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Enduring Questions (NEH) Grant - FAQs

What does the NEH Enduring Questions grant support?

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Enduring Questions grant supports higher-education faculty who want to create a brand-new undergraduate course organized around a single, fundamental question that has persisted across time, cultures, and intellectual traditions. The goal is a humanities-centered, question-driven course where students engage deeply with major texts, thinkers, and works from different eras as part of an extended inquiry rather than a content survey.

What is an "enduring question" according to NEH?

NEH describes an enduring question as one that appears repeatedly in human attempts to understand the world and ourselves, and that has shaped ethical, artistic, religious, and intellectual life across time. The question should be broad and meaningful enough to remain relevant today while connecting students to long-running debates across generations and traditions.

What are examples of enduring questions?

NEH provides examples to illustrate the type of question the program is looking for. Sample questions include: Are there universals in human nature? What is the source of moral authority? What is evil? Can war be just? Is peace possible? What is worth dying for? What is the value of education? Can greed be good? What is good government? What is progress? Am I my brother's keeper?

Do applicants have to use one of NEH's sample questions?

No. NEH provides sample questions as examples and does not limit applicants to that list. A competitive proposal typically selects one guiding question, explains why it is genuinely enduring, and shows how the course readings and assignments will help students wrestle with that question using primary humanities sources.

What makes a course "question-driven" under this program?

The course is designed so that the enduring question is the organizing center of the syllabus. Rather than surveying a field broadly, the course brings students into sustained engagement with major humanities sources that offer different perspectives on the question, encouraging dialogue across time, traditions, and cultures.

Does the course need to allow for multiple reasonable answers?

Yes. The guiding question is meant to be substantial enough to generate more than one reasonable answer and to support real intellectual pluralism, with students engaging competing interpretations and viewpoints grounded in humanities traditions and texts.

Is this grant for creating a new course or revising an existing one?

The grant supports creating a brand-new undergraduate course organized around a single enduring question. The emphasis in the opportunity description is on developing a new course model and building a strongly humanities-centered, question-driven syllabus.

How many faculty members can develop the course?

The course must be developed at a single institution by one to four faculty members.

Is the course supposed to be team-taught?

No. The opportunity is not designed as a team-taught course. Instead, the participating faculty develop a common syllabus and shared course materials, and each participating faculty member teaches the course during the grant period at least twice.

What is the teaching expectation during the grant period?

Each participating faculty member is expected to teach the course at least twice during the grant period, using the shared syllabus and shared intellectual framework developed through the project.

What is the purpose of having faculty teach the course multiple times?

The program is not only about designing an interesting class. It is also about building a course model that can be offered repeatedly and assessed, with participating faculty teaching from shared materials and a common framework.

What types of costs or activities can the funding support?

Funding is intended to cover the faculty work involved in designing, preparing, and assessing the new course. It can also support related activities that strengthen the intellectual community around the course.

Are museum visits or cultural events allowed as part of the project?

Yes. NEH notes that appropriate ancillary activities might include visits to museums or attendance at artistic and cultural events, as long as these activities enhance the course's humanities inquiry rather than replace it.

Does the course have to be centered on humanities sources?

Yes. The essential requirement is that humanities sources remain central to the course. This is true even if a participating faculty member's home discipline is outside the humanities.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad within higher education. Both public/state-controlled and private institutions of higher education can apply.

Can faculty outside traditional humanities disciplines apply?

Yes. The program is open not only to faculty in traditional humanities fields, but also to faculty in disciplines such as astronomy, biology, economics, law, mathematics, medicine, or psychology, provided the course is anchored in humanities texts and approaches.

What is the CFDA number for this opportunity?

This is a discretionary grant in the humanities under CFDA 45.163 (Promotion of the Humanities/Professional Development).

Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. The opportunity does not require cost sharing or matching.

What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this specific listing?

The Funding Opportunity Number is 20150910-AQ.

What were the posted opening and closing dates for this listing?

For this specific opportunity listing, the application window was posted June 11, 2015, with a closing date of September 10, 2015.

What is the maximum award amount?

Awards range up to a ceiling of $38,000.

Where can applicants find the full announcement and more details?

Additional details and the full announcement were provided through NEH's Enduring Questions page at neh.gov/grants/education/enduring-questions.

Who can be contacted for help accessing the announcement or program information?

Applicants needing help accessing the announcement were directed to the NEH Division of Education Programs, Enduring Questions, 400 Seventh Street SW, Washington, DC 20506. Phone: 202-606-8380. Email: enduringquestions@neh.gov.