Public Humanities Projects NOFO 2022 and 2023.pdf

Notice of Funding Opportunity

Funding Opportunity Title: Public Humanities Projects

Funding Opportunity Number: 20220810-BP-BR-GE-GG-GI

Funding Opportunity Type: New

Federal Assistance Listing Number: 45.164

Application Deadline:

August 10, 2022 January 11, 2023

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

It may take up to one month to register with SAM.gov and Grants.gov.

NEH will not grant deadline extensions for lack of registration.

Division of Public Programs Telephone: 202-606-8269 Email: publicpgms@neh.gov Federal Relay: 800-877-8399

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

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Executive Summary The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Division of Public Programs is accepting applications for the Public Humanities Projects program. The purpose of this program is to support projects that bring the ideas and insights of the humanities to life for general audiences through in-person, hybrid, or virtual programming. Projects must engage humanities scholarship to analyze significant themes in disciplines such as history, literature, ethics, and art history.

Funding Opportunity Title Public Humanities Projects Funding Opportunity Number 20220810-BP-BR-GE-GG-GI Federal Assistance Listing 45.164 Optional Draft Deadlines 2022 deadline: Wednesday, July 6, 2022, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time

2023 deadline: Wednesday, December 7, 2022, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time Application Deadlines August 10, 2022, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time

January 11, 2023, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time Anticipated Award Announcements

April 2023 and August 2023

Anticipated FY 2023 Funding Approximately $2,735,000 per deadline Estimated Number and Type of Awards

Approximately 20 grants per deadline

Award Amounts Planning: up to $75,000 Implementation: $50,000 to $400,000 Chair’s Special Awards: up to $1,000,000

Implementation applicants may request up to $100,000 above the ceiling amount for Positions in Public Humanities to create a two-year, full-time staff position ( applicants requesting a one-year period of performance a, may request up to $50,000 for , for a one-year, full-time staff position) .

See B. Federal Award Information.

Cost Sharing/Match Required No Period of Performance Planning: up to 24 months

Implementation: 12 to 48 months

If you apply to the August 10, 2022, deadline, you may request a period of performance start date between May 1, 2023, and November 1, 2023.

If you apply to the January 11, 2023, deadline, you may request a period of performance start date between September 1, 2023, and March 1, 2024.

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

• accredited institutions of higher education (public or nonprofit)

• state and local governments and their agencies

• federally recognized Native American Tribal governments

See C. Eligibility Information.

Program Resource Page https://www.neh.gov/grants/public/public-humanities-projects Pre-Application Webinar A prerecorded webinar will be posted on the program resource page by

June 10, 2022, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

Published Modified

May 6, 2022 July 6, 2022 https://www.neh.gov/grants/public/public-humanities-projects

20220810-BP-BR-GE-GG-GI ii

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 This notice solicits applications for the Public Humanities Projects program.

This program supports projects that bring the ideas and insights of the humanities to life for general audiences through in-person exhibitions and historic site interpretations, as well as in-person, hybrid or virtual discussions and other scholar- or staff-led programs. Projects must engage humanities scholarship to analyze significant themes in disciplines such as history, literature, ethics, and art history. Public Humanities Projects supports projects in three program categories and at two funding levels.

Public Humanities Projects awards support projects that are intended to reach broad and diverse public audiences in non-classroom settings in the United States. Projects should engage with ideas that are accessible to the general public and employ appealing interpretive formats.

Regardless of proposed activity, NEH encourages you to explore humanities ideas through multiple formats. Projects may include complementary components: for example, a museum exhibition might be accompanied by a website or mobile app.

Project topics may be international, national, regional, or local in focus, but locally focused projects should address topics that are of regional or national relevance by drawing connections to broad themes or historical questions. Projects that do not address issues of concern to wider regional or national audiences might consider local sources of funding, such as state humanities councils. NEH will offer award amounts to successful applicants that reflect the project’s scope and the expected audience size.

