National Garden of American Heroes: Statues

The purpose of this program is to celebrate key moments in American history and honor the statesmen, visionaries, and innovators who shaped the nation, through the creation of statues in their likeness.

The National Garden of American Heroes will create a public space dedicated to recognizing the great individuals of America's past who have contributed to our cultural, scientific, economic, and political heritage. It will also be a place where Americans can gather to learn about and celebrate America and the icons who made America what it is today. Visitors to the park will learn the stories of some of the greatest Americans. The National Garden will feature Americans who deserve honor, recognition, and lasting tribute because of the battles they won, the ideas they championed, the diseases they cured, the lives they saved, the heights they achieved, and the hope they passed down. Recipients will create lifelike statues in marble, granite, bronze, copper, or brass depicting specific historical figures tied to the accomplishments of the United States.

You must be a U.S. citizen residing domestically or abroad to be eligible.

Funding is for the creation of statues from the list provided in Executive Order 13978, Building the National Garden of American Heroes.

See NOFO for detailed review criteria. Criterion 1: Quality, appropriateness, and suitability of the proposed sculpture for installation in the National Garden of American Heroes. Criterion 2: Artist capabilities. Criterion 3: The feasibility of completing the project with the awarded resources.

Following the Chairman's selection of applications for support, the NEH Office of Grant Management will consider the applicant's past performance, if applicable; confirm the applicant's continued eligibility; and evaluate compliance with public policy requirements before issuing award documents. NEH will pay recipients through electronic funds transfer to a personal account. This is a fixed amount award. Recipients must meet milestones before receiving payment for a fixed amount award. The terms and conditions of the award will include milestone verification and payment structure information.

NEH staff review all applications for eligibility, completeness, and responsiveness. The agency then conducts a peer review process for all applications that pass this initial screening. Peer reviewers are experts in their fields with knowledge and expertise relevant to the activities that the program supports. NEH instructs peer reviewers to evaluate applications according to established review criteria. Peer reviewers must comply with federal ethics rules governing conflicts of interest. NEH program officers supplement the peer reviewers' comments to address matters of fact or significant points that the peer reviewers have overlooked. They then make funding recommendations to the National Council on the Humanities and the NEH Chairman. The National Council meets at least twice each year to review applications and advise the NEH Chairman. By law, the Chairman has the sole authority to make final funding decisions.