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NEH Collaborative Research Grants - FAQs

What is the NEH Collaborative Research Grants program?

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Collaborative Research Grants program funds original humanities research that is large, specialized, or complex enough to require more personnel and resources than a single scholar's salary can cover. It supports projects designed to produce clear scholarly contributions and public-facing outcomes.

What kinds of projects are a good fit for this program?

The program is intended for substantive humanities work that needs a collaborative structure or significant project infrastructure. NEH emphasizes projects that will generate meaningful research results and share them with both scholarly audiences and the public, rather than small or purely individual projects that can be completed without added support.

Does the project have to involve a team?

Often, yes. The core idea is research carried out by a team of two or more scholars. NEH also allows a major research effort coordinated by an individual scholar, as long as the project still requires additional staff, expertise, and project infrastructure beyond what one person could reasonably support alone.

What types of activities does NEH consider eligible under this opportunity?

NEH will consider several categories of eligible activities, including original humanities research that advances knowledge and understanding in the humanities, conferences on topics of major importance to the humanities that are expected to strengthen or catalyze ongoing research, archaeological projects with interpretation and communication of results, English translations of works that deepen understanding of other cultures, and projects applying humanities approaches to improve understanding of fields such as science, technology, medicine, and the social sciences.

Are conferences eligible for funding under this program?

Yes. The program will consider conferences that focus on topics of major importance to the humanities and that are expected to strengthen or catalyze ongoing research.

Are archaeological projects eligible?

Yes, archaeological projects are eligible when they include interpretation and communication of results. Supported activities can include excavation, analysis of materials, laboratory work, field reporting, and preparation of interpretive monographs.

Does NEH fund translations?

Yes. The program supports translation into English of works that deepen understanding of other cultures' histories, literatures, philosophies, and artistic achievements.

Can projects connect the humanities to science, technology, medicine, or the social sciences?

Yes. NEH welcomes projects that apply humanities approaches and perspectives to improve understanding of fields such as science, technology, medicine, and the social sciences, with an emphasis on how humanities methods can illuminate those areas.

How long can a project be funded?

Awards can support full-time or part-time work over a period of one to three years, allowing teams to align the grant period with the scope and pacing of the research plan.

What is the maximum award amount?

The maximum award amount listed for this opportunity is $300,000.

Is there a minimum award amount?

No minimum award floor is stated in the information provided.

Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. There is no cost-sharing or matching requirement listed for this opportunity.

What kinds of costs can the grant support?

Funding can be used for combinations of personnel and project costs, including compensation for scholars, consultants, and research assistants, as well as project-related travel, fieldwork expenses, information technology, technical services, and other specialized assistance needed to complete the work.

Are both full-time and part-time efforts allowed?

Yes. The program allows support for either full-time or part-time work during the one- to three-year project period.

What kinds of outputs does NEH expect from funded projects?

NEH expects grantees to share results with appropriate scholarly audiences and with the public. Typical products may include monographs, excavation reports, multi-authored volumes, and websites or similar digital resources.

Is public access to project products important?

Yes. Because NEH is a taxpayer-supported federal agency, it prioritizes making grant outputs available to the widest possible audience, including scholars, educators, students, and the general public.

If the project produces a website, does it need to be free to the public?

NEH indicates a preference, all else being equal, for projects that provide free public access when the project results in a website. This reflects the program's open-access and public humanities orientation.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants include individuals, public and private institutions of higher education, state and local governments, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, and eligible nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education).

What is the CFDA number for this opportunity?

This is a discretionary grant opportunity under CFDA 45.161 (Promotion of the Humanities - Research).

What is the Funding Opportunity Number?

The Funding Opportunity Number referenced is 20081105-RZ.

When was this opportunity posted and when was the application deadline?

The opportunity was posted on August 11, 2008, and the application deadline listed was November 5, 2008.

Where could applicants find additional guidance?

Additional guidance was provided through the NEH program page.

How can applicants contact NEH for help with this program?

Applicants could contact the NEH Division of Research Programs by email at collaborative@neh.gov for assistance.