Public Scholars
Closed Posted
- Opportunity number
- 20260422-FZ
- Applications due
- Award size
- $30,000 to $60,000
Opportunity facts
- Assistance listings
- Funding instrument
- Grant
- Category
-
- Humanities
- Eligible applicants
-
- Individuals
- Points of contact
- Full announcement
Opportunity details come from Grants.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) seeks applications for the Public Scholars program, which funds individual authors writing well-researched nonfiction books in the humanities for general audiences. Eligible applicants must be U.S. citizens or foreign nationals who have resided in the United States for at least three years prior to the April 22, 2026 deadline and must have published at least one nonfiction book as sole author through a university or trade press. The 2026 competition is limited to projects focusing on American history and culture or Western civilization from antiquity to the present, with applicants required to commit at least half-time effort throughout the project period. Peer reviewers will evaluate applications using five criteria: appeal and significance for general readers, the applicant's research record and experience communicating to broad audiences, project conception and research quality, writing sample quality and clarity, and feasibility of the work plan and dissemination strategy. All applications must be submitted through Grants.gov by April 22, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, with letters of reference due by June 4, 2026.
Individual awards will range from $30,000 to $60,000 ($5,000 per month for full-time work), with approximately 15 grants anticipated to be distributed from $900,000 in total FY 2027 funding. Project performance periods will span 6 to 12 months, with start dates between April 1, 2027, and September 1, 2028, and award announcements expected in January 2027. No cost-sharing or matching funds are required, and payments will be made directly to recipients' personal bank accounts. Projects may be conducted anywhere within the United States or internationally, provided the applicant meets residency requirements, and the work must result in a publishable nonfiction book for a general audience.
Synopsis
The Public Scholars program encourages non-academic writers to deepen their engagement with the humanities by strengthening the research underlying their books, and it encourages academic writers in the humanities to communicate the significance of their research to the broadest possible range of readers. NEH encourages submissions from independent scholars and junior scholars. Projects are eligible at any stage in their development. The 2026 Public Scholars competition will accept only projects for research in American history and culture and Western civilization. Competitive applications must focus on topics in the history, culture, and government of the United States in any period from the Colonial Era to the present, or topics in Western civilization from antiquity to the present.
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