FEDERAL AGENCY:

NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES, NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES

AUTHORIZATION:

National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965, as amended, Public Law 89-209, 20 U.S.C. 951 et seq.

OBJECTIVES:

To fund, wholly or partially, projects that will promote the preservation of and provide intellectual access to resources held in libraries, museums, archives, historical organizations, and other collections that are important for research, education, and public programming in the humanities.

TYPES OF ASSISTANCE:

Project Grants. Place Cursor Here for Definition

USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS:

Grants support: a coordinated, national program for the preservation of brittle books and serials in college and university libraries; the bibliographic control of printed works; the arrangement, description and preservation of archival collections, still and moving images, and recorded sound collections; archival surveys; the documentation of collections of art and material culture; projects to produce bibliographies, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other research tools and reference works; professional training in preservation administration and in the care of material culture collections; the stabilization of material culture collections; the work of regional preservation services; general preservation assessments and special consultations; research to improve preservation technology and procedures; projects designed to increase public understanding of preservation and access issues; and a national program for the cataloging and preservation of U.S. newspapers on a state-by-state basis. Expenses may include salaries and wages, consultant and other contract services, supplies and limited equipment purchases, travel, and per diem.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Applicant Eligibility:   U.S. citizens and residents; State and local governments; sponsored organizations; public and private nonprofit institutions/organizations; other public institutions/organizations; Federally recognized Indian tribal governments; Native American organizations; U.S. Territories; non-government-general; minority organizations; and other specialized groups; quasi-public nonprofit institutions.

Beneficiary Eligibility:   U.S. citizens and residents; State and local governments; sponsored organizations; public and private nonprofit institutions/organizations; other public institutions/organizations; Federally recognized Indian tribal governments; Native American organizations; U.S. Territories; non-government-general; minority organizations; and other specialized groups; quasi-public nonprofit institutions.

Credentials/Documentation:   Costs will be determined in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-87 for State and local governments. OMB Circular No. A-21 for educational institutions and OMB Circular No. A- 122 for commercial and nonprofit organizations.

Pre-application Coordination:   After reading program guidelines, potential applicants should submit brief descriptions of proposed projects prior to formal application to determine eligibility. Telephone and e-mail inquiries are encouraged. The standard application forms as furnished by the Federal agency and required by OMB Circular No. A-102 must be used for this program. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure:   Direct application to Division of Preservation and Access, Room 411. Guidelines and application instructions are available online at http://www.neh.gov/grants/grants.html or are provided upon receipt of initial inquiry outlining eligible project. This program is subject to the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-110.

Award Procedure:   Applications are evaluated by scholars in the humanities, museum curators, professionals with expert knowledge of preservation and access methodologies and administrators of libraries, archives, and museums. Awards are made by the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities after recommendation by the National Council on the Humanities.

Deadlines:   July 1. Write to the Division of Preservation and Access for specific information.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:   Approximately 9 months.

Appeals:   None, but applicant may reapply with a revised proposal.

Renewals:   Renewal grants are processed and awarded in competition with and in the same manner as new applications.

ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:

Formula and Matching Requirements:   Cost-sharing at 33 percent for brittle books and other consortial projects; 50 percent for projects involving the preservation of, or access to archives and other special collections; 50 percent for National Heritage Preservation Program projects (stabilization of material culture collections); and 20 percent for projects for education and training, regional field service programs, research and demonstration projects. Projects to produce bibliographies, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other research tools and reference works require 33 percent cost-sharing.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance:   Up to 36 months, with the exception of the National Heritage Preservation Program Grants, which may encompass up to 5 years. Funds must be expended during the grant period. Funds are released as required.

POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Reports:   Progress reports are required semiannually or annually. Cash reports are required quarterly. Final progress and expenditures reports are due within 90 days after completion or termination of project support by NEH.

Audits:   In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A- 133 (Revised, June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133. For nongovernmental recipients, audits are to be carried out in accordance with the provisions set forth in OMB Circular No. A-110, "Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other Nonprofit Organizations Uniform Administrative Requirements" and with OMB Circular No. A-133. In addition, grants are subject to inspection and audits by NEH and other Federal officials.

Records:   Documentation of expenditures and other fiscal records must be retained for 3 years following the submission of the final expenditure report.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION:

Account Identification:   59-0200-0-1-503.

Obligations:   (Grants) FY 01 $17,885,279; FY 02 est $18,225,000; and FY 03 est Not available.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance:  
FY 12 from $6,000 to $500,000; average $74,000.

In fiscal year 2001, 218 applications were received and 81 grants were made. In fiscal year 2002, 207 applications and 74 grants are anticipated.

REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:

45 CFR 1100 and 1105. Guidelines are available online at http://www.neh.gov/grants.html or upon request from National Endowment for the Humanities, Washington, DC 20506. It is also Available from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402, is the Endowment's official publication, "Humanities" by subscription (6 issues annually, $24.00 domestic, $30.00 foreign).

INFORMATION CONTACTS:

Regional or Local Office:   None.

Headquarters Office:   National Endowment for the Humanities, Division of Research Programs, National Endowment for the Humanities, Division of Preservation and Access , Washington, District of Columbia 20506, Washington, District of Columbia 20506 Email: preservation@neh.gov Phone: (202) 606-8570

Web Site Address:  
http://www.neh.gov/divisions/preservation

EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS:

(1) An award to support the microfilming of 8,527 embrittled volumes that document the history and culture of Latin America published between 1850 and 1950; (2) an award to a state university library to microfilm 600,000 pages of deteriorating newsprint; (3) an award to a conservation center to train conservators in techniques of preserving material culture collections; (4) an award to a regional bibliographic center to provide preservation field services to member institutions in 5 states; (5) an award to an academic society to conduct research for a series of books about the history of American architecture on a state-by-state basis; (6) an award to an academic society to support the development of a North American standard for archival description that would facilitate the communication of archival information in electronic form; (7) an award to a university museum to support the installation of an air- conditioning and climate-control system for collections of photographs, prints, and paintings; (8) an award to a university library to arrange and describe papers of authors and illustrators of children's literature.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:

The criteria used to determine funding priorities include the national significance and potential impact of the project, either for creating, preserving, and establishing intellectual access to important humanities resources or for improving the infrastructure for preservation and access activities in the country's cultural institutions; the soundness of the project's methodology, including its adherence to accepted professional and technical standards or practice; the viability, efficiency, and productivity of the project's plan of work; the professional training and experience of the project's staff in relation to the activity for which support is requested; and the appropriateness of the project's budget.