NEH encourages applications from small and mid-sized organizations. NEH likewise welcomes humanities projects tailored to particular groups, such as families, youth (including K-12 students in informal educational settings), underserved communities, and veterans.

Public Humanities Projects must:

• be grounded in sound humanities scholarship

• offer an analytical perspective on the underlying themes and ideas in order to deepen public understanding of the humanities

• involve humanities scholars from outside the applying organization who contribute to all phases of the project

• attract a broad public audience or target a particular group underserved by the humanities

• offer engaging content approached through an appropriate variety of perspectives

• encourage dialogue and the exchange of ideas

Awards may support activities in support of public humanities projects, such as:

• meetings with humanities scholars and other content advisers, program partners, audience representatives, and consultants (consultants may include humanities scholars;

education and public program specialists; historic site, interpretive, or cultural tourism experts; writers; media producers; or digital designers) https://www.neh.gov/about/state-humanities-councils https://www.neh.gov/about/state-humanities-councils

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• research

• travel to archives, collections, sites, or other resources

• development and production of program or discussion guides, exhibition labels, brochures, digital assets, publications, or other interpretive material

• design of the interpretive formats

• planning and presentation of public programs and related publicity

• evaluation of the project’s impact

• planning and conducting project-specific training for docents, discussion coordinators, or other interpretive leaders

• development, production, and publication of curriculum guides, catalogs, and other materials for teachers and students

• exhibition design and fabrication, as well as crating and shipping

• conservation treatments of objects, not to exceed 15% of the NEH award

• development and construction of interactive components

• publicity expenses

See D6. Funding Restrictions for unallowable activities.

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

Program categories This program supports projects in three categories: Exhibitions6T (permanent, temporary, or traveling); interpretive programs at Historic Places; and Humanities Discussions.

Exhibitions The Exhibitions category supports the creation of permanent exhibitions (on view for at least three years) and single-site temporary exhibitions (open to the public for a minimum of two months), as well as traveling exhibitions that will be available to public audiences in at least two venues in the United States (including the originating location).

Exhibitions applicants must provide at least twenty hours of free admission each month to NEH-supported exhibitions during the period of performance.

Historic Places The Historic Places category supports long-term interpretive programs for historic sites, houses, neighborhoods, and regions that are intended to be presented to the public for at least three years. Such projects might include living history presentations, guided tours, exhibitions, and public programs.

Humanities Discussions The Humanities Discussions category supports series of public programs related to your organization’s humanities focus and resources. These programs should engage diverse public audiences with humanities resources such as historic artifacts, artwork, works of literature, or archival documents, and be geared toward topics or themes meaningful to your community.

Discussion programs aimed at a local audience are encouraged to make connections to broader national themes. Programs may be moderated or led by a range of humanities experts such as historians, curators, librarians, scholars, authors, artists, or community or tribal leaders who will help interpret thematic content, and spark conversation and critical analysis. Projects may include, but are not limited to, symposiums, lecture series, reading and discussion programs, 20220810-BP-BR-GE-GG-GI 3 analytical discussions of museum collections or theater/musical performances, lifelong learning programs, or other methods of face-to-face audience engagement or informal education. The proposed series must include at least ten in-person, virtual, or hybrid programs and occur over a period of three months to two years.

Humanities Discussions must be:

• centered on specific humanities resources

• firmly grounded in rigorous scholarship and thoughtful analysis

• guided by a range of project-related humanities scholars and interpretive experts, such as educators, curators, community historians, tribal leaders, or librarians

• conducted without partisan advocacy

• respectful of divergent views

• free of ad hominem remarks

• devoid of bias based on ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, or race

Funding levels This program supports projects at two funding levels: Planning and Implementation.

Humanities Discussions applicants must apply at the Implementation level.

You are not required to obtain a Planning award before applying for an Implementation award.

NEH encourages you to contact the Division of Public Programs for advice on choosing the appropriate funding level. See G. Agency Contacts.

