(1) An Historically Black University received a month-long summer program of study of Homer, Dante, Marie de France, Christine de Pizan, and Shakespeare for six to eight faculty members from the institution and others nearby; (2) A Tribal College received an award to support a year-long series of workshops for its faculty that would explore seminal works in Native American literature, including Louise Erdrich's Love Medicine, N.
Scott Momaday's House Made of Dawn, James Welch's The Indian Lawyer.
(3) A College with a High Hispanic Enrollment received an award to conduct a year-long faculty development seminar series in the field of law and literature, including the study of such works as Sophocles' Antigone, Dickens' Great Expectations, Kafka's The Trial, and Shakespeare's Measure for Measure.
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent grant-making agency of the United States government dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation and public programs in the humanities.
For FY 08, 140 applications were received and 23 grants were made.
Uses and Use Restrictions
Humanities Initiatives at Presidentially Designated Institutions provide funds for faculty study programs, institutional planning, and the acquisition of library and advanced technology resources that can assist institutions in enhancing humanities opportunities for their students and their communities, typically through strengthening the capacity of faculty to engage student or community beneficiaries in substantive study of the humanities.
Humanities Initiatives for Faculty awards are restricted to Historically Black, High Hispanic Enrollment, and Tribal Colleges and Universities, as designated by the White House offices charged with the implementation of Executive Orders 12876, 12900, 13021, and to faculty members at these institutions.
Projects that deal solely with pedagogical theory or that are intended to improve writing, speaking, or thinking skills apart from a focus on specific humanities content are not normally supported.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicant Eligibility
Humanities Initiatives at Presidentially Designated Colleges and Universities offer Historically Black, High Hispanic Enrollment, and Tribal Colleges and Universities, as designated by the White House offices charged with the implementation of Executive Orders 12876, 12900, 13021.
Beneficiary Eligibility
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; other specialized groups; and quasi-public nonprofit institutions will benefit.
Credentials/Documentation
Costs will be determined in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-87 for entities of State and local government, OMB Circular No. A-21 for educational institutions and OMB Circular No. A-122 for nonprofit organizations.
Aplication and Award Process
Preapplication Coordination
Informal inquiry with the headquarters office, followed by submission of a preliminary draft is encouraged.
Endowment staff should be sent preliminary applications at least six weeks in advance of final application deadline for eligibility review.
The standard application forms as furnished by the Endowment 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 Procedures
Applications to NEH must be submitted via Grants.gov. Guidelines are available online (http://www.neh.gov)or upon request to the headquarters office. This program is subject to the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-110.
Award Procedures
Applications are reviewed by panels of scholars, teachers, and educational administrators at all academic levels and by other appropriate individuals. Awards are made by the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities after advice of the National Council on the Humanities.
Deadlines
Materials and Curriculum Development Grants: October 1, 2008 for projects beginning after April 1 of the following year. January 16, 2009 for Humanities Initiatives for Faculty, for projects beginning after June 1, 2009.
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.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
Approximately 4-6 months.
Appeals
None, but applicant may reapply with a revised proposal.
Renewals
Applications for renewal must compete against new applications. Applications for renewal must demonstrate a record of success and the potential to serve new audiences.
Assistance Considerations
Formula and Matching Requirements
This program has no statutory formula. Source: Program Guidelines. Contact: See Headquarters Office below.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
Funds must be expended during the grant period. Funds are released as required. Grants are available for projects for a maximum of 3 years.
Post Assistance Requirements
Reports
Progress reports are required at least annually.
Cash reports on project expenditures are required quarterly.
Final progress and expenditure 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 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 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 three years following the submission of the final expenditure report.
Financial Information
Account Identification
59-0200-0-1-503.
Obigations
FY 07 $2,223,567*; FY 08 est $2,520,000; and FY 09 est $2,520,000. *Includes additional funding provided by NEH Treasury matching grants and by We the People. See 45.168 PROMOTION OF THE HUMANITIES-WE THE PEOPLE.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
Humanities Initiatives at Presidentially Designated Colleges and Universities do not exceed $75,000.
Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature
45 CFR 1100 and 1105. The publication entitled "National Endowment for the Humanities Grant Programs, 2000-2001" is available upon request from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Washington, DC 20506. It is also available online at http://www.neh.gov. Available from the Superintendent of Documents, 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
Not applicable.
Headquarters Office
Humanities Initiatives at Presidentially Designated Colleges and Universities, National Endowment for the Humanities, Room 302, Washington, DC 20506. Telephone: (202) 606-8463. Use the same number for FTS.
Criteria for Selecting Proposals
Proposals are read and evaluated on whether the intellectual quality of the project is excellent; whether the project is well designed; and whether the project will have significant results. See the program guidelines for detailed criteria. For Humanities Initiatives at Presidentially Designated Colleges and Universities, projects will be selected for funding on the basis of the quality of planned activities and the potential of these activities to strengthen the humanities capacity of the institution; the ability of the institution to carry out the proposed plan; the qualifications of project leaders and consultants; and the cogency of the plan to evaluate the outcomes of the project.
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