National Endowment for the Humanities
/OVERVIEW: NEH is an independent government organization that funds projects to promote research, education, preservation and public programs in the humanities.
IP TAKE: The National Endowment is a highly competitive funder. Grantseekers should expect to compete with applicants from across the country and in many genres. You may have to apply several times to secure a grant here. Be sure to look over previously funded projects to get a better idea of what NEH is looking for in its grantees. This funder conducts important work, but it is not particularly accessible and tends to be highly bureaucratic. It’s also not particularly approachable, but it is responsive, so contact them with general questions.
PROFILE: Created in 1965, National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) was established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act. The same legislation also created the National Endowment for the Arts. It seeks to “[serve and strengthen the] republic by promoting excellence in the humanities and conveying the lessons of history to all Americans.” NEH supports arts, culture and humanities through multiple grantmaking programs.
Grants for Arts and Culture
NEH grants support “cultural institutions, such as museums, archives, libraries, colleges, universities, public television, and radio stations, and to individual scholars.” These grants have supported Ken Burns’ The Civil War documentary, the Library of America editions of works of literature, The United States Newspaper Project, 16 Pulitzer Prize winning books, and funding for lectures, discussions, and exhibitions throughout the country. The list of grant available programs changes annually, so grant seekers should check frequently to see which programs are active.
Grants for Writing and Humanities Research
Writing grants tend to overlap with humanities research. The NEH overlaps grants for both areas of funding across the following programs, which have highly targeted strategies and details. Current and past writing grant programs include Digital Projects for the Public, Documenting Endangered Languages, Scholarly Editions and Translations Grant, Dialogues on the Experience of War, Collaborative Research Grants, Public Scholar Program.
Grants for Film
The NEH is invested in supporting ethical journalism projects and preserving languages and narrative histories. Current and past film grant programs include Media Projects: Production Grants, Media Projects: Development Grants, Documenting Endangered Languages, Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions
Grants for Music
Grants for music are focused on academic research and preservation rather than performing arts events. Current and past music grant programs include Scholarly Editions and Translations Grant, Public Humanities Projects, Summer Stipends, Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions.
Grants for Theater
Theater funding concentrates on academic research and preservation rather than individual performances. Current and past theater grant programs include Public Humanities Projects, Scholarly Editions and Translations Grant, Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions.
Important Grant Details:
Grant amounts generally range from just a few thousand up to $1 million. Grantseekers may view past grantees here and here.
NEH accepts applications through the United States federal government’s official grant application portal, grants.gov. Applicants are advised to read program pages carefully as eligibility, guidelines and due dates vary significantly by program.
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