Planning Planning awards are available only to Exhibitions and Historic Places applicants. NEH does not fund Humanities Discussions at the Planning level.

These awards support projects which have completed preliminary work resulting in the identification of possible analytical themes and interpretive methods that you will further explore during the planning period. Awards are typically up to $40,000, with a period of performance of up to 24 months, to support activities such as:

• refining the project’s content, format, and interpretive approach

• meetings and consultation with scholars, interpretive experts, designers, stakeholders, and key partners

• developing the project’s preliminary design

• testing project components

• conducting an evaluation of the project’s likely impact

• travel related to curatorial research and exhibition loans

NEH will make awards up to $75,000, with a period of performance of up to 24 months, for the planning of exceptionally ambitious and complex permanent or traveling exhibitions with the potential to reach very wide audiences through any of the following:

• collaboration with multiple institutional partners

• a wide-ranging combination of diverse formats (for example, exhibitions, digital resources, lecture series, symposia, neighborhood tours, curriculum guides, publications, and broadcast media)

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• programming at a large number of venues

Implementation Implementation grants support projects that are in the final stages of preparation to “go live” before the public. Activities may include final scholarly research and consultation, design, production, and installation of a project for presentation to the public. The period of performance must include the required minimum exhibition time.

Implementation awards range from $50,000 to $400,000 with a period of performance from 12 to 48 months. For Humanities Discussions, average award amounts are $250,000; awards up to the maximum of $400,000 are reserved for outstanding projects that exceed the minimum number of required programs and demonstrate an extensive audience reach bearing more of a regional or national scope.

The maximum size of Implementation awards depends upon the program category applied for, defined as follows:

Program category Definition Maximum award Exhibitions (single-site temporary)

Exhibition available to audiences at one venue in the United States for at least two months

$100,000

Exhibitions (permanent) Exhibition available to audiences at one venue in the United States for at least three years

$400,000

Exhibitions (traveling) Exhibition available to audiences at a minimum of two venues in the United States (including the originating location)

$400,000

Historic Places Interpretive tours, living history presentations, or other public interpretation available at a historic place for at least three years

$400,000

Humanities Discussions At least ten in-person, virtual, or hybrid public programs presented during the period of performance and spanning a period of three months to two years

Average award amounts are $250,000; awards between $250,000 and the maximum of $400,000 are reserved for ambitious projects proposing a greater number of programs and an extensive regional or national reach

Identifying the appropriate funding level for your project You are ready to apply for a Planning level award if you:

• are planning an exhibition or historic site interpretation (Humanities Discussions are not funded at this level);

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• have conducted preliminary research, including introductory discussions with scholars, and are able to articulate major analytical ideas about your subject that you seek to explore more deeply;

• have a group of scholars from outside your organization who are committed to collaborating with you on the development of the project; and

• can articulate a vision of possible interpretive techniques and potential project elements that you would like to investigate or test with audiences: for example, ideas about the use or display of certain objects, specific concepts for an interactive activity, or ideas about the utilization of a particular space.

You are ready to apply for an Implementation level award if you:

• have conducted significant research and collaboration with scholars outside your organization that resulted in highly developed, thoughtful, and well-articulated analysis of your subject;

• have designed and planned the interpretive elements of your project, such as interactive activities, panel discussions, or living history presentations, and can fully describe how audiences would engage with them;

• have blueprints or drafts for various project elements, such as exhibition elevation designs, floor plans, docent or facilitator training, label text, site signage, tour scripts, or discussion agendas; and

• are ready to begin putting these plans into action to “go live” before a public audience.

Additional opportunities for Implementation applicants

Chair’s Special Awards Applicants proposing ambitious projects of exceptional significance and impact may apply for a Chair’s Special Award of up to $1,000,000. These projects must demonstrate the potential to address important humanities ideas in new ways and must be likely to reach very large national audiences. Successful proposals typically feature collaboration between multiple partners and a broad combination of diverse formats. Chair’s Special Awards are rare: NEH typically awards no more than one per year.

