Opportunity Information: Apply for 20081015 HG
Apply for 20081015 HG
- The National Endowment for the Humanities in the humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "DFG/NEH Bilateral Digital Humanities Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 45.169 Promotion of the HumanitiesOffice of Digital Humanities.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jun 23, 2008 and posted on Jun 23, 2008.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 15, 2008. (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.
- Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Private institutions of higher education City or township governments State governments Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.
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Opportunity Summary:
The DFG/NEH Bilateral Digital Humanities Program is a joint funding opportunity run by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in the United States and the German Research Foundation (DFG) to support major digitization work in the humanities that is designed from the start as a U.S.-German collaboration. The program is meant to strengthen international access to humanities collections and to encourage shared technical approaches for building, connecting, and sustaining digital resources that scholars, students, and the public can use for research and higher education.
The grant supports up to three years of project activity and can fund several kinds of work. It can back brand-new digitization initiatives or smaller pilot efforts that test workflows and shared infrastructure before scaling up. It can also fund the expansion of existing digitization projects by adding significant new materials, especially when those additions deepen the scholarly value of a resource or broaden its international relevance. In addition, the program explicitly allows for development of related infrastructure, meaning tools, standards, platforms, and other supporting systems that make cross-border digitization possible and useful, not just the scanning or conversion of content itself. Overall, the emphasis is on building digitized collections and services that work well across national boundaries and institutional systems.
A core requirement is true bilateral partnership between at least one eligible U.S. institution and at least one eligible German individual or institution. Each project must name a project director from the United States and a project director from Germany, reflecting shared leadership and joint responsibility for outcomes. Applications are expected to explain why the collaboration needs to be transatlantic rather than simply convenient, and to show practical plans for handling the real challenges of joint digital collection work, such as coordinating standards, managing shared workflows, aligning metadata practices, and making the resulting materials interoperable and sustainable across institutions.
In terms of project scope, the program is open to proposals that digitize humanities collections relevant to U.S. and/or German scholarly communities, especially where international access changes what researchers can do. It also invites proposals that focus on planning, such as producing a detailed digitization plan that can guide a larger implementation later, as well as limited pilot digitization to test shared procedures and infrastructure. Another encouraged direction is connecting collections that are split across countries or institutions, including efforts to link existing digitized materials, establish suitable transatlantic standards, and define communication strategies so that users can discover and work with distributed content more easily. The program also supports the creation of virtual archives or integrated resources that bring together complementary materials internationally, whether those materials begin as analog holdings, existing digital assets, or a combination of both.
The application process is coordinated but involves submissions to both funders. The U.S. and German partners collaborate to produce a single, unified application package, with matching content requirements described in the program guidelines. The U.S. partner submits the application to NEH through Grants.gov, while the German partner submits the same package to DFG via regular postal service, with an additional PDF submission by email encouraged. While the substance of the application package is intended to be identical for both agencies, applicants are advised that administrative and post-award procedures can differ between NEH and DFG due to each country’s local requirements, so successful teams need to be prepared to comply with both sets of grant administration rules.
Key funding details from the announcement include an award ceiling of $350,000 and no stated award floor. Cost sharing or matching is not required. The opportunity is categorized as a discretionary grant in the humanities (CFDA 45.169, Promotion of the Humanities) through NEH’s Office of Digital Humanities. Eligible U.S. applicants include nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education), private institutions of higher education, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, and certain government entities such as city or township governments, state governments, and federally recognized Native American tribal governments. The original posting date for the referenced cycle was June 23, 2008, with an application closing date of October 15, 2008, and an archive date of November 14, 2008. For program questions, NEH directs applicants to contact the Office of Digital Humanities at odh@neh.gov, and additional guideline information is linked through NEH’s website.
FAQs: DFG/NEH Bilateral Digital Humanities Program
What is the DFG/NEH Bilateral Digital Humanities Program?
It is a joint funding opportunity run by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in the United States and the German Research Foundation (DFG). It supports major digitization work in the humanities that is designed from the start as a U.S.-German collaboration, with an emphasis on strengthening international access to humanities collections and encouraging shared technical approaches for building, connecting, and sustaining digital resources used in research and higher education.
What kinds of projects does this program fund?
The program can fund several types of digitization-related work, including new digitization initiatives, smaller pilot efforts to test workflows and shared infrastructure, and expansions of existing digitization projects by adding significant new materials. It also explicitly supports development of related infrastructure such as tools, standards, platforms, and other systems needed to make cross-border digitization possible, interoperable, and sustainable.
