Scholarly Editions in American History program announcement.pdf

Scholarly Editions in American History: Chairman’s Special Initiative Application Information Published June 25, 2025

See below for application components, funding restrictions, and review criteria, which, for this special initiative, may differ from those in the full Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). For detailed budget instructions and directions for applying, refer to the NOFO.

Award Amount: Up to $3,000,000

Period of Performance: 3 to 5 years (36 to 60 months) The period of performance is the time during which you may incur expenses to carry out the work under the award. It must start on the first day of the month and end on the last day of the month.

You may request a period of performance start date between January 1, 2026, and December 31, 2028. If you have a current and ongoing award and intend to complete that award before beginning this one, please select a start date that follows the end date of that award. Otherwise ensure that there are no overlapping expenses with any current awards.

Eligibility In addition to meeting the eligibility requirements in the full Notice of Funding Opportunity for Scholarly Editions, to be eligible to apply, projects for this special initiative must:

• Focus on the papers of American presidents from the Early Republic through the Civil War (1797-1865)

• Have received at least ten years of previous NEH funding for projects on presidential papers from this period

• Demonstrate an existing record of publication producing presidential papers for a scholarly audience

Cost Sharing/Matching: Not required NEH does not require cost sharing in this program.

https://www.neh.gov/sites/default/files/Scholarly%20Editions%20and%20Translations%202024%20and%202025%20032125.pdf https://www.neh.gov/sites/default/files/Scholarly%20Editions%20and%20Translations%202024%20and%202025%20032125.pdf

Application Components Table Application Component File Name Designation Page limit Attachments 1: Narrative narrative.pdf Required 10-15 pages

(suggested) 2: Work plan workplan.pdf Required 2 pages

(suggested) 3: Résumés for key personnel resumes.pdf Required 2 pages per résumé (suggested)

4: Editorial Samples samples.pdf Required 2-5 pages (suggested)

5: Letters of institutional support letters.pdf Optional

6: Table of past productivity productivity.pdf Required 1 to 2 pages (suggested)

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

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

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

Grants.gov forms SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance - Short Organizational

Required

Supplementary Cover Sheet for NEH Grant Programs

Required

Project/Performance Site(s) Location Form

Required

Research and Related Budget and Budget Justification

Required

Attachments Form Required Certification Regarding Lobbying

Conditionally

Standard Form-LLL “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities”

Conditionally

Attachment 1: Narrative Format: Single-spaced, 11 point font, 0.75 inch margins, numbered pages. While there is no page limit, we suggest something between 10 and 15 pages. Organize your narrative using the headings below.

Significance and impact (aligns with review criterion 1) Provide a clear, concise statement about the intellectual significance of the proposed text(s) for humanities scholars; the need for an edition of the material; and the edition’s potential to stimulate new scholarship, especially for connections to the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and its legacy into the 19th century. Include a few recent examples of how your edition has stimulated new scholarship in the past five to ten years in the form of biographies, monographs, articles, edited volumes, conferences, web resources, and any other demonstration of generating new scholarship. Indicate how your edition has reached public audiences. Explain how this award will impact the project and its productivity. Provide a brief, bulleted list of the activities that will be supported with this grant, such as any new staff to be hired, public programming around the 250th, and any other new activities or initiatives to increase project outputs during the period of performance.

History of the project and productivity (aligns with review criterion 4) Provide a history of the project to date that emphasizes the record of NEH support and success delivering new volumes (print or digital). Explain how the project began, its progress, and its estimated completion date. Specifically:

• Discuss the project’s progress in preparing the edition for publication in the last five years.

• Indicate the projected number of volumes, pages, or, in the case of digital editions, some measurable unit of the total number of texts, documents, or words you will edit during this period of performance.

• Provide an estimated completion date for the entire project, which may extend beyond your proposed period of performance.

• List key goals (such as the specific volumes or total number of documents) of previous NEH funding; discuss if the goals were met as compared to the original or revised work plan, explain the reasons for not meeting previous goals, and describe plans to complete those goals either before or during the next period of performance. (This can take the form of a table.)

Collaborators (aligns with review criterion 3)

• List and describe the qualifications of the project director, co-directors, and other key collaborators who would work on the project during the proposed period of performance regardless of whether you request NEH funds to support their involvement.

• State anticipated time commitments, in percentage of time or hours per week for the project director and each collaborator, full-time or part-time. These should match the budget. If they do not, you should explain what other portions of their time commitments are supported by cost-sharing or other funding sources in the attached budget narrative.