Positions in Public Humanities Positions in Public Humanities provide full-time employment opportunities for recent graduates with an MA or PhD in the humanities and are intended to invigorate the interpretation of the humanities in a wide variety of cultural organizations. If you are applying for an Implementation-level award in any category, you may request additional funding to support such a position. Planning applicants are not eligible to apply for Positions in Public Humanities.

You may request up to an additional $50,000 to create a full-time position for one year or up to an additional $100,000 to create a full-time position for two years. If you wish to increase annual compensation above $50,000 for a Position in Public Humanities, you must use non-federal funds.

Positions in Public Humanities must adhere to the following parameters:

• The position must be full-time.

• The position must be entry level and designed with an appropriate level of responsibility.

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• The position must be responsible for an element of public engagement related to the larger project and should administer at least three other types of public programs during the period of performance. For example, the person might organize film screenings or panel discussions, family gallery talks, and an oral history day program.

Positions in Public Humanities may not be used to support:

• part-time positions

• salaries of current staff members

• payments to project consultants

• hiring individuals who hold teaching or administrative assignments concurrently with the Position in Public Humanities

• hiring individuals currently enrolled in a degree-granting program

You must follow these guidelines when soliciting and reviewing applications from applicants for a Position in Public Humanities:

• You should widely advertise positions to draw a diverse, national pool of applicants.

• The project director should convene a committee to make the selection. Committees customarily consist of at least three members: the project director and two other humanities experts who are familiar with the project, such as other team members from the organization or scholars collaborating with the project. The committee should review all applications.

• Candidates should submit a curriculum vitae, graduate school transcript, writing sample, cover letter, and three letters of reference.

Candidates for a Position in Public Humanities must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• They must be either a U.S. citizen or a foreign national who has been living in the United States or its jurisdictions for at least the three years immediately preceding the Public Humanities Projects application deadline.

• They must have completed an MA or PhD program in a humanities discipline (including public history or museum studies) within five years of the application deadline for this grant program.

• They must not be an employee, a member of the board of trustees or advisers of the recipient, or a selection committee member, or a family member of any of the aforementioned.

• They must not have delinquent federal debt or be suspended, debarred, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from eligibility for covered transactions by any federal department or agency. Examples of relevant debt include student loans, delinquent federal taxes, delinquent child support payments, and delinquent payroll taxes for household or other employees (see OMB Circular A-129

T). You can check if candidates have delinquent federal debt or other exclusions in the System for Award Management (SAM). (Click on “Search,” and then under “Select Domain,” choose “Entity Information” and then "Exclusions.”)

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 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/legacy_drupal_files/omb/circulars/A129/a-129.pdf https://sam.gov/content/home https://sam.gov/content/home 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

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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 the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965, “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 Initiatives NEH seeks to support projects that respond to the following initiative. NEH will give all applications equal consideration in accordance with the program’s review criteria.

In addition to this special initiative, NEH encourages projects that include Native American organizations and communities as applicants and project partners.

A More Perfect Union: Exploring America's Story and Commemorating its 250th Anniversary The task of building a more perfect Union, rooted in the ideal of human equality, falls to every generation of Americans, ours no less than our predecessors’. The basic goals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness endure over time, even as the challenges change: from founding a nation out of colonies; to dismantling the institution of slavery; to prevailing through times of economic depression and war; to advancing civil rights for all; to strengthening our democratic institutions; to building a more inclusive and sustainable society.

NEH’s A More Perfect Union initiative encourages projects that explore, reflect on, and tell the stories of our quest for a more just, inclusive, and sustainable society throughout our history.

