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Humanities Connections (NEH) Grant - FAQs

What is the Humanities Connections grant program?

The Humanities Connections grant opportunity is a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) program designed to strengthen and broaden the role of the humanities in undergraduate education at both two-year and four-year colleges and universities. It focuses on making humanities learning more central and more visible to students across all majors, including students who may not see the humanities as connected to their academic or career goals.

What is the main goal NEH is trying to achieve with this program?

NEH is looking for projects that show how humanities perspectives, questions, and methods can help students develop lasting intellectual skills and habits of mind that matter beyond a single discipline. These include critical interpretation, ethical reasoning, historical awareness, cultural understanding, and strong communication.

Who is this program intended to benefit?

The program is intended to benefit undergraduate students across all majors. NEH emphasizes reaching students in non-humanities fields such as business, engineering, health sciences, law, computer science, and the natural sciences, while still keeping substantial humanities content at the center of the learning experience.

What kinds of projects does NEH want to fund?

NEH wants projects that create a coherent humanities experience that connects to students broader educational and professional goals. The program emphasizes innovative and imaginative approaches that prepare students to be engaged citizens and effective professionals in a rapidly changing, interconnected world.

What kinds of projects does NEH suggest applicants avoid?

Based on the program description, proposals should not be limited to simply adding a single humanities course or hosting a one-time event. Instead, projects should build an integrated, coordinated pathway where students engage a shared humanities theme over time through linked courses and related activities.

What is the central curricular requirement for a Humanities Connections project?

A central requirement is the development and implementation of an integrated set of linked courses paired with student engagement activities, all organized around substantial humanities content.

How many courses must be included, and how must they relate to each other?

The linked course set must include at least three courses. These courses must be connected by a common topic, theme, or compelling issue or question so that students can return to a shared theme from multiple angles and build deeper understanding over time.

Do the linked courses have to be part of general education?

No. The linked courses can be part of general education or a core curriculum, but they can also be aimed at students in a specific major or program. The key requirement is that the courses and related activities form a coordinated pathway rather than unrelated offerings.

Is cross-campus collaboration required or just encouraged?

Cross-campus collaboration is strongly encouraged, and the program includes a specific collaboration requirement: faculty from at least two separate departments or schools within the same institution must collaborate to design new curricular arrangements.

What does NEH mean by collaborating across departments or schools?

The program calls for faculty from at least two separate departments or schools within the same institution to work together on new curricular arrangements. This is intended to support projects that bridge traditional academic boundaries and integrate humanities approaches with other areas of study.

Does NEH encourage collaboration between humanities and non-humanities disciplines?

Yes. NEH strongly encourages partnerships that bring humanities faculty into meaningful collaboration with faculty in the social sciences, natural sciences, and professional or pre-professional programs. The goal is to show how humanities approaches can complement scientific, technical, and professional training.

What must remain central in a project that bridges disciplines?

Even when projects cross academic boundaries, the humanities must remain a significant and clearly defined part of the intellectual center of the project. The linked courses and student activities should be organized around substantial humanities content.

What are the two essential elements required in every Humanities Connections project?

Every project must include two essential elements: (1) collaboration by faculty from at least two separate departments or schools within the same institution to design new curricular arrangements, and (2) high-impact student engagement activities tied directly to the theme and content of the linked courses.

What counts as high-impact student engagement activities under this program?

The opportunity description identifies several types of high-impact student engagement activities, including undergraduate research (individual or collaborative), civic engagement opportunities, and structured community-based, project-based, or site-based learning experiences, as long as they are directly tied to the theme and content of the linked courses.

Can community organizations or cultural institutions be involved?

Yes. NEH notes that community organizations and cultural institutions can play important roles in the student engagement components. When these partnerships are well integrated into the learning goals, they can strengthen a proposal and create more meaningful student experiences.

Is this a competitive or formula-based funding program?

This opportunity is described as a discretionary grant program, meaning awards are made competitively based on the merits of the proposals rather than by formula entitlement.

What is the maximum award amount?

The award ceiling listed for this program is $100,000.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education as well as private institutions of higher education.

Is the program limited to certain types of colleges or universities?

The program is designed for both two-year and four-year colleges and universities, as long as they are eligible institutions of higher education as described in the opportunity information.

What is the CFDA number for this opportunity?

The opportunity is listed under CFDA 45.162.

What is the funding opportunity number?

The funding opportunity number provided is 20161005 AK.

When was this opportunity posted, and what was the closing date listed?

The source information lists the opportunity as created and posted on April 19, 2016, with a closing date of October 5, 2016.

What is the overarching educational approach NEH is emphasizing?

NEH emphasizes an integrated, theme-based educational pathway that helps students connect humanities learning to real questions, public issues, workplace challenges, and community life. The intent is for students to engage the same substantial humanities theme through multiple courses and related engagement activities, building understanding over time.

Can the linked courses include professional or pre-professional programs?

Yes. The program explicitly highlights connecting humanities content to students wider educational and professional goals, including those in professional and pre-professional areas such as business, engineering, health sciences, law, and computer science, while keeping the humanities central.

What are examples of ways faculty might integrate work across departments (as described by NEH)?

The description suggests examples such as team-developed curricula, integrated assignments, shared learning outcomes, and joint teaching and mentoring structures, provided the humanities content remains significant and clearly defined.