true&node=se2.1.25_1110&rgn=div8 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=a6de19ef87dd3683cbfcb9e3d261fffa&mc=true&node=se2.1.25_1110&rgn=div8

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If you have not already done so, SAM.gov will require entities to create a Login.gov user account.

Applicants renewing or updating their registrations are strongly advised to know the email address associated with their current SAM.gov user account. Using the same email address allows SAM.gov to automatically migrate your roles. If a different email address is provided, your roles will need to be reassigned. This could cause delays in renewing or updating your SAM.gov registration. As of February 2, 2019, you will be required to review and agree to the Financial Assistance Representations and Certifications when registering or renewing in SAM.gov. These are a common set of certifications and representations required by federal statutes or regulations in accordance with Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations. You can review your organization’s SAM registration here.

NEH may not make an award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable D-U-N-S® and SAM requirements and, if an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time NEH is ready to make an award, NEH may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive an award and use that determination as the basis for making an award to another applicant.

If you have already completed Grants.gov registration for NEH or another federal agency, confirm that the registration is still active and that the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) has been approved.

If you fail to allow sufficient time to complete registration with SAM or Grants.gov, you will not be eligible for a deadline extension or waiver of the online submission requirement.

4. Submission Dates and Times The due date for applications under this notice is May 3, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

Incomplete or missing applications will result in funding delays.

Confirm that you successfully submitted your application. It is the applicant’s responsibility to confirm that Grants.gov and subsequently NEH have received your application.

NEH will assign a tracking number beginning with SO- to your application when it has been received by the agency. The assignment of a tracking number does not guarantee that the application is free of technical problems (such as missing attachments or failure to convert attachments to PDFs). If NEH’s system detects a technical problem with your application after retrieving it from Grants.gov, NEH will send you an email notification.

Once an applicant formally submits an application, NEH will not comment on its status except with respect to issues of completeness and eligibility.

5. Intergovernmental Review This funding opportunity is not subject to intergovernmental review under Executive Order 12372.

6. Funding Restrictions Awards to support projects beyond the first budget year will be contingent upon Congressional appropriation, satisfactory progress in meeting the project’s objectives, and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the Federal Government.

Funds under this notice may not be used for the following purposes:

• promotion of a particular political, religious, or ideological point of view https://www.sam.gov/SAM/ https://www.grants.gov/help/html/help/Applicants/CheckApplicationStatus/CheckApplicationStatus.htm https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/12372.html https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/12372.html

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• advocacy of a particular program of social or political action

• support of specific public policies or legislation

• lobbying

• purchase of land or facilities, construction or renovation

• subawards funded in whole or in part with federal funds to organizations that have not obtained and provided to the recipient a unique entity identifier (See F2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements)

• overlapping project costs with any other pending or approved application(s) for federal funding

• projects that fall outside of the humanities; the creation or performance of art; creative writing, autobiographies, memoirs, and creative nonfiction; policy studies; and social science research that does not address humanistic questions and/or utilize humanistic methods.

All program income generated as a result of awarded funds must be used for approved project-related activities. The program income alternative(s) applied to the award(s) under the program will be cost sharing and matching. Post-award requirements for program income can be found at 2 CFR §200.307.

E. Application Review Information

1. Review Criteria Applications in this program are reviewed for eligibility, completeness, and responsiveness.

2. Review and Selection Process Based on the information provided in the annual plan and the annual reports submitted following the close of the most recently completed funding period, NEH staff prepare a report on the state humanities councils and present it to the National Council on the Humanities each July. The National Council advises the NEH chairman on grants. The chairman takes into account the advice provided during this review process and, by law, makes all funding decisions.

3. Assessment of Risk and Other Pre-Award Activities While State Humanities Councils General Operating Support Grants are awarded based on a legislatively mandated formula, applicants to this program are held to the same standards as all other NEH applicants. Prior to making an award, NEH will conduct a risk assessment of successful applicants, consistent with Uniform Administrative Requirements 2 CFR §200.206.

This assessment includes considerations such as past performance, as applicable; assessment of management systems; continued applicant eligibility; and compliance with any public policy requirements. You may be asked to submit additional programmatic or administrative information or to undertake certain activities in anticipation of an award. This assessment guards against the risk that federal financial assistance might be wasted, used fraudulently, or abused. Based on its risk assessment, NEH will include in the award documents specific conditions designed to mitigate the effects of the risk, or it may withhold a portion or all of the award.

NEH is required to review and consider any information about your organization that is in the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS). You may review and comment on any information about your organization that a federal awarding agency previously entered. NEH will consider any of your comments, in addition to other information in FAPIIS in making a judgment about your organization’s integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under federal awards when completing the review of risk posed as described in 2 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=2262ad9c20e9d3a49f2c569c773c8aa1&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1307 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=2262ad9c20e9d3a49f2c569c773c8aa1&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1206 https://www.fapiis.gov/ https://www.fapiis.gov/ https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=2262ad9c20e9d3a49f2c569c773c8aa1&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1206

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CFR §200.206. A determination that an applicant is not qualified will be reported by NEH to

FAPIIS (2 CFR §200.213).

4. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates Applicants will be notified of funding decisions via eGMS Reach in October 2021. For successful applicants, this notification is not an authorization to begin performance or incur related costs.

F. Federal Award Administration Information

1. Federal Award Notices State and jurisdictional humanities councils will receive award documents from the NEH Office of Grant Management via eGMS Reach in November 2021.

In the event that NEH is operating under a continuing resolution, councils may receive a partial award(s). When NEH has received the full appropriation for a given federal fiscal year, award amounts will be determined and each council will receive the balance of their award.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements 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 General Support Grants to State Humanities Councils (for grants issued on or after December 26, 2014), and the specific terms and conditions in the Notice of Action.

Debarment, suspension, ineligibility, and voluntary exclusion certification You must comply with 2 CFR §§180.335 and 180.350 with respect to providing information regarding all debarment, suspension, and related offenses information, as applicable.

1) The prospective recipient certifies, by submission of this application, that neither it nor its principals is presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in this transaction by any federal department or agency.

2) Failure to make required disclosures can result in any of the remedies described in 2 CFR §200.339, including suspension or debarment. (See also 2 CFR parts 180 and 3369).

3) Where the prospective recipient is unable to attest to the statements in this certification, an explanation must be included in Attachment 2: Explanation of delinquent federal debt.

Issuing subawards and subrecipient monitoring Per 2 CFR §25.300, recipients may only issue subawards using NEH funds and other federal funds contributed as cost share to organizations that have obtained and provided to the recipient a unique entity identifier. Subrecipients are not required to complete full registration with the System for Award Management (SAM) to obtain a unique entity identifier, but are encouraged to do so.

Subrecipients of non-federally funded subawards are not required to have a unique entity identifier or register in SAM. Non-federally funded subawards for humanities programming may be used to satisfy required cost share/match if the subrecipient is eligible and all costs included in the subaward are allowable and allocable to the project.

Subrecipients of non-federally funded subawards do not have to obtain a unique identifier or register in SAM. Non-federally funded subawards for humanities programming may be used to https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=2262ad9c20e9d3a49f2c569c773c8aa1&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1206 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=2262ad9c20e9d3a49f2c569c773c8aa1&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1213 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-general-support-grants-state-humanities-councils-after-dec-2014 https://www.neh.gov/general-terms-and-conditions-general-support-grants-state-humanities-councils-after-dec-2014 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?node=2:1.1.1.2.9.3.3.8&rgn=div8 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=8484a1410effbe760bcb6b134d9c035a&mc=true&node=pt2.1.180&rgn=div5#se2.1.180_1350 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=2262ad9c20e9d3a49f2c569c773c8aa1&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1339 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=2262ad9c20e9d3a49f2c569c773c8aa1&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1339 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2cfr180_main_02.tpl https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=902a748402bef7d8543f27adaf553773&mc=true&node=pt2.1.3369&rgn=div5 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=7bbb48b7382aaa49db7b731b71ebaa8c&mc=true&node=se2.1.25_1300&rgn=div8 https://www.sam.gov/SAM/

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satisfy required cost share/match if the subrecipient is eligible and all costs included in the subaward are allowable and allocable to the project.

State and jurisdictional humanities councils must verify the eligibility and monitor the performance of subrecipients consistent with 2 CFR §200.332. Councils are responsible for improper payments to ineligible subrecipients.

Providing access to NEH-funded products As a taxpayer-supported federal agency, NEH endeavors to make the products of its awards available to the broadest possible audience. Our goal is for scholars, educators, students, and the American public to have ready and easy access to the wide range of NEH award products. All other considerations being equal, NEH gives preference to those that provide free access to the public.

NEH recipients and subrecipients must follow the requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which is designed to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. For more information consult Design for Accessibility: A Cultural Administrator's Handbook.

Copyright information NEH recipients may copyright any work that is subject to copyright and was developed, or for which ownership was acquired, under an award. In accordance with 2 CFR §200.315 (b), NEH reserves a royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable right to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the work for federal purposes, and to authorize others to do so. NEH has typically exercised this right in consultation with recipients to publish an excerpt from resulting grant product(s) in Humanities magazine or on the NEH website.

Acknowledging NEH support All materials publicizing or products resulting from NEH-funded activities must contain an acknowledgment of NEH support. Consult Acknowledgment and Publicity Requirements for NEH Awards and Publicizing Your Project for guidance.

Eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse Help NEH eliminate fraud and improve management by providing information about allegations or suspicions of waste, fraud, abuse, mismanagement, research misconduct (fabrication, falsification, plagiarism), or unnecessary government expenditures, during the period of award performance, to the NEH Office of the Inspector General.