How long can a funded project last?
The grant supports up to three years of project activity.
What is the maximum award amount?
The award ceiling listed in the announcement is $350,000.
Is there a minimum award amount?
No award floor is stated in the information provided.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. Cost sharing or matching is not required.
What is the main emphasis of the program?
The emphasis is on building digitized collections and services that work well across national boundaries and institutional systems. Proposals are expected to address practical cross-border challenges like coordinating standards, managing shared workflows, aligning metadata practices, and making the resulting materials interoperable and sustainable.
Does the program only pay for scanning and digitization?
No. In addition to digitizing content, the program allows funding for related infrastructure development, including tools, standards, platforms, and other supporting systems that enable cross-border digitization and effective long-term use.
What is required in terms of U.S.-German partnership?
A true bilateral partnership is a core requirement. Projects must include at least one eligible U.S. institution and at least one eligible German individual or institution. Each project must name a project director from the United States and a project director from Germany, reflecting shared leadership and joint responsibility for outcomes.
Do applicants need to explain why the collaboration is transatlantic?
Yes. Applications are expected to explain why the collaboration needs to be transatlantic rather than simply convenient, and to show practical plans for handling the challenges of joint digital collection work across countries and institutions.
What project topics or directions are encouraged?
The program is open to proposals that digitize humanities collections relevant to U.S. and/or German scholarly communities, especially where international access changes what researchers can do. It also invites planning-focused proposals that produce a detailed digitization plan, as well as limited pilot digitization to test shared procedures and infrastructure. Another encouraged direction is connecting collections split across countries or institutions, including linking existing digitized materials, establishing transatlantic standards, and defining communication strategies to help users discover and use distributed content. The program also supports creating virtual archives or integrated resources that bring together complementary materials internationally from analog holdings, existing digital assets, or both.
Can the grant support expanding an existing digitization project?
Yes. The program can fund expansion of existing digitization projects by adding significant new materials, particularly when the additions deepen the scholarly value of a resource or broaden its international relevance.
Can the project be primarily planning rather than full-scale digitization?
Yes. The program invites proposals focused on planning, such as producing a detailed digitization plan to guide a larger implementation later, and it also supports limited pilot digitization to test shared procedures and infrastructure.
Are projects that connect or link collections across countries eligible?
Yes. The program encourages efforts to connect collections that are split across countries or institutions, including linking existing digitized materials, establishing suitable transatlantic standards, and defining communication strategies so users can more easily discover and work with distributed content.
Can projects create a virtual archive or integrated international resource?
Yes. The program supports virtual archives or integrated resources that bring together complementary materials internationally, whether those materials begin as analog holdings, existing digital assets, or a combination of both.
Who is eligible to apply on the U.S. side?
Eligible U.S. applicants include nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education), private institutions of higher education, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, and certain government entities such as city or township governments, state governments, and federally recognized Native American tribal governments.
Which NEH office is associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is administered through NEH's Office of Digital Humanities.
What is the CFDA number and program category?
The opportunity is categorized as a discretionary grant in the humanities under CFDA 45.169, Promotion of the Humanities.
How does the application process work if there are two funders?
The application process is coordinated but requires submissions to both funders. The U.S. and German partners collaborate to produce a single unified application package with matching content requirements as described in the program guidelines.
How does the U.S. partner submit the application?
The U.S. partner submits the application to NEH through Grants.gov.
How does the German partner submit the application?
The German partner submits the same application package to DFG via regular postal service, and an additional PDF submission by email is encouraged.
Do both agencies receive the same application content?
Yes. The substance of the application package is intended to be identical for both agencies, with matching content requirements described in the program guidelines.
Do NEH and DFG have different administrative or post-award requirements?
Yes. Applicants are advised that administrative and post-award procedures can differ between NEH and DFG due to local requirements in each country, so successful teams need to be prepared to comply with both sets of grant administration rules.
What were the key dates for the referenced cycle?
The original posting date was June 23, 2008. The application closing date was October 15, 2008. The archive date was November 14, 2008.
Who should applicants contact for program questions?
NEH directs applicants to contact the Office of Digital Humanities at odh@neh.gov for program questions.
Where can applicants find additional guidelines?
Additional guideline information is linked through NEH's website (as referenced in the opportunity information).
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