To promote local, statewide, and regional humanities
programming through annual grants to humanities councils in each of the 50
States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands,
Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and American Samoa. The 56 councils conduct
humanities projects and grant programs for local nonprofit organizations,
institutions, and groups, and occasionally for individuals. Under the
provisions of 20 U.S.C. 956(f)(8), only one entity in each State may receive
assistance from NEH as the State humanities council.
TYPES OF ASSISTANCE:
Project Grants. Place Cursor Here for Definition
USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS:
Grants may be used to fund local, statewide, and regional humanities projects,
subject to guidelines determined by each State humanities council.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
Applicant Eligibility: Nonprofit citizen councils in
the several States and territories which conform to the requirements of 20
U.S.C. 956(f). If the State matches a certain percentage of the Federal grant
and meets other legislated requirements, the Governor may designate the
existing Council as a State agency. The resulting agency becomes an eligible
applicant.
Beneficiary Eligibility: State and local
governments; sponsored organizations; public and private nonprofit
institutions/organizations; other public institutions/organizations; Federally
recognized Indian tribal governments; Native American organizations; U.S.
Territories; nongovernment general; minority organizations; other specialized
groups; and quasi-public nonprofit institutions which apply directly to the
State Humanities Council.
Credentials/Documentation: Submission of an
annual compliance plan and a self-assessment every five years from the
council. Compliance requirements are outlined in 20 U.S.C. 956(f). Costs will
be determined in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-122 as amended for
nonprofit organizations. Currently, the 56 councils are excluded from coverage
under OMB Circular No. A-87.
Pre-application Coordination: This program is
excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-102. This program is excluded
from coverage under E.O. 12372.
Application Procedure: Filing of a compliance
plan is required from all councils annually and a self-assessment every five
years. This program is subject to the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-110.
Award Procedure: Compliance plans are reviewed by
Federal/State Partnership staff. Self-assessments are reviewed by teams of
visiting scholars and other professionals. Awards are made by the Chairman of
the National Endowment for the Humanities after recommendation by the National
Council on the Humanities.
Deadlines: June 1 for annual compliance plans.
Timetable for submission of self-assessment material is flexible.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time: Variable: Six
months.
Appeals: None.
Renewals: None.
ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:
Formula and Matching Requirements: As established by
the Congressional funding formula, each State council receives $200,000 of the
definite funds appropriated to Federal/State Partnership. Of the remaining
funds, 44 percent is divided equally among the States which have a population
of 200,000 or more, 22 percent is allocated to each council on the basis of
population, and 34 percent is awarded at the discretion of the Chairman of the
agency. Total matching of the grant on a one-to-one basis is required. Source:
20 U.S.C. 956 (f)(4).
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance: Thirty-six
months. Funds must be expended during the grant period. Funds are released as
required.
POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Reports: Compliance plans are required annually.
Cash report and an expenditure report are required quarterly. Final
expenditure reports are due within 90 days after completion or termination of
project support by NEH.
Audits: For nongovernmental recipients, audits
are to be carried out in accordance with the provisions set forth in OMB
Circular No. A- 110, "Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher
Education, Hospitals, and Other Nonprofit Organizations Uniform Administrative
Requirements" and with OMB Circular No. A-133, "Audits of
Institutions of Higher Education and Other Nonprofit Organizations." In
addition, grants are subject to inspection and audits by NEH and other Federal
officials.
Records: Documentation of expenditures and other
fiscal records must be retained for three years following the submission of
the final expenditure report.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION:
Account Identification: 59-0200-0-1-503.
Obligations: (Grants) FY 01 $30,656,382; FY 02
est $31,829,000; and FY 03 est $31,829,000.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance: Range
of assistance was $230,500 to $1,531,400. Average: $562,461.
A singular achievement of Federal/State Partnership has been the
establishment, in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the
U.S. Virgin Islands, the Northern Marianas, American Samoa, and Guam of 56
continuing nonprofit organizations which have succeeded at serving as the link
between the humanities and the interests and concerns of the States' citizens.
In fiscal year 2001, councils supported thousands of programs that reached
millions of Americans. Among these programs were 3,232 chautauqua-type
performances, 2,507 exhibitions, 13,094 media program events, 5,730 speakers
bureau presentations, 4,347 literacy programs, 13,331 reading and discussion
programs, 2,894 preservation and local history projects, and 1,738 teacher
institutes and workshops. Council-funded exhibitions attracted over 9 million
visitors and media projects attracted audiences of approximately 80 million.
More than 4.7 million people attended scholar-led seminars, conferences and
lectures, while tens of thousands participated in book discussions and K-12
education projects. Each State council sets its own guidelines for application
categories to respond to the needs and resources in its State.
REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:
45 CFR 1100 and 1105. Information about the National Endowment for the
Humanities and program guidelines are available online at http://www.neh.gov/
or upon request from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Washington, DC
20506. Available from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government
Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402, is the Endowment's official
publication, "Humanities" by subscription (6 issues annually, $24.00
domestic, $30.00 foreign). Addresses and phone numbers for the 56 State
humanities councils are available from Federal/State Partnership, NEH, Room
511, Washington, DC 20506, and from the NEH web site, http://www.neh.gov.
INFORMATION CONTACTS:
Regional or Local Office: Located in each State.
Addresses available from National Endowment for the Humanities.
Headquarters Office: Federal/State Partnership,
National Endowment for the Humanities, Room 511, Washington, DC 20506.
Telephone: (202) 606-8254. Fax: (202) 606-8365. E-Mail: fedstate@neh.gov. Use
the same telephone number for FTS.
Web Site Address: http://www.neh.gov.
EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS:
The Georgia Humanities Council is helping to fulfill a character education
mandate of the state's General Assembly through the Georgia Center for
Character Education. Developed in conjunction with the Georgia Department of
Education, the Center for Character Education assists teachers, school boards,
policy makers, parents and communities by providing information on character
education. In Nebraska, Illinois, Rhode Island, and Utah the humanities
councils serve as state coordinators for the Capitol Forum on America's
Future, a three-part program that offers opportunities for high school social
studies teachers and their students to devote a year of study to the role of
the United States in world affairs. The Indiana Humanities Council's Habits of
the Heart program transmits the American philanthropic tradition to children
and youth in partnership with such youth-serving organizations as Boy and Girl
Scouts of America, Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCA-YWCA, and 4-H. It also works
with young people in faith-based youth organizations by means of their own
faith traditions. The complex story of the Colorado River is being told to the
people in seven western states in the Colorado River watershed. "Moving
Waters: The Colorado River and the West" involves the humanities councils
in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming. The
project includes a traveling exhibit, website, radio documentary, speakers
series, book discussions, and programming designed specifically for each of
the twenty-two sites it will visit. The Minnesota Humanities Commission,
through its Elder Reading Initiative and Learning in Retirement Network, helps
seniors remain creative, thoughtful people. This initiative trains readers -
often active older volunteers - in the practice of reading aloud to seniors in
nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and adult day care.
CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:
Each State council sets its own guidelines and criteria for assessing
proposals, which are widely disseminated within the State. The criteria for
State council funding from NEH are established in the National Foundation on
the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965, as amended, 20 U.S.C. Section 950,
956, and by the NEH Federal/State Partnership.