• If the project includes international collaboration, explain the need for and benefits of involving scholars at non-U.S. institutions.

• If you plan to hire new personnel with NEH funds during the period of performance, describe the qualifications, skills, and abilities that you would require for each position.

Describe their duties in Work plan attachment.

• For collaborators providing technical services who are on the budget, explain how their activities are important for achieving the project’s goals.

• For projects using undergraduate or graduate student workers or unpaid volunteers, discuss the qualifications, skills, and abilities that will be required of those collaborators and why their involvement is necessary to achieve project goals. Explain how your editorial staff will train these workers and how their work will be verified by experienced staff. Undergraduate students are not permitted to perform translation for editions projects.

Methods and execution (aligns with review criterion 2) Describe your editorial practices briefly. Focus on any parts of this process where new funding through this initiative will increase the rate of production or where new staff, if any, will be hired to improve and increase the outputs of the edition.

Briefly discuss your editorial processes, focusing on how many and which staff participate, for:

• selection of texts

• transcription

• verification

• writing and researching footnotes and other notations.

Explain your annotation policy. Discuss what you choose to annotate. Where and how do you provide scholarly introductions and explanatory annotations? Provide a sample as attachment (see below) from a recently published volume that demonstrates your annotation policy.

For projects that employ digital dissemination methods, identify the digital platforms you use, pertinent technical standards, data management, and digital preservation infrastructure and policies. Describe the digital partners who will participate in the project and their activities.

Activities related to the 250th celebration and other programming Describe how you plan to support public and educational activities under this award that are related to the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of our nation —such as web exhibits, lifelong-learning opportunities, public events and talks, open access agreements. Describe how these public events will promote and disseminate the work of your project to a wide non-scholarly audience. See Executive Order 14189, Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday.

Explain how funding from this award will support these activities—such as hiring new temporary or permanent staff, compensating humanities consultants, paying open access fees or purchasing materials and equipment toward these goals.

Planned work (aligns with review criterion 4) Outline the broad goals for the period of performance with a focus on outputs such as books, volumes or parts of volumes, total numbers of documents, or total word count for transcription for the period of performance for this application. Discuss how you will use NEH funds to advance these goals and how new funding through this special initiative will help you increase your rate of production and possibly shorten your time to completion.

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/02/03/2025-02231/celebrating-americas-250th-birthday https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/02/03/2025-02231/celebrating-americas-250th-birthday

Final product and dissemination (aligns with review criterion 5)

• Name your press and/or digital publisher. Discuss your publication arrangements (such as relevant contract terms for the next 3 to 5 years), estimated prices, and any other user costs to access print and/or digital publication.

• If you are proposing print volumes, describe the pace of predicted publication (such as one volume every year or every two years) and whether you have consistently reached that goal. If you are proposing a digital edition, discuss the content and pacing of digital content releases for each six-month or annual period and whether you have consistently reached that goal. In either case, explain any reasons for having missed those productivity goals (whether publisher-related, project team changes, or outside factors).

• Discuss the accessibility model of your digital edition: open access, by subscription only, or a combination of free and paid access. Discuss plans for the sustainability of your digital edition and how many years you plan for the edition to be supported and maintained by the hosting institution.

Attachment 2: Work Plan List the activities that will take place in each twelve-month period of your period of performance to achieve each of the proposed objectives. A table is recommended but a narrative description in six-month increments is allowable. Use a timeline that includes each activity and identifies responsible staff. Explain how outcomes from one activity will carry over into the next. For multi-institutional collaborative projects, discuss the distribution of responsibilities across each institution. As appropriate, identify meaningful support and collaboration with key stakeholders in planning, designing, and implementing activities.

Attachment 3: Résumés for Key Personnel Include two-page résumés for each person identified as key personnel (such as directors, co-directors, collaborating scholars, editors, research assistants, and digital specialists). Include their current address, an e-mail address, highest degree earned with the name of the institution awarding the degree, professional positions held, institutional affiliations, and major publications.

Attachment 4: Editorial Samples Include a sample (2 to 5 pages) from a recently published volume that illustrates the significance of the materials to be edited, the degree of difficulty of the text, and your annotation policies.

Attachment 5: Letters of Institutional Support Include a letter from the sponsoring institution (and subrecipient institutions) that indicates that the edition project contributes to its institutional mission and demonstrates a strong commitment to the project

Attachment 6: Table of Past Productivity Provide a table for each twelve-month period of the most recent NEH award (or two most recent awards, if applicable, up to six years) comparing in detail the stated goals of the work plan in the application or the revised work plan with actual accomplishments during the periods of performance.

