Opportunity Information: Apply for 20240716 PW

The Humanities Collections and Reference Resources grant opportunity is offered by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) through its Division of Preservation and Access. It is a discretionary grant program designed to help cultural and educational organizations improve how humanities materials are found, understood, and used. The core purpose is to strengthen research, teaching, and public engagement by supporting projects that make humanities collections more discoverable and more accessible, and by funding the creation of reference tools that bring together and explain humanities information in useful ways.

This program mainly funds work in two closely related areas. First, it supports projects that digitize and describe humanities collections so they can be searched, explored, and used by scholars, educators, students, and the general public. That can include converting physical materials into high-quality digital formats and producing the descriptive information (such as metadata, catalog records, finding aids, or other documentation) that allows people to actually locate and interpret what is in a collection. Second, it supports the development of reference resources that synthesize humanities knowledge, meaning projects that organize, contextualize, and connect information in ways that make it easier to study and teach humanities topics. The unifying theme is practical impact: NEH is looking for projects that directly facilitate discovery and use, not simply preservation for its own sake.

Eligibility is broad and includes multiple types of public and nonprofit institutions. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; and nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (other than higher education institutions). Applicants should consult the program's official Notice of Funding Opportunity, specifically the section on eligibility, to confirm organizational fit and any additional requirements that may apply to particular applicant types or project structures.

Key funding details set the practical boundaries for project planning. The opportunity number is 20240716 PW and the CFDA number is 45.149. NEH anticipates making around 35 awards under this competition. Individual awards can be as large as $350,000, which signals that NEH expects projects with clear work plans, defined deliverables, and outcomes that will matter to humanities audiences. The original application deadline listed for this competition is July 16, 2024, and the opportunity record was created on April 1, 2024.

In short, this NEH program is aimed at improving the infrastructure of humanities access: digitization paired with strong description, and reference resources that help people make sense of humanities materials at scale. Competitive proposals typically align a well-defined humanities collection or knowledge domain with concrete methods for discovery and use, resulting in outputs that researchers, teachers, and the public can readily find and meaningfully engage.

  • The National Endowment for the Humanities in the humanities sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Humanities Collections and Reference Resources" and is now available to receive applicants.
  • Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 45.149.
  • This funding opportunity was created on 2024-04-01.
  • Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-07-16. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
  • Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $350,000.00 in funding.
  • The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 35 candidate(s).
  • Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.
Apply for 20240716 PW

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Humanities Collections and Reference Resources (NEH) - FAQs

What is the Humanities Collections and Reference Resources grant?

The Humanities Collections and Reference Resources grant is a discretionary funding opportunity from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), administered through NEH's Division of Preservation and Access. It supports projects that improve how humanities materials are found, understood, and used.

What is the main purpose of this program?

The core purpose is to strengthen research, teaching, and public engagement by making humanities collections more discoverable and accessible, and by supporting the creation of reference tools that bring together and explain humanities information in useful ways.

What kinds of projects does this grant primarily fund?

This program mainly funds work in two closely related areas: (1) projects that digitize and describe humanities collections so they can be searched and used, and (2) development of reference resources that synthesize humanities knowledge by organizing, contextualizing, and connecting information to support study and teaching.

Does the program fund digitization projects?

Yes. The program supports digitization of humanities collections, including converting physical materials into high-quality digital formats, when paired with work that improves discovery and use.

What does NEH mean by "describe" humanities collections?

In this program, "description" refers to creating the information that helps people locate and interpret collection materials, such as metadata, catalog records, finding aids, and other documentation that supports searching, exploration, and understanding.

Are projects focused only on preservation a good fit?

The unifying theme of the program is practical impact on discovery and use. NEH is looking for projects that directly facilitate discovery and use of humanities materials, not preservation work by itself.

What are "reference resources" in the context of this program?

Reference resources are tools that synthesize humanities knowledge by bringing together information and presenting it in organized, contextualized, and connected ways. The goal is to make humanities topics easier to study, teach, and understand.

Who is the intended audience for the project outcomes?

NEH emphasizes outcomes that can be used by scholars, educators, students, and the general public. Successful projects typically produce outputs that these audiences can readily find and meaningfully engage.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility includes a range of public and nonprofit organizations, including state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; and nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (other than higher education institutions).

How can an organization confirm it is eligible?

Applicants should consult the program's official Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), specifically the eligibility section, to confirm organizational fit and to check for any additional requirements that may apply to certain applicant types or project structures.

What is the maximum award amount?

Individual awards can be as large as $350,000.

About how many awards does NEH expect to make?

NEH anticipates making around 35 awards under this competition.

What is the opportunity number for this grant?

The opportunity number is 20240716 PW.

What is the CFDA number associated with this program?

The CFDA number is 45.149.

What is the application deadline listed for this competition?

The original application deadline listed is July 16, 2024.

When was the opportunity record created?

The opportunity record was created on April 1, 2024.

What does NEH seem to expect from project planning at this funding level?

With awards up to $350,000, NEH signals an expectation of projects with clear work plans, defined deliverables, and outcomes that matter to humanities audiences, especially in terms of discovery, access, and use.

What makes a proposal align well with the program's goals?

Based on the program description, competitive proposals typically align a well-defined humanities collection or knowledge domain with concrete methods that improve discovery and use, resulting in outputs that can be readily found and meaningfully engaged by researchers, teachers, and the public.

Which NEH office administers this opportunity?

The opportunity is offered by NEH through its Division of Preservation and Access.

Is this a formula grant or a discretionary grant?

This is a discretionary grant program.

What is the overall theme tying supported activities together?

The overall theme is improving the infrastructure of humanities access: digitization paired with strong description, and reference resources that help people make sense of humanities materials at scale.

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