NEH especially welcomes projects that bring the perspective of the humanities to questions of racial justice, gender equality, the evolution of the American landscape, as well as America’s place in the world. The agency strongly encourages projects that strengthen Americans’ knowledge of our principles of constitutional governance and democracy, as well as projects that address the experiences of Native Americans and other under-represented communities. In addition, NEH welcomes projects that develop innovative approaches to sustaining the nation’s humanities infrastructure and preserving its historical record.

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.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.neh.gov/about/history/national-foundation-arts-and-humanities-act-1965-pl-89-209 https://securegrants.neh.gov/publicquery/main.aspx https://www.neh.gov/about https://www.neh.gov/250

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2. Summary of Funding

Award Amounts You may request up to $75,000 for Planning or $50,000 to $400,000 for Implementation. (See A1. Funding levels for specific information and project-specific limitations.)

In rare circumstances, NEH may make Chair’s Special Awards of up to $1,000,000 for Implementation projects that will reach an exceptionally large audience.

In addition, if you are applying at the Implementation level, you may request an additional $50,000 or $100,000 for a Position in Public Humanities.

Successful applicants will be awarded outright funds, which are not contingent on additional funding from other sources.

NEH anticipates awarding approximately $2,735,000 among an estimated 20 recipients per deadline.

NEH will not determine the amount available until Congress makes appropriations for FY 2023.

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

Period of Performance The period of performance is up to 24 months for Planning projects and 12 to 48 months for Implementation projects.

The period of performance is the span of 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 a month.

If you apply to the August 10, 2022, deadline, you may request a period of performance start date between May 1, 2023, and November 1, 2023.

If you apply to the January 11, 2023, deadline, you may request a period of performance start date between September 1, 2023, and March 1, 2024.

C. Eligibility Information

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

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

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

• a state or local government or one of their agencies https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/search-for-tax-exempt-organizations https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/search-for-tax-exempt-organizations https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home

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• a federally recognized Native American Tribal government

If you are an eligible applicant, you may apply on behalf of a consortium of collaborating organizations. If NEH selects your proposal for funding, you will be programmatically, legally, and fiscally responsible for the award.

To be eligible, you must not function solely as a fiscal agent for another entity and must make substantive contributions to the success of the project.

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

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

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

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

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

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

You may contribute voluntary cost share to your project if the total 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

You must maintain auditable records of the sources and uses 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 submitted an application 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 2023 deadline falls during the review period for applications submitted to the August 2022 deadline, so you may not submit applications for the same project to both deadlines.

You may revise and resubmit previously rejected applications, which NEH will assess using the same criteria as others in the current competition.

You are not required to obtain a Planning grant before applying for an Implementation grant. If NEH has previously made an award in support of your project, you may submit an application 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 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=3aeab4e3a836f5b6807999701e518c94&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1306 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=3aeab4e3a836f5b6807999701e518c94&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1306 https://www.neh.gov/grants/manage/types-funding

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for a new or subsequent stage of the project, which NEH will assess using the same criteria as other applications in 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 and/or approved federal award budget. However, you may submit multiple proposals for complementary aspects of the same overall project. NEH may disallow costs or reject applications with overlapping project costs. An individual’s level of effort cannot exceed 100% across multiple active federally funded awards.

NEH does not make awards to other federal entities. If your project is so closely intertwined with a federal entity that the project takes on characteristics of the federal entity’s own authorized activities, it is ineligible.

You may use funds from, or sites and materials controlled by, other federal entities in your project, but you may not use them as gifts to release NEH matching funds. Your budget may not include any costs to support federal agencies or employees in any capacity (for example, fees paid to or travel expenses for Library of Congress or Smithsonian Institution staff), or expenses in support of federal sites as exhibition host venues.

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 must receive your application by the deadline.

NEH will not consider incomplete, nonresponsive, or ineligible applications for funding.

NEH will not review applications that exceed page limits or violate formatting instructions. See the Application Components Table.

D. Application and Submission Information

1. Application Package You must apply using Grants.gov Workspace or a Grants.gov system-to-system solution. You can find this funding opportunity in Grants.gov under number 20220810-BP-BR-GE-GG-GI.