The first column of the table should contain an accurate description of the proposed activities, tasks, and goals from the original or revised work plan, including any stated grant outputs in specific terms, such as volumes, number of documents, or word counts.

The second column of the table should indicate whether you completed the activities, task, or goal on time. In cases where you made changes or did not complete tasks on time, indicate when you completed (or will complete) them.

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

Attachment 8: Federally Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement Important Notice: Cap on Indirect Costs for this Special Initiative In accordance with 2 CFR § 200.414(c)(3), NEH will apply a maximum indirect cost rate of 15 percent of modified total direct costs (MTDC) to all awards made under this special initiative.

This rate applies to both prime recipients and subrecipients.

NEH will not accept federally negotiated indirect cost rate agreements for this program. If your proposed budget includes indirect costs above 15 percent, your application will be withdrawn.

Applications that comply with the 15 percent indirect cost limit will proceed through the normal review process.

If you are requesting the de minimis indirect cost rate of 15 percent MTDC, you do not need to submit a copy of your federally negotiated indirect cost rate agreement.

Further information and the official public notification regarding this policy can be found at:

Public Notification - Justification for Capping Indirect Costs on Presidential Papers Awards.pdf.

Attachment 9: Explanation of Delinquent Federal Debt If your organization is delinquent in the repayment of any federal debt, explain why. Provide evidence that you have entered into a repayment agreement with the Internal Revenue Service, if applicable, and that you are current on all payments due. Examples of relevant debt include delinquent payroll or other taxes, audit disallowances, and benefit overpayments.

Grants.gov Forms Refer to the full Notice of Funding Opportunity for instructions on completing the Grants.gov forms in this application package.

Funding Restrictions You may not use awards made under this special initiative for the following purposes:

• translation of a text into a language other than English

• use of undergraduate students for translation

• attendance at regularly occurring professional meetings

• costs for activities performed by federal entities or personnel

• promotion of a particular political, religious, or ideological point of view

• promotion of gender ideology

• promotion of discriminatory equity ideology https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/part-200/section-200.414#p-200.414(c)(3) https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.neh.gov%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2FPublic%2520Notification%2520-%2520Justification%2520for%2520Capping%2520Indirect%2520Costs%2520on%2520Presidential%2520Papers%2520Awards.pdf&data=05%7C02%7Cjingram%40neh.gov%7C16d1f42ed6b445fc3ca208ddb3de8846%7C93b06459c77d44b6af7fe813cddcdcc3%7C0%7C0%7C638864490536812312%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=0DsrjBsNaujC%2BNvVNSrzorsVkOFR76EkmpAtObNGJXA%3D&reserved=0 https://www.neh.gov/sites/default/files/Scholarly%20Editions%20and%20Translations%202024%20and%202025%20032125.pdf

• support for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) or diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) initiatives or activities

• environmental justice initiatives or activities

• advocacy of a particular program of social or political action

• support of specific public policies or legislation

• lobbying

• 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 employ humanistic methods

Applications including unallowable costs or activities may be judged nonresponsive and returned without review.

See 2 CFR 200 Subpart E - Cost Principles for other unallowable costs.

Review Criteria Peer reviewers will use the following criteria to review applications for this special initiative:

1. Significance: the intellectual significance of the proposed text for humanities scholars, the need for a scholarly edition of the material, and the edition’s potential to stimulate new scholarship

2. Methods and execution: the appropriateness of the selection criteria, editorial practices, and transcription policies; the accuracy and quality of the samples including annotations; the clarity of expression in the application; and the significance and quality of annotations

3. Collaborators: the qualifications, expertise, and levels of commitment of the project director and collaborators

4. Work plan and productivity: the thoroughness and feasibility of the work plan, the likelihood that the proposed project will be successfully completed within the stated time frame, and the record of productivity if previously funded.

5. Dissemination goals: the soundness and sustainability of the dissemination plans for producing an edition in print, digital, or a combination of formats; and plans for public outreach related to the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of our nation.

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

Division of Research Programs National Endowment for the Humanities 400 Seventh Street, SW Washington, DC 20506 202-606-8200 editions@neh.gov

If you have questions about administrative requirements or allowable costs, contact:

Office of Grant Management National Endowment for the Humanities https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200#subpart-E mailto:editions@neh.gov

400 Seventh Street, SW Washington, DC 20506 202-606-8494 grantmanagement@neh.gov

If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you can contact NEH using telecommunications relay at 7-1-1.

mailto:grantmanagement@neh.gov