Promotion of the Humanities Teaching and Learning Resources and Curriculum Development
Active
- Assistance listing
- 45.162
- Grant awards
- 1,167 $126,155,977 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Assistance type
-
- Project Grant
- Treasury account
-
- 59-0200-0-1-503
- More information
Program details come from SAM.gov Assistance Listings. Updated . Grant award figures come from USAspending.gov.
About this program
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) funds curriculum development and new course or program creation at higher education institutions and eligible nonprofits under Assistance Listing 45.162, with the most recent award disbursed July 1, 2027.
This program has sustained steady activity over a three-decade span. The portfolio shows 1,167 total awards dating to 1997. Recent award volume has declined: the program averaged 80+ awards annually from 2023–2024, dropped to 48 in 2025, fell to 15 in 2026, and recorded only 1 award in 2027, signaling a sharp contraction in recent funding cycles. Combined federal dollars obligated total $126.2 million, with a negligible non-federal match of less than $1 million, indicating no mandatory cost-share requirement.
Funded activities center on developing new courses, majors, minors, certificates, and honors programs, or revising existing ones, typically drawing from humanities disciplines including philosophy, history, languages and literature, political science, archaeology, and classics. Recent awards reflect a broadening of scope: institutions are integrating humanities into data science, artificial intelligence ethics, health professions education, and engineering curricula. Representative awards include developing deep-reading general education curricula at UMass Amherst ($149,908), creating graduate-level writing programs at an R1 public university ($263,018), and establishing interdisciplinary approaches to ethical AI and digital humanities across multiple institutions (awards ranging from $149,983 to $150,000). Awards also support non-degree programming such as civic education initiatives, teacher training workshops, public discussion series, and community-based oral history projects.
NEH dominates funding with 1,158 awards valued at $125.5 million federal dollars obligated. The National Endowment for the Arts provided 9 awards totaling $607 thousand, a marginal contributor. The program awards exclusively Project Grants.
Eligible applicants include U.S. nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status, public and 501(c)(3) accredited institutions of higher education, state and local governmental agencies, and federally recognized Native American Tribal governments.
Multiple opportunities remain open. The Humanities Initiatives program (solicitation 20250506-AA-AB-AC-AD-AE) for higher education institutions is due May 6, 2025. The Spotlight on Humanities in Higher Education program (20241001-ASA-ASB), targeting small and medium-sized colleges and universities serving underrepresented populations, closed October 1, 2024. The Humanities Connections program (20240905-AKA-AKB), funding interdisciplinary partnerships between humanities and non-humanities fields, closed September 5, 2024. NEH staff conduct peer review for all screened applications; the Chairman retains final funding authority. Recipients may request one-year no-cost extensions 30 days before the end of the performance period. Preliminary discussion with NEH staff and submission of a draft application at least six weeks before deadline are strongly encouraged but not required.
Objective and description
- Objective
Support from this program would result in development of new courses, new programs (majors, minors, certificates, honors programs), and/or revision of existing courses/programs.
- Description
Grants would fund curriculum development projects at institutions of higher education, drawing from fields such as philosophy, history, languages and literature, political science, archaeology, and classics.
Eligibility
- Applicant eligibility
Eligible applicants include U.S. nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, public and 501(c)(3) accredited institutions of higher education, state and local governmental agencies, and federally recognized Native American Tribal governments.
- Beneficiary eligibility
U.S. public and nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations (including institutions of higher education), state and local governmental agencies, federally recognized Native American Tribal governments, humanities scholars, and the general public.
- Length and time phasing of assistance
Varies by program. See B2. in the relevent Notice of Funding Opportunity.
How to apply
- Preapplication coordination
pre-application coordination is not required, but preliminary discussion with Endowment staff and the submission of a draft application by the date stipulated in the Notice of Funding Opportunity at least six weeks before the deadline are strongly encouraged.
- Criteria for selecting proposals
See Review Criteria in the relevant Notice of Funding Opportunity.
- Award procedure
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.
- Time to approval or disapproval
Approximately 9-12 months after application deadline.
- Renewals
You may request a one-year, no-cost extension 30 days before the end of the period of performance.
Grant opportunities
Show all 28
Grant awards
Latest 10 of 1,167 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Teagle Foundation, Incorporated | $3,000,000 | 2% |
| 2 | National History Day Inc. | $2,500,520 | 2% |
| 3 | Howard University | $1,344,658 | 1% |
| 4 | Icivics | $1,091,904 | 1% |
| 5 | Research Foundation Of The City University Of New York | $1,062,662 | 1% |
| 6 | Research Foundation Of The City University Of New York | $1,027,600 | 1% |
| 7 | Research Foundation Of The City University Of New York | $927,336 | 1% |
| 8 | National Academy Of Sciences | $842,344 | 1% |
| 9 | Research Foundation Of The City University Of New York | $841,249 | 1% |
| 10 | American Historical Association | $794,652 | 1% |
10 of 622 recipients listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | $142,311 |
| FY2025 | $3,360,825 |
| FY2024 | $8,238,850 |
| FY2023 | $7,500,924 |
| FY2022 | $25,649,912 |
| FY2021 | $4,764,994 |
| FY2020 | $18,821,366 |
| FY2019 | $5,157,828 |
| FY2018 | $5,858,364 |
| FY2017 | $7,982,043 |
| FY2016 | $6,421,482 |
| FY2015 | $1,215,610 |
| FY2014 | $2,277,327 |
| FY2013 | $1,958,148 |
| FY2012 | $3,094,436 |
| FY2011 | $1,323,106 |
| FY2010 | $66,150 |
| FY2009 | $898,193 |
| FY2008 | $354,207 |
| FY2007 | $2,117,754 |
| FY2006 | $3,321,444 |
| FY2005 | $2,950,821 |
| FY2004 | $185,000 |
| FY2003 | $2,737,768 |
| FY2002 | $4,495,084 |
| FY2001 | $5,262,029 |
Show all 26
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 45.162?
Assistance Listing 45.162 is Promotion of the Humanities Teaching and Learning Resources and Curriculum Development, a federal grant program run by National Endowment for the Humanities.
What is the CFDA number for Promotion of the Humanities Teaching and Learning Resources and Curriculum Development?
Its CFDA number is 45.162: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 45.162 awarded?
1,167 grant awards under 45.162 have obligated $126,155,977 in federal funds to 622 recipients.
Who receives the most funding from 45.162?
The recipients obligated the most under Promotion of the Humanities Teaching and Learning Resources and Curriculum Development are The Teagle Foundation, Incorporated ($3,000,000), National History Day Inc. ($2,500,520) and Howard University ($1,344,658).
How much did 45.162 obligate in fiscal year 2025?
Grants under 45.162 obligated $3,360,825 in federal funds in fiscal year 2025.
Are there open grant opportunities under 45.162?
No opportunity listed under 45.162 is open now. The latest, Humanities Initiatives, was posted on May 20, 2024.
On GovTribe
See this program's full record
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