There is also a link on the program resource page.

This funding opportunity includes five application packages per deadline, which you can find under the “Package” tab. Select the appropriate one based upon your project type. Each package includes a series of required and conditionally required forms. You will upload additional application components into the Attachments Form.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-E/subject-group-ECFRea20080eff2ea53/section-200.403 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=35fcd29238edd42c8b1f8b1628e39d47&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_11 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=b76712a585433486e57dafcd521c952e&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1331 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=35fcd29238edd42c8b1f8b1628e39d47&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1459 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=b76712a585433486e57dafcd521c952e&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1331 mailto:publicpgms@neh.gov https://www.neh.gov/grants/policy-on-late-submissions https://www.neh.gov/grants/public/public-humanities-projects

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Funding Level Application package August 10, 2022 January 11, 2023

Exhibitions: Planning GE082022 GE12023 Exhibitions:

Implementation

GI082022 GI12023

Historic Places: Planning BP082022 BP12023 Historic Places:

Implementation

BR082022 BR12023

Humanities Discussions GG082022 GG12023

The application packages for the January 11, 2023, deadline will not be available in Grants.gov until the August 10, 2022, deadline has passed.

You must complete a multistep registration process to submit your application. See D3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management.

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

If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you can contact NEH using Federal Relay at 800-877-8399.

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

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

• Required: All applicants must submit this component.

• Conditionally Required: Applicants must submit this component if they meet the specified conditions.

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

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

• Mandatory: Applicants must not exceed the page limit.

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

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

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

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

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

• a font no smaller than 11 points mailto:publicpgms@neh.gov

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In addition, you are encouraged 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 (citations are included in page counts)

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Application Component Table Application Component File Name Designation Page limits Grants.gov forms SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance - Short Organizational

Required

Supplementary Cover Sheet for NEH Grant Programs

Required

Project/Performance Site(s) Location Form

Required

Research and Related Budget Required Attachments Form Required Certification Regarding Lobbying

Conditionally required

Standard Form-LLL “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities”

Conditionally

Attachments 1: Narrative narrative.pdf Required Varies. See narrative instructions.

2: Work Plan workplan.pdf Required 3: Résumés and letters of commitment resumes.pdf Required 2 pages per résumé

4: Bibliography bibliography.pdf Required 2 5: Walkthrough walkthrough.pdf Conditionally required

6: Additional supporting documentation supportingdocs.pdf Conditionally

7: Object list and illustrations objects.pdf Conditionally

8: Positions in Public Humanities publichumanities.pdf Conditionally required

9: Subrecipient Budget(s) subrecipient.pdf Conditionally

10: Federally negotiated indirect cost agreement agreement.pdf Conditionally

11: Explanation of delinquent federal debt delinquentdebt.pdf Conditionally

Narrative Compose a comprehensive description of your proposed project. Your narrative should be succinct, well organized, and free of technical terms and jargon so that peer reviewers can understand the proposed project.

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Planning applicants must limit the narrative to 20 single-spaced pages.

Implementation applicants must limit the narrative to 15 single-spaced pages. Implementation applicants will have additional space to describe their projects in Attachment 5: Walkthrough.

Do not include an executive summary or a table of contents in your narrative. You may include images, charts, diagrams, footnotes, and endnotes if they fit within the page limit.

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

Nature of the request (aligns with all review criteria) In one page or less, provide an overview of the project and its interpretive goals.

• State whether your request is for an Exhibitions, Historic Places, or Humanities Discussions project. If Exhibitions, specify if the exhibition(s) will be permanent, traveling, or temporary. Identify the funding level (Planning or Implementation) and the amount you are requesting.

• Indicate if you are requesting a Chair’s Special Award (Implementation level only).

• Indicate if your request includes a Position in Public Humanities (Implementation level only).

