Building the NEH Grant Proposal

1. Building the NEH Grant Proposal Robert Porter Proposal Development Team University of Tennessee reporter@utk.edu www.research.utk.edu/

2. NEH Overview • An independent Federal agency • National Council for the Humanities appointed by the president, confirmed by Senate • Largest funder of humanities in US • Program officers include permanent NEH staff and university “rotators” (IPA’s) • Funding recommendations made by review panels of established scholars • Proposal success rates vary: 10% – 25%; average ~15% across all programs Old Post Office Building Washington DC

3. The humanities include... Philosophy Ethics Jurisprudence Linguistics Language Religion History Literature History & criticism of the arts Social sciences w/humanisitic content Archaeology Media studies

4. NEH awards grants to: • Strengthen teaching and learning in the humanities in schools and colleges across the nation • Facilitate research and original scholarship • Provide opportunities for lifelong learning • Preserve and provide access to cultural and educational resources • Strengthen the institutional base of the humanities

5. Pretest: “Budget Jeopardy” Quiz A: $150 billion Q: ________________________? A: $30 billion Q: ________________________? A: $6 billion Q: ________________________? A: $0.15 billion (150 million) Q: ________________________? Clue: These are annual expenditures for federal programs

6. Grants of interest to academic researchers • Fellowships • Collaborative Research • Summer Stipends • Summer Seminars and Institutes • Enduring Questions • Digital Humanities • Preservation and Access

7. Warning: Electronic Submission is Here! • Major change from paper forms to SF 424 electronic forms (www.Grants.gov ) • Some programs require individuals to submit proposals to Grants.gov (Fellowships, e.g.) • Others require the institution to apply (Collaborative Research, Summer Seminars) Remember: Body of grant remains much the same, but START EARLY working with sponsored research office!

8. A. Fellowships • Support individuals pursuing advanced research of value to scholars and general audiences • May be awarded by NEH or Independent Research Institutes • Recipients usually produce articles, books, films, digital materials, translations, archeological reports, etc. • Stipend: $4,200/month for 6 to 12 mos. ($50,400 max.) • Deadline: May 3, 2010 • Eligibility: US citizens and foreign nationals in residence 3 yrs + www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/fellowships.html

9. A. Fellowship review criteria • The intellectual significance of the proposed project, including its value to scholars and general audiences in the humanities • The quality or promise of quality of the applicant's work as an interpreter of the humanities • The quality of the conception, definition, organization, and description of the project and the applicant's clarity of expression • The feasibility of the proposed plan of work, including, when appropriate, the soundness of the dissemination and access plans • The likelihood that the applicant will complete the project

10. B. Collaborative Research • Supports research by team (2+) of scholars coordinated by one leading individual • Projects are full-time or part-time for one to three years • Budget: $25,000 to $100,00/yr. Cost sharing not required, BUT norm for NEH is 20% contribution from applicant • NEH staff will review draft proposals up to six weeks prior to deadline • Public access to project outcomes strongly encouraged • Deadline: December 8, 2011 • Eligibility: Institutions, US citizens and foreign nationals in residence 3 yrs + www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/collaborative.html

11. B. Collaborative Research Eligible projects: • Research that significantly adds to knowledge in the humanities • Conferences on topics of major importance • Archaeological projects • Translations into English of works that provide insight into other cultures • Research that uses the humanities to enhance understanding of science, technology, medicine, and the social sciences

12. B. Collaborative Research Proposal review criteria: • Intellectual significance of the project • Soundness of the research design and work plan • Qualifications and commitment of the project staff • Soundness of the dissemination and public access plans • Potential for project success and reasonableness of the budget

13. C. Summer Stipends • Supports individuals pursuing advanced research /writing • Duration: Full time support for two months • Recipients expected to produce articles, monographs, digital materials, archeological reports, translations, etc. • Award: $6,000 (may receive other grants) • Many restrictions (see list) • Deadline: September 29, 2011

