Opportunity Information: Apply for 20210715 PW
The Humanities Collections and Reference Resources program is a discretionary grant opportunity offered by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) through its Division of Preservation and Access. Its central aim is to support projects that serve as foundational infrastructure for humanities scholarship, teaching, and public-facing humanities programming. In practical terms, the program funds work that helps ensure important humanities collections last longer, remain usable, and become easier for researchers, educators, and the general public to discover and engage with. A common theme is improving access to the intellectual content of collections, often by using digital methods to describe, organize, preserve, and share materials more widely than would be possible through in-person access alone.
A key emphasis of the program is sustaining and extending the life of humanities collections. That can include activities that stabilize, preserve, or reformat materials so they remain available over time, as well as efforts that enhance the usability of collections through better organization and description. At the same time, the program also supports the creation of reference resources that help people work with cultural materials more effectively. These reference resources can range from straightforward tools that allow users to quickly find essential facts or context, to more sophisticated scholarly resources that compile, synthesize, and codify knowledge in a way that supports deeper investigation. The underlying idea is that strong collections work and strong reference tools make humanities research and public education possible at a higher level, because they reduce barriers to discovery and interpretation.
The opportunity is open to a broad set of eligible applicants, reflecting the wide range of institutions that hold humanities collections or produce humanities reference resources. 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 IRS 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in that nonprofit category). This eligibility list signals that projects may come from universities and colleges, but also from cultural organizations, public entities, and tribal governments responsible for stewarding and interpreting humanities materials.
From the funding details provided, the program has an award ceiling of $350,000 and anticipated making about 35 awards under the referenced opportunity cycle. The funding opportunity title is Humanities Collections and Reference Resources, with the funding opportunity number 20210715 PW, and it falls under the humanities funding activity category (CFDA number 45.149). The opportunity was created on March 25, 2021, with an original closing date of July 15, 2021. Overall, the grant is designed to strengthen the long-term preservation and broad accessibility of humanities collections and to encourage the development of reference resources that make cultural and historical materials easier to find, understand, and use for research, education, and public programs.Apply for 20210715 PW
- The National Endowment for the Humanities in the humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda) 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 Mar 25, 2021.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 15, 2021. (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.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Humanities Collections and Reference Resources (NEH)
What is the Humanities Collections and Reference Resources program?
The Humanities Collections and Reference Resources program is a discretionary grant opportunity offered by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) through its Division of Preservation and Access. It supports projects that function as foundational infrastructure for humanities scholarship, teaching, and public-facing humanities programming.
What is the main goal of this grant opportunity?
The central aim is to strengthen long-term preservation and broaden accessibility of humanities collections, and to encourage the development of reference resources that make cultural and historical materials easier to find, understand, and use for research, education, and public programs.
What kinds of projects does the program fund?
The program funds work that helps important humanities collections last longer, remain usable, and become easier to discover and engage with. A common thread is improving access to the intellectual content of collections, often using digital methods to describe, organize, preserve, and share materials more widely than in-person access alone would allow.
How does the program support preservation and long-term use of collections?
It supports activities that sustain and extend the life of humanities collections, including efforts that stabilize, preserve, or reformat materials so they remain available over time.
Does the program fund work that improves how collections are organized and described?
Yes. In addition to preservation and reformatting, the program emphasizes enhancing the usability of collections through better organization and description, which can reduce barriers to discovery and interpretation.
Does the program support digital access and discovery work?
Yes. The opportunity often supports digital approaches that help describe, organize, preserve, and share humanities materials so researchers, educators, and the general public can discover and engage with them beyond on-site, in-person access.
What are “reference resources” in the context of this program?
Reference resources are tools that help people work with cultural materials more effectively. They can range from straightforward resources that help users quickly locate essential facts or context, to more advanced scholarly resources that compile, synthesize, and codify knowledge to support deeper investigation.
Who is this program intended to benefit?
The program is designed to benefit humanities scholarship, teaching, and public-facing humanities programming by strengthening collections work and reference tools that enable research, learning, and public engagement.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants include:
- State governments
- County governments
- 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
- Nonprofit organizations with IRS 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in that nonprofit category)
Can colleges and universities apply?
Yes. Both public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education are included in the eligibility list.
Can government entities apply?
Yes. The eligibility list includes state, county, city or township, and special district governments.
Can federally recognized tribal governments apply?
Yes. Federally recognized Native American tribal governments are explicitly listed as eligible applicants.
Can nonprofit organizations apply?
Yes. Nonprofit organizations with IRS 501(c)(3) status are eligible, with the stated exception that institutions of higher education are excluded from the nonprofit category (while higher education institutions are still eligible under their own category).
What is the maximum award amount?
The award ceiling for this opportunity is $350,000.
How many awards are expected to be made?
NEH anticipated making about 35 awards under the referenced opportunity cycle.
Which NEH office offers this program?
This opportunity is offered by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) through its Division of Preservation and Access.
What is the funding opportunity number?
The funding opportunity number is 20210715 PW.
What is the CFDA number and funding category?
The opportunity falls under the humanities funding activity category and has CFDA number 45.149.
When was this opportunity created and when did it close?
The opportunity was created on March 25, 2021, and the original closing date was July 15, 2021.
What is the program’s overall approach to improving access?
The program focuses on improving access to the intellectual content of humanities collections by supporting preservation, better organization and description, and the creation of reference resources, often with digital methods that broaden discovery and use.
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