Guidance from the Office of Management and Budget In accordance with the Office of Management and Budget’s guidance located at 2 CFR 200, all applicable Federal laws, and relevant Executive guidance, NEH will review and consider applications for funding pursuant to this Notice of Funding Opportunity in accordance with the:

• President’s September 2, 2020 memorandum, entitled Memorandum on Reviewing Funding to State and Local Government Recipients of Federal Funds that Are Permitting Anarchy, Violence, and Destruction in American Cities;

• Executive Order on Protecting American Monuments, Memorials, and Statues and Combating Recent Criminal Violence (E.O. 13933); and

• Guidance for Grants and Agreements in Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations (2 CFR), as updated in the Federal Register’s 85 FR 49506 on August 13, 2020, particularly on:

https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=6fefec0a6f25524d4e245265edd96dba&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1332 https://www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/Design-for-Accessibility.pdf https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=245f872e0bd31305c176712cd2b8b767&mc=true&node=se2.1.200_1315&rgn=div8 https://www.neh.gov/grants/manage/acknowledgment-and-publicity-requirements-neh-awards https://www.neh.gov/grants/manage/acknowledgment-and-publicity-requirements-neh-awards https://www.neh.gov/grants/manage/publicizing-your-project https://www.neh.gov/about/oig https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=236bb02f01d2e050f7a5b60c88a67066&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5 https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/memorandum-reviewing-funding-state-local-government-recipients-permitting-anarchy-violence-destruction-american-cities/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/memorandum-reviewing-funding-state-local-government-recipients-permitting-anarchy-violence-destruction-american-cities/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/memorandum-reviewing-funding-state-local-government-recipients-permitting-anarchy-violence-destruction-american-cities/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-protecting-american-monuments-memorials-statues-combating-recent-criminal-violence/

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Selecting recipients most likely to be successful in delivering results based on the program objectives through an objective process of evaluating Federal award applications (2 CFR §200.205), Prohibiting the purchase of certain telecommunication and video surveillance services or equipment in alignment with section 889 of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019 (Pub. L. No. 115—232) (2 CFR §200.216), Promoting the freedom of speech and religious liberty in alignment with Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty (E.O. 13798) and Improving Free Inquiry, Transparency, and Accountability at Colleges and Universities (E.O.

13864) (2 CFR §§200.300, 200.303, 200.339, and 200.341), Providing a preference, to the extent permitted by law, to maximize use of goods, products, and materials produced in the United States (2 CFR §200.322), and

Terminating agreements in whole or in part to the greatest extent authorized by law, if an award no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities (2

CFR §200.340).

3. Reporting Recipients must comply with the reporting and review activities described below. All reports must be completed online in eGMS Reach, NEH’s online grant management system, unless otherwise instructed. Further information will be provided in the Notice of Action.

1.) SF-424-A Budget Information - Non-Construction Programs. Sixty days after the full general operating support grant amount for a given federal fiscal year has been awarded, each council must submit a corresponding SF-424-A and accompanying budget narrative.

2.) Annual Federal Financial Report. Recipients must submit the Federal Financial

Report (SF-425) on an annual basis.

3.) Federal Matching Report. If applicable, councils must submit matching certifications. This report will be due annually on September 15.

4.) Final Federal Financial Report. Recipients must submit a final financial report within 120 calendar days after the period of performance ends.

5.) Activities and Outcomes Report. Each council must submit this performance report summarizing its activities and outcomes on annual basis. This report will be due annually on January 31.

6.) Board Minutes with Subaward Summary. Each council must submit minutes of its board meetings and a report that outlines subawards made during the funding period on an annual basis. This report will be due annually on January 31.

7.) Current Board and Staff. Each council must submit a list of its current board members and staff on an annual basis. This report will be due annually on January 31.

Learn more about Performance Reporting Requirements and Financial Reporting Requirements.

G. Agency Contacts If you have questions about the program, contact:

Office of Federal/State Partnership https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=3aeab4e3a836f5b6807999701e518c94&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5&sp2.1.200.e#se2.1.200_1205 https://www.congress.gov/115/plaws/publ232/PLAW-115publ232.pdf https://www.congress.gov/115/plaws/publ232/PLAW-115publ232.pdf https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=3aeab4e3a836f5b6807999701e518c94&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5&sp2.1.200.e#se2.1.200_1216 https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/presidential-executive-order-promoting-free-speech-religious-liberty/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-improving-free-inquiry-transparency-accountability-colleges-universities/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-improving-free-inquiry-transparency-accountability-colleges-universities/ https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=3aeab4e3a836f5b6807999701e518c94&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5&sp2.1.200.e#se2.1.200_1300 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=3aeab4e3a836f5b6807999701e518c94&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5&sp2.1.200.e#se2.1.200_1303 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=3aeab4e3a836f5b6807999701e518c94&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5&sp2.1.200.e#se2.1.200_1339 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=3aeab4e3a836f5b6807999701e518c94&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5&sp2.1.200.e#se2.1.200_1341 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=3aeab4e3a836f5b6807999701e518c94&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5&sp2.1.200.e#se2.1.200_1322 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=3aeab4e3a836f5b6807999701e518c94&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5&sp2.1.200.e#se2.1.200_1340 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=3aeab4e3a836f5b6807999701e518c94&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5&sp2.1.200.e#se2.1.200_1340 https://www.neh.gov/grants/manage/performance-reporting-requirements https://www.neh.gov/grants/manage/financial-reporting-requirements https://www.neh.gov/grants/manage/financial-reporting-requirements

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National Endowment for the Humanities 400 Seventh Street, SW…