• Identify your project’s formats, the subject, and the main themes.

Humanities content (aligns with review criterion 1 and 4)

• Describe the significance of the subject and its relevance to the public.

• Provide humanities themes articulating the analytical ideas the project will convey.

Theme statements reach beyond a list of topics to demonstrate the larger critical idea you want audiences to understand. Follow your theme statement with a supporting argument that uses project content, examples drawn from project resources, and the humanities scholarship (from your consultation with project scholars, their published works, and the scholarship of other humanists) that has shaped your analysis.

• For reinterpretations or updates of an existing project, describe the current content and format and explain the new humanities ideas you will incorporate.

• For Historic Places projects, discuss the significance of the place to American history; the extent to which the interpretation will make use of the place’s attributes (the site, its location, the buildings, the landscape, or other natural or built features) in telling its story; and the extent to which the interpretation addresses central themes and issues in American history.

Project formats (aligns with review criteria 2 and 5)

• Briefly describe the interpretive philosophy that guides the project.

• For Planning applications: explain how you envision organizing the final exhibition or site interpretation. Describe the interpretive ideas you think might effectively communicate your core analytical ideas. Give examples of interpretive techniques and activities that you plan to investigate during your planning process. Do not use this space to explain the process you will follow to plan the project. You will have the opportunity to do that in the work plan.

• For Implementation applications: explain how you will organize the final exhibition, discussion, or site interpretation and discuss the interpretive methods it will employ to

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engage the general public. Provide specific examples of techniques you have designed for use in the project.

• Provide short descriptions of all secondary formats and discuss how each will enhance public understanding of the humanities content.

• If applicable, describe your plans to offer hybrid or virtual programing as a means of connecting with your audiences. Explain why you have chosen a mix of in-person and virtually accessible formats.

Project resources (aligns with review criteria 2 and 5)

• Describe the resources available at your institution or elsewhere that will support your project (e.g., archives, special libraries, collections of art or artifacts, images, documents, film, audio, or digital materials).

• Discuss the significance and quality of the relevant resources and how they contribute to the project.

• If applicable, explain how you will secure permissions or rights for key materials.

Project history (aligns with review criteria 2 and 5)

• Provide a brief history of the project to date.

• Describe the relationship of the project to others on the topic and explain its particular contribution.

Justification for a Chair’s Special Award (if applicable) (aligns with review criterion 6)

• If you are requesting a Chair’s Special Award, discuss why the project is especially significant and appealing. Explain how institutional collaborations, number of program formats, and broad reach to audiences make the project a compelling candidate for funding at this level.

Audience, marketing, and promotion (aligns with review criterion 3)

• Describe and estimate the size of the expected audience and explain the basis for this number.

• Present a marketing plan that addresses how the intended audience will be reached. If applicable, discuss partnerships that would help promote the project.

• If you are targeting a specific audience or proposing special outreach to underserved or at-risk communities, outline the need that the project addresses. Describe your outreach plan, including the history of relationships you have built with those audiences or communities. Outline the approaches to engagement that you have developed based on those relationships. Alternatively, describe your strategies for establishing productive connections in the community. Explain how you will engage new audiences in thinking about and discussing humanities ideas.

• For regional projects and sites that are not yet established as attractions, provide annual tourism and local population figures as well as special characteristics and current activities of the site.

Evaluation of the project’s impact (aligns with review criteria 1, 2, and 3)

• Explain how you will test the efficacy of planned project elements or the success of implemented projects in conveying humanities content.

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• Describe the proposed process that you will use to evaluate the project’s impact, the results of any evaluation already conducted, and how the evaluation results might inform the project moving forward.

Organizational profile (aligns with review criteria 2, 3, 4, and 5)

• Provide a short profile of the applicant organization and other major partner organizations (not to exceed one page for your organization and a half page for each collaborating organization). Include information such as institutional mission, origin, and size; annual operating budget; and annual number of visitors.

