Opportunity Information: Apply for 20130912 AQ
Apply for 20130912 AQ
- The National Endowment for the Humanities in the humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Enduring Questions" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 45.163 Promotion of the HumanitiesProfessional Development.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 29, 2013 and posted on May 29, 2013.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 12, 2013. (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 $38,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Private institutions of higher education.
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Opportunity Summary:
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Enduring Questions grant program is a discretionary grant opportunity designed to help colleges and universities create and deliver a new undergraduate course built around a single, fundamental humanities question that has mattered across centuries and still matters now. The central goal is to strengthen intellectual community on campus by bringing students and faculty into sustained, serious engagement with major texts and thinkers, using a question-driven approach rather than a survey of a field. The course is meant to push students (and participating instructors) to wrestle with a big human concern that cannot be neatly “solved” by any one discipline and that invites multiple credible answers, encouraging real dialogue across time, traditions, and perspectives.
In NEH’s framing, an “enduring question” is a broad, lasting question that predates or transcends modern academic boundaries and remains compelling to reflective people regardless of their major, profession, or background. These questions are open enough to generate disagreement and interpretation rather than a single correct conclusion, and they tend to spark the kind of discussion that connects generations of readers. The announcement offers examples to illustrate the idea, such as: What is good government? Can war be just? What is friendship? What is evil? Are there universals in human nature? What are the origins of the universe? The list is explicitly not exhaustive, and applicants are expected to select (and justify) a question that can support deep reading and sustained inquiry.
The grant supports the work required to design, prepare, and assess this new course. While the course must be rooted in humanities materials, NEH allows significant flexibility in who can develop and teach it. Faculty may come from any humanities department or even from outside the humanities (for example, astronomy, biology, economics, law, mathematics, medicine, or psychology), as long as humanities sources are central to the course and drive the inquiry. In other words, the program welcomes interdisciplinary participation, but it insists that students engage seriously with humanities texts, methods, and traditions as the backbone of the curriculum.
Structurally, the course is developed by one to four faculty members at a single institution. A key requirement is that it is not team-taught; instead, the participating faculty develop a common syllabus that each of them uses when offering the course. During the grant period, each faculty member involved must teach the course at least twice, reinforcing that this is not a one-off pilot but a course intended to take root and be delivered multiple times. Beyond direct course development, the grant can also pay for related activities that strengthen faculty-student intellectual community, such as visits to museums or attendance at artistic and cultural events, provided these activities meaningfully support the course’s goals and content.
From an eligibility and funding standpoint, the opportunity is open to public/state-controlled and private institutions of higher education. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement listed. The award ceiling is $38,000, with an award floor of $0 (meaning smaller requests may be possible depending on the project). The funding is categorized under humanities/professional development (CFDA 45.163, Promotion of the Humanities). For the specific posted competition details provided, the opportunity was posted May 29, 2013, with an application deadline of September 12, 2013, and an archive date of October 12, 2013.
For reference and applicant support, NEH provided an information page (http://www.neh.gov/grants/education/enduring questions) and direct contact details for the Enduring Questions program within NEH’s Division of Education Programs (Room 302, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20506; phone 202-606-8380; email enduringquestions@neh.gov).
NEH Enduring Questions Grant Program: FAQs
What is the NEH Enduring Questions grant program?
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Enduring Questions program is a discretionary grant opportunity that supports colleges and universities in creating and delivering a new undergraduate course organized around a single, fundamental humanities question. The course is designed to foster sustained, serious engagement with major texts and thinkers through a question-driven approach rather than a standard survey of a field.
What is the central goal of the program?
The central goal is to strengthen intellectual community on campus by bringing students and faculty into ongoing engagement with significant humanities works and ideas. The course is meant to encourage genuine dialogue across time, traditions, and perspectives by focusing on a question that cannot be neatly solved by any one discipline and that can support multiple credible answers.
What does NEH mean by an "enduring question"?
An enduring question is a broad, lasting question that predates or transcends modern academic boundaries and remains compelling across centuries. These questions are open-ended and invite disagreement, interpretation, and reflection rather than a single correct answer. They are intended to spark discussion that connects different generations of readers and thinkers.
What are examples of enduring questions?
NEH provides examples such as: "What is good government?", "Can war be just?", "What is friendship?", "What is evil?", "Are there universals in human nature?", and "What are the origins of the universe?" The examples are not exhaustive; applicants are expected to select and justify a question suitable for deep reading and sustained inquiry.
Is the course required to be humanities-based?
Yes. The course must be rooted in humanities materials, and humanities sources must be central to the course and drive the inquiry. The program allows interdisciplinary participation, but it insists that students engage seriously with humanities texts, methods, and traditions as the backbone of the curriculum.
Who can develop and teach the course?
One to four faculty members at a single institution develop the course. Faculty may come from any humanities department or from outside the humanities (for example, astronomy, biology, economics, law, mathematics, medicine, or psychology), as long as humanities sources remain central to the course.
How many faculty members can participate in developing the course?
The course is developed by one to four faculty members at a single institution.
Is the course allowed to be team-taught?
No. A key requirement is that the course is not team-taught. Instead, participating faculty develop a common syllabus that each faculty member uses when offering the course.
What does it mean to use a "common syllabus"?
Participating faculty collaborate on a shared course design and produce a single syllabus. Each faculty member then uses that common syllabus when teaching the course, helping ensure a consistent, program-aligned student experience across multiple offerings.
How many times must the course be taught during the grant period?
During the grant period, each faculty member involved must teach the course at least twice. This requirement emphasizes that the course should take root and be delivered multiple times rather than being a one-time pilot.
What types of activities can the grant support besides course design?
In addition to supporting the work required to design, prepare, and assess the new course, the grant can pay for related activities that strengthen faculty-student intellectual community. Examples mentioned include visits to museums or attendance at artistic and cultural events, as long as these activities meaningfully support the course's goals and content.
What kinds of institutions are eligible to apply?
The opportunity is open to public/state-controlled and private institutions of higher education.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No cost sharing or matching requirement is listed in the provided opportunity information.
How much funding can an applicant request?
The award ceiling is $38,000. The award floor is listed as $0, indicating that smaller requests may be possible depending on the project.
What is the CFDA number and program classification for this funding?
The funding is categorized under humanities/professional development and is listed as CFDA 45.163, Promotion of the Humanities.
When was this opportunity posted and what were the key dates?
For the specific competition details provided: the opportunity was posted on May 29, 2013; the application deadline was September 12, 2013; and the archive date was October 12, 2013.
Where can applicants find the NEH Enduring Questions information page?
NEH provided an information page at: http://www.neh.gov/grants/education/enduring-questions
How can someone contact NEH about the Enduring Questions program?
Applicants can contact the Enduring Questions program within NEH's Division of Education Programs at Room 302, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20506; by phone at 202-606-8380; or by email at enduringquestions@neh.gov.
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