14. D. Summer Seminars and Institutes • Faculty development programs for K-12 and college teachers • Can apply as 1) Participant; or 2) Host institution • Duration: 2 – 6 weeks • NEH staff will review draft proposals up to one month prior to deadline • Seminars: $45 - $120,000; Institutes: $80 – 200,000 • Deadline: March 1, 2011 Participants: http://neh.gov//projects/si-university.html Host: http://neh.gov/grants/guidelines/seminars.html

15. D. Summer Seminars and Institutes Four models: • Seminar for school teachers (16): Participants explore topics or set of readings led by a recognized scholar • Institute for school teachers (25 – 30): Core faculty team present best scholarship on important issues taught in public schools • Seminar for college teachers (16): Participants conduct research or focused study under guidance of an expert • Institute for college teachers (25): Core faculty guide participants in examining topic of major importance in undergraduate curricula Note: Innovative use of information technology is encouraged

16. D. Summer Seminars and Institutes Proposal review criteria: 1. Intellectual quality and significance - Is the proposal's intellectual rationale clear and persuasive? - Does the study engage important humanities topics or texts? - Does it draw on sound humanities research? - Are faculty members strong scholars and excellent teachers? 2. Impact - Will the project's objectives be met? - Will participants be actively engaged in collegial intellectual inquiry? - Will the experience stimulate teachers intellectually and professionally? 3. Feasibility - Is the program format appropriate to the ideas, themes, and audience? - Are project activities well planned and described in adequate detail? - Do letters from visiting scholars and consultants demonstrate interest and commitment? - Does the institutional setting support the project's objectives? - Are the plans for administration sound and well developed? - Are the costs reasonable?

17. E. Enduring Questions • Will support development of new undergraduate courses that grapple with most fundamental concerns of humanities • Issues are pre-disciplinary, can be led by faculty of any background (but with humanistic focus) • Duration: 18 – 24 months • Budgets: Up to $25,000; $15,000 stipend for director; up to $10,000 for materials, student travel, museum admissions, etc. • 20 awards in 2009 • Deadline: September 15, 2011 http://neh.gov/grants/guidelines/EnduringQuestions.html

18. E. Enduring Questions Examples: • What is the good life? • What is justice? Mercy? • What is freedom? Happiness? • What is friendship? • What is dignity? • Is there a human nature, and, if so, what is it? • What are the limits of scientific understanding? • What is the relationship between humans and the natural world? • Is there such a thing as right and wrong? Good and evil? • What is good government? • What are the origins of the modern world? • What is liberal education? Note: This is not an exhaustive list!

19. E. Enduring Questions Courses must: • Be “pre-disciplinary,” not overspecialized • Focus on an explicitly stated question or questions • Draw on significant readings from prior to the twentieth century; may draw on works of art, e.g., painting, music, plays, sculpture • Reflect intellectual pluralism, anticipating more than one plausible answer(s) • Be open to all students regardless of major or concentration • Require a letter of commitment to offer the course at least twice http://neh.gov/grants/guidelines/EnduringQuestions.html

20. E. Enduring Questions Proposal review criteria: 1. Intellectual quality and significance - Are the intellectual rationale of the project and its approach compelling? - Does the intellectual rationale give evidence of a “pre-disciplinary” approach? - Is there a strong relationship between the enduring question(s) and the works to be studied? - Do the question(s) and the core readings reflect intellectual pluralism? - Does the study seriously engage humanities sources prior to the twentieth century? - Does the course emphasize the reading of books in their entirety or near entirety? - Is the proposal clear, free of jargon, and accessible to nonspecialists? 2. Feasibility - Is the envisioned course design effectively tailored to its intended audience? - Are reading loads ambitious but realistic? - Are ancillary activities, if any, well conceived? - Is the teacher intellectually prepared to offer the proposed course? - Is there a commitment on the part of the institution to support this course? 3. Impact - Does the course have the potential to foster intellectual community anchored among students? - Does the course have the potential to foster intellectual community at the applicant institution?

