Preservation and Access Research and Development Grants | Apply Online

NEH Preservation and Access Research and Development Grants (PARD) - FAQs

1) What is the NEH Preservation and Access Research and Development Grants program?

It is a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant program that funds research-and-development style projects aimed at solving major, field-wide challenges in preserving humanities collections and/or improving access to them.

2) What kinds of projects does this program support?

The program supports practical, testable R&D work that can advance the preservation and access profession. Supported efforts can address analog and digital materials and may include developing standards, best practices, tools, and methods, as well as investigating new technical approaches that can be adopted broadly by the cultural heritage community.

3) What is NEH looking for in a strong project proposal?

Applicants are expected to clearly define a preservation or access problem, propose methods and procedures to address it, explain how results will be evaluated, and provide a plan for sharing findings so that other institutions and scholars can benefit.

4) Does the project need to benefit more than one institution or collection?

Yes. A core requirement is that outcomes must serve the needs of a significant segment of humanists. The work should be broadly useful beyond a single local collection or a one-off institutional need.

5) Are both analog and digital preservation challenges eligible?

Yes. The program supports projects spanning both analog and digital challenges, including preservation methods and tools for physical collections and technical approaches for preserving and providing access to digital materials.

6) What types of preservation-focused work are eligible?

On the preservation side, the program supports development of technical standards, best practices, and tools that help institutions preserve and provide access to humanities materials. It also supports scientific and technical investigations that improve conservation and preservation methods that can be applied across many libraries, archives, museums, and cultural organizations.

7) What types of access, discovery, and reuse work are eligible?

On the access and discovery side, the program funds advanced approaches to search, discover, integrate, analyze, and reuse humanities resources. This includes automated and computational methods that connect data across disparate online collections.

8) Does the program fund research into improved digitization methods for difficult materials?

Yes. An eligible area includes experimenting with new ways to provide digital access to materials that are difficult to digitize well using current techniques, including formats or objects where traditional digitization is inadequate or prohibitively complex.

9) What topic areas does NEH specifically encourage for this program?

NEH highlights three encouraged areas: (1) digital preservation, especially for born-digital humanities materials; (2) recorded sound and moving image collections, emphasizing twentieth-century audio and audiovisual materials; and (3) preventive conservation, focusing on sustainable, risk-reducing strategies that slow deterioration before damage occurs.

10) What does NEH mean by "digital preservation" in this context?

The program emphasizes digital preservation needs, particularly for born-digital humanities materials that lack an analog equivalent and are vulnerable to rapid technological change, software dependency, and format obsolescence.

11) What does the program emphasize for recorded sound and moving image collections?

It emphasizes preserving and expanding access to the twentieth-century historical record captured on audio and audiovisual formats, which are often fragile and require specialized workflows.

12) What is meant by preventive conservation under this opportunity?

Preventive conservation focuses on sustainable strategies to protect collections and slow deterioration before damage occurs. Examples noted in the opportunity include improving environmental conditions, storage, handling, monitoring, and other broadly adoptable risk-reduction practices.

13) What is the maximum award amount for this funding opportunity?

The listed maximum (ceiling) award amount is $350,000.

14) Is there a minimum award amount?

No minimum (award floor $0) is stated in the information provided.

15) Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. The information provided states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.

16) How many awards did NEH anticipate making under this announcement?

NEH anticipated making about five awards under this announcement.

17) What is the funding opportunity number for this announcement?

The funding opportunity number is 20110519-PR.

18) What CFDA program number is associated with this grant?

This is a discretionary grant program under CFDA 45.149 (Promotion of the Humanities).

19) Which NEH office administers this program?

The program is run by NEH's Division of Preservation and Access.

20) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants include state, local, and tribal governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; special district governments; and nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education).

21) When was this notice posted, and what were the key dates?

The notice was posted February 25, 2011. The application deadline was May 19, 2011. The archive date was June 18, 2011.

22) Where can applicants find official program guidance?

NEH provided a program information link at: http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/PARD.html

23) Who should be contacted with questions or for help accessing the full announcement?

The listed contact is the Preservation and Access Research and Development office at NEH (Room 411), 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20506; phone 202-606-8570; email preservation@neh.gov.