To fund, wholly or partially, projects that will promote
the preservation of and provide intellectual access to resources held in
libraries, museums, archives, historical organizations, and other collections
that are important for research, education, and public programming in the
humanities.
TYPES OF ASSISTANCE:
Project Grants. Place Cursor Here for Definition
USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS:
Grants support: a coordinated, national program for the preservation of
brittle books and serials in college and university libraries; the
bibliographic control of printed works; the arrangement, description and
preservation of archival collections, still and moving images, and recorded
sound collections; archival surveys; the documentation of collections of art
and material culture; projects to produce bibliographies, dictionaries,
encyclopedias, and other research tools and reference works; professional
training in preservation administration and in the care of material culture
collections; the stabilization of material culture collections; the work of
regional preservation services; general preservation assessments and special
consultations; research to improve preservation technology and procedures;
projects designed to increase public understanding of preservation and access
issues; and a national program for the cataloging and preservation of U.S.
newspapers on a state-by-state basis. Expenses may include salaries and wages,
consultant and other contract services, supplies and limited equipment
purchases, travel, and per diem.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
Applicant Eligibility: U.S. citizens and residents;
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; non-government-general; minority organizations; and other
specialized groups; quasi-public nonprofit institutions.
Beneficiary Eligibility: U.S. citizens and
residents; 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; non-government-general;
minority organizations; and other specialized groups; quasi-public nonprofit
institutions.
Credentials/Documentation: Costs will be
determined in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-87 for State and local
governments. OMB Circular No. A-21 for educational institutions and OMB
Circular No. A- 122 for commercial and nonprofit organizations.
Pre-application Coordination: After reading program
guidelines, potential applicants should submit brief descriptions of proposed
projects prior to formal application to determine eligibility. Telephone and
e-mail inquiries are encouraged. The standard application forms as furnished
by the Federal agency and required by OMB Circular No. A-102 must be used for
this program. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.
Application Procedure: Direct application to
Division of Preservation and Access, Room 411. Guidelines and application
instructions are available online at http://www.neh.gov/grants/grants.html or
are provided upon receipt of initial inquiry outlining eligible project. This
program is subject to the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-110.
Award Procedure: Applications are evaluated by
scholars in the humanities, museum curators, professionals with expert
knowledge of preservation and access methodologies and administrators of
libraries, archives, and museums. Awards are made by the Chairman of the
National Endowment for the Humanities after recommendation by the National
Council on the Humanities.
Deadlines: July 1. Write to the Division of
Preservation and Access for specific information.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time: Approximately
9 months.
Appeals: None, but applicant may reapply with a
revised proposal.
Renewals: Renewal grants are processed and
awarded in competition with and in the same manner as new applications.
ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:
Formula and Matching Requirements: Cost-sharing at
33 percent for brittle books and other consortial projects; 50 percent for
projects involving the preservation of, or access to archives and other
special collections; 50 percent for National Heritage Preservation Program
projects (stabilization of material culture collections); and 20 percent for
projects for education and training, regional field service programs, research
and demonstration projects. Projects to produce bibliographies, dictionaries,
encyclopedias, and other research tools and reference works require 33 percent
cost-sharing.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance: Up to 36
months, with the exception of the National Heritage Preservation Program
Grants, which may encompass up to 5 years. Funds must be expended during the
grant period. Funds are released as required.
POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Reports: Progress reports are required semiannually
or annually. Cash reports are required quarterly. Final progress and
expenditures reports are due within 90 days after completion or termination of
project support by NEH.
Audits: In accordance with the provisions of OMB
Circular No. A- 133 (Revised, June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local
Governments, and Nonprofit Organizations," nonfederal entities that
expend financial assistance of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a
single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal
entities that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt
from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No.
A-133. 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. 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 3 years following the submission of the
final expenditure report.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION:
Account Identification: 59-0200-0-1-503.
Obligations: (Grants) FY 01 $17,885,279; FY 02
est $18,225,000; and FY 03 est Not available.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance: FY 01
from $20,000 to $913,519. Average: $213,580.
In fiscal year 2001, 218 applications were received and 81 grants were made.
In fiscal year 2002, 207 applications and 74 grants are anticipated.
REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:
45 CFR 1100 and 1105. Guidelines are available online at http://www.neh.gov/grants.html
or upon request from National Endowment for the Humanities, Washington, DC
20506. It is also 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).
INFORMATION CONTACTS:
Regional or Local Office: None.
Headquarters Office: Division of Preservation and
Access, National Endowment for the Humanities, Room 411, Washington, DC 20506.
Telephone: (202) 606-8570. Use the same number for FTS. FAX (202) 606-8639.
E-mail: PRESERVATION@NEH.GOV.
Web Site Address: http://www.neh.gov.
EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS:
(1) An award to support the microfilming of 8,527 embrittled volumes that
document the history and culture of Latin America published between 1850 and
1950; (2) an award to a state university library to microfilm 600,000 pages of
deteriorating newsprint; (3) an award to a conservation center to train
conservators in techniques of preserving material culture collections; (4) an
award to a regional bibliographic center to provide preservation field
services to member institutions in 5 states; (5) an award to an academic
society to conduct research for a series of books about the history of
American architecture on a state-by-state basis; (6) an award to an academic
society to support the development of a North American standard for archival
description that would facilitate the communication of archival information in
electronic form; (7) an award to a university museum to support the
installation of an air- conditioning and climate-control system for
collections of photographs, prints, and paintings; (8) an award to a
university library to arrange and describe papers of authors and illustrators
of children's literature.
CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:
The criteria used to determine funding priorities include the national
significance and potential impact of the project, either for creating,
preserving, and establishing intellectual access to important humanities
resources or for improving the infrastructure for preservation and access
activities in the country's cultural institutions; the soundness of the
project's methodology, including its adherence to accepted professional and
technical standards or practice; the viability, efficiency, and productivity
of the project's plan of work; the professional training and experience of the
project's staff in relation to the activity for which support is requested;
and the appropriateness of the project's budget.