21. F. Digital Humanities Initiative Start - Up Grants: • Jointly sponsored by NEH and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) • Supports planning activities or start up of digital initiatives in any area of the humanities • Emphasis on innovation; “high risk/high reward” paradigm (approach, tool or idea not used before in humanities) • Level I: Planning (brainstorming, workshops, prototypes, etc.) ($5 - $25,000) • Level II: Larger grants for start-up of fully-formed projects ($25 – 50,000) • Deadline: September 27, 2011 www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/digitalhumanitiesstartup.html

22. F. Digital Humanities Initiative Program themes: • Research in new approaches and best practices in digital humanities • Planning and prototyping new tools for preserving, analyzing, and making accessible digital resources, including those of libraries and museums • Scholarship that examines the philosophical implications and impact of the use of emerging technologies • Innovative uses of technology for public programming and education utilizing both traditional and new media • New digital modes of publication that disseminate humanities scholarship at all levels: academic as well as formal and informal educational settings www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/digitalhumanitiesstartup.html

23. F. Digital Humanities Proposal review criteria: • Intellectual significance of the long-term project, including its potential to enhance research, teaching and learning in the humanities • Quality of the specific start-up activities • Qualifications and commitment of project director and staff • Usefulness to target audience and impact on scholarship • Quality of project assessment and evaluation plans • Potential for success within time frame and on budget

24. G. Preservation and Access • Projects that preserve and create access to collections of books, journals, manuscripts, archival materials, art, recordings, etc. • Education & Training projects enable institutions to be effective stewards of humanities collections • Research and Development projects investigate broad issues of major significance in preservation and access • Awards: $100 - $300,000/2 yrs.; R&D projects up to $400K (Cost sharing: 20% is expected) • Deadline: HC & R: June 30, 2011; R&D: May 19, 2011 http://neh.gov/grants/guidelines/Collections_and_Resources.html

25. G. Preservation and Access Sample projects: • Digitizing collections • Arranging and describing archival and manuscript collections • Cataloging collections of printed works, photographs, recorded sound, moving image, art, and material culture • Preservation reformatting • Deacidification of existing collections • Preserving and improving access to humanities resources in “born digital” form http://neh.gov/grants/guidelines/Collections_and_Resources.html

26. G. Preservation and Access Reference works and research tools: • Databases and electronic archives that codify or integrate humanities materials or provide bibliographic control of a subject or field • Encyclopedias about various fields in the humanities or about a particular area or subject; • Historical, etymological, and bilingual dictionaries for undocumented languages, as well as reference grammars and other linguistic tools • Descriptive catalogs that provide detailed information about humanities materials; • Tools for spatial analysis and representation of humanities data such as atlases and geographical information systems (GIS) • Digital tools specifically designed to develop or use humanities resources http://neh.gov/grants/guidelines/Collections_and_Resources.html

27. G. Preservation & Access Proposal review criteria: • Project significance--how it will increase understanding of the humanities • Soundness of the proposed methodology--adherence to accepted national standards and professional practices • Viability, efficiency, and productivity of the work plan • Qualifications of the project staff • Plans for dissemination and access • Plan for project sustainability beyond the grant period • Appropriateness of the budget

28. Tips for Success... • Parse application guidelines carefully; address program goals and review criteria in your writing • Consult an NEH program officer; read successful grants • Write in a simple, lively style; avoid stodgy academic jargon • Devote greatest effort to describing the project • Seek critical feedback before submitting • Choose referees carefully • Proofread! • If declined, request panel summary • Consider other fellowship programs: Fulbright, ACLS, Guggenheim, etc. • Get on a review panel (PRISM:www.neh.gov/prism/default.htm) • Submit, revise & resubmit! • Treat it like a game (which it is)