Opportunity Information: Apply for 20140911 HD
Apply for 20140911 HD
- The National Endowment for the Humanities in the humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Digital Humanities Start up Grants" 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 Jul 7, 2014 and posted on Jul 7, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 11, 2014. (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 $60,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education County governments Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Private institutions of higher education Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) City or township governments Special district governments State governments.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Digital Humanities Start Up Grants program, offered by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) through its Office of Digital Humanities, provides relatively small awards to help teams and organizations get new digital humanities ideas off the ground. The focus is on the earliest phases of a project: planning, exploration, and initial development work that can lead to a larger, longer-term effort later. Rather than funding full-scale implementation, these grants are meant to support the kind of foundational work that helps a project prove its value and feasibility, such as creating a clear project plan, building a prototype, or producing a proof of concept.
Projects can come from any area of the humanities as long as the work is genuinely tied to humanities questions, materials, audiences, or scholarship and uses digital methods or technologies in a meaningful way. NEH highlights several kinds of activities that fit well in this program. These include research that introduces new approaches in digital humanities or captures and evaluates best practices in the field; planning and prototyping of tools that preserve, analyze, or improve access to digital resources (including the digital assets held by libraries, archives, museums, and similar institutions); and humanities scholarship that examines digital culture itself, including its history, criticism, philosophy, and social impact. The program also welcomes studies that look closely at the practical or philosophical implications of emerging technologies for specific humanities disciplines, or for cross-disciplinary collaborations that bring multiple fields together.
Another strong fit is technology-enabled public humanities work, especially projects that rethink public programming and education by combining traditional approaches with new media. NEH also points to new digital publishing models as an important area, particularly modes of publication that help circulate humanities scholarship in both advanced academic contexts and educational environments, whether formal classrooms or informal learning settings, and at any academic level. Across all these examples, the common thread is early-stage experimentation that can open up new directions for humanities research, access, interpretation, teaching, or public engagement.
Innovation is central to the program. NEH explicitly frames this grant category as one that embraces a high risk/high reward approach more typical of science funding, encouraging applicants to take thoughtful risks in pursuit of new methods, tools, or models that could significantly benefit the humanities if successful. The expected outcome is not a finished product, but credible groundwork for the next stage: a well-developed plan, a working prototype, or evidence that a concept can work and is worth scaling into a longer-term project.
From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number 20140911-HD) under CFDA 45.169, Promotion of the Humanities. Awards range from $5,000 to $60,000, and there is no cost-sharing or matching requirement. Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education, state and local governments (including counties, cities/townships, special districts, and state governments), federally recognized Native American tribal governments, and nonprofit organizations (both with and without 501(c)(3) status, as long as they are not institutions of higher education in the nonprofit category listed). The opportunity was posted July 7, 2014, with a closing date of September 11, 2014. For more details, NEH provides information on its website, and the Office of Digital Humanities can be reached at odh@neh.gov for access help or to request a staff call.
Digital Humanities Start Up Grants (NEH) - FAQs
What is the Digital Humanities Start Up Grants program?
The Digital Humanities Start Up Grants program is an NEH (National Endowment for the Humanities) funding opportunity offered through the NEH Office of Digital Humanities. It provides relatively small awards intended to help teams and organizations launch new digital humanities ideas in their earliest stages.
What is the main purpose of this grant?
The main purpose is to support early-stage work such as planning, exploration, and initial development that can position a project for a larger, longer-term effort later. The program is designed to help applicants establish value and feasibility rather than complete full implementation.
What kinds of project stages does NEH want to fund through this program?
This program focuses on the earliest phases of a project, including planning, exploratory research, prototyping, and proof-of-concept work. The emphasis is on creating credible groundwork that supports a future next stage.
Does this grant fund full-scale implementation or finished products?
No. NEH frames these awards as start-up support rather than full-scale implementation funding. The expected outcome is not a finished product, but strong foundational progress such as a well-developed project plan, a working prototype, or evidence that a concept is feasible and worth scaling.
What award sizes are available?