• Explain the responsibilities of collaborating organizations. Describe past collaborations or previous relationships (if any) amongst the partners.

Project team (aligns with review criterion 4 and 5)

• Identify the key individuals from the applying organization and major partners who will be involved in the project.

• Briefly describe each person’s qualifications and expected contribution.

Humanities scholars and consultants (aligns with review criterion 1,4, and 5)

• Identify the consultants from outside the applicant organization who will be involved in the project. Consultants include humanities scholars, education and public program specialists, historic site, interpretive, or cultural tourism experts, writers, media producers, or digital designers.

• Briefly describe each consultant’s qualifications and expected contribution.

Narrative Alignment

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

Narrative Section Review Criteria

Nature of the request All review criteria Humanities content26T 1, 4 Project formats 2, 5 Project resources 2, 5 Project history 2, 5 Justification for a Chair’s Special Award (if applicable)

Audience, marketing, and promotion 3 Evaluation of the project’s impact 1, 2, 3 Organizational profile 2, 3, 4, 5 Project team 4, 5 Humanities scholars and consultants26T 1, 4, 5

Research and Related Budget You must submit a project budget using the Research and Related Budget form included in the Grants.gov application package and attach a budget justification.

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Complete a single detailed budget for the entire period of performance. The form will generate a cumulative budget.

The form indicates required fields in yellow. Round all costs to the nearest whole dollar. The inclusion of a cost category on the Research and Related Budget does not necessarily mean that expenses in that category are allowable. See D6. Funding Restrictions to ensure that proposed costs are allowable.

If you are only requesting outright funds, your budget should include only the funding you are requesting from NEH. If you are requesting federal matching funds, your budget must equal the total funding you are requesting from NEH (outright and federal matching funds) and the one-to-one required third party cost share for the federal matching funds. Refer to the NEH Federal Matching Funds Guidelines regarding the eligibility of gifts for matching purposes.

The total federal matching funds and cost share should equal the amounts indicated on the Supplementary Cover Sheet for NEH Grant Programs in the “Federal Matching” and “Cost Sharing” fields. Learn about types of funds NEH offers.

If you will provide voluntary cost share, do not include it on the Research and Related Budget form. You may describe it in your budget justification.

All costs, whether supported by NEH funds or required cost sharing contributions (if applicable), must be reasonable, necessary to accomplish project objectives, allowable in terms of 2 CFR 200 Subpart E - Cost Principles, auditable, and incurred during the period of performance. All costs are subject to audit, record retention, and other requirements set forth in 2 CFR 200 Subpart F - Audit Requirements.

You should only include your own employees under A. Senior/Key Person and B. Other Personnel. Include team members in leadership roles in the project under A. Senior/Key Person.

Include other team members under B. Other Personnel. Include costs for non-employees under F3. Consultant Services (for consultants) or F5. Subawards/Consortium/Contractual Costs (for other project personnel), as appropriate.

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

Introductory Fields If not pre-populated, indicate your organization’s Unique Entity Identifier, name, and the period of performance. This should be the same as the information you provide on your SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance - Short Organizational. You may need to complete the SF-424 prior to completing your Research and Related Budget. Your period of performance must start on the first day of the month and end on the last day of the month. For budget type, check “project.”

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

https://www.neh.gov/grants/manage/federal-matching-funds-guidelines https://www.neh.gov/grants/manage/types-funding https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-E https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=236bb02f01d2e050f7a5b60c88a67066&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#sp2.1.200.e https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200#subpart-F

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Enter the base salary (annual compensation) for each senior/key person and identify the number of months they will devote to the project. If you do not include base salaries, your award may be delayed.

Many non-academic institutions organize their budgets using calendar months. If your organization does not differentiate between academic and summer months, use only the calendar months column.

If your organization follows an academic calendar, you may differentiate levels of effort by using the academic and summer months columns. You may also use both columns if your institutional policy requires accounting for academic and summer months separately.