Awards range from $5,000 to $60,000.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. There is no cost-sharing or matching requirement listed for this opportunity.
What kinds of topics or disciplines are eligible?
Projects can come from any area of the humanities, as long as the work is genuinely tied to humanities questions, materials, audiences, or scholarship, and uses digital methods or technologies in a meaningful way.
What does NEH mean by “digital humanities†for this grant?
Based on the opportunity description, digital humanities projects for this program combine humanities-focused inquiry (questions, sources, audiences, or scholarship) with meaningful use of digital methods or technologies. NEH highlights activities such as planning and prototyping digital tools, research into digital humanities methods, and scholarship that examines digital culture.
What kinds of activities are considered a strong fit?
NEH highlights several activities that align well with this grant, including:
- Research introducing new approaches in digital humanities or capturing and evaluating best practices.
- Planning and prototyping tools that preserve, analyze, or improve access to digital resources, including digital assets held by libraries, archives, museums, and similar institutions.
- Humanities scholarship that examines digital culture, including its history, criticism, philosophy, and social impact.
- Studies exploring the practical or philosophical implications of emerging technologies for specific humanities disciplines, including cross-disciplinary collaborations.
- Technology-enabled public humanities projects that rethink public programming and education using new media alongside traditional approaches.
- New digital publishing models that help circulate humanities scholarship in advanced academic contexts and educational environments (formal or informal), at any academic level.
Are public humanities and education projects eligible?
Yes. NEH specifically welcomes technology-enabled public humanities work, especially efforts that rethink public programming and education by combining traditional approaches with new media.
Are digital publishing projects eligible?
Yes. NEH points to new digital publishing models as an important area, particularly publication modes that circulate humanities scholarship in advanced academic settings and educational environments (formal classrooms or informal learning), at any academic level.
How important is innovation for this program?
Innovation is described as central to the program. NEH frames this grant category as embracing a high risk/high reward approach, encouraging thoughtful risks aimed at new methods, tools, or models that could significantly benefit the humanities if successful.
What does “high risk/high reward†mean in this context?
Within the program description, high risk/high reward refers to encouraging applicants to pursue experimental ideas that may be uncertain but could open up new directions for humanities research, access, interpretation, teaching, or public engagement if they succeed.
What kinds of outcomes should an applicant be prepared to deliver?
The opportunity emphasizes early-stage deliverables rather than completed systems. Examples of expected outcomes include a clear and well-developed project plan, a prototype, or a proof of concept demonstrating feasibility and value for a longer-term project.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number and CFDA number?
The Funding Opportunity Number is 20140911-HD. The CFDA number is 45.169 (Promotion of the Humanities).
Is this a discretionary grant?
Yes. The opportunity is described as a discretionary grant.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants include:
- Public and private institutions of higher education.
- State and local governments, including counties, cities/townships, special districts, and state governments.
- Federally recognized Native American tribal governments.
- Nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status), as long as they are not applying as institutions of higher education in the nonprofit category referenced in the listing.
Can a nonprofit apply if it does not have 501(c)(3) status?
Yes. The eligibility description explicitly includes nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status (with the noted condition that the nonprofit category is not for institutions of higher education in that listed nonprofit grouping).
Can state or local government entities apply?
Yes. State and local governments are listed as eligible, including counties, cities/townships, special districts, and state governments.
Can federally recognized tribal governments apply?
Yes. Federally recognized Native American tribal governments are listed as eligible applicants.
When was this opportunity posted and when did it close?
The opportunity was posted on July 7, 2014, and the closing date was September 11, 2014.
Where can applicants find more details or official guidance?
NEH indicates that more details are available on its website. The NEH Office of Digital Humanities is also provided as a point of contact for access help or to request a staff call.
How can someone contact the Office of Digital Humanities about this opportunity?
The Office of Digital Humanities can be reached by email at odh@neh.gov for access help or to request a staff call.
What is the common thread across the project examples NEH lists?
The common thread is early-stage experimentation that can open up new directions for humanities research, access, interpretation, teaching, public engagement, or publication, supported by meaningful use of digital methods or technologies.
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