NEH Division of Public Programs announces the next application
deadline for all public humanities programs:
Monday, September 16, 1996
awards announced in March 1997
New guidelines for all public programs, contained in one application
booklet, are currently being developed. In the meantime, potential
applicants should use current guidelines for individual programs
(Media, Museums, Libraries, and Special Projects), keeping in mind the
division's new priorities, as outlined below.
Our mission is to provide opportunities for the American public to
explore human history and culture through the humanities. Our programs
take place in museums, historical organizations, libraries, community
centers, and other places where Americans gather to exchange ideas. We
also support programs on public television and radio.
During the coming year, we will continue to provide planning and
implementation support. However, because of reduced funding, we will
be supporting far fewer grants and will look for those that can help
the NEH maintain a strong national presence for the humanities.
The Division will continue to give priority to proposals that are
grounded in solid scholarship and present important ideas in an
exciting and accessible way through:
programmatic excellence
national reach
wide access
educational focus
To achieve these goals, the Division will emphasize the following in
evaluating applications:
National significance or impact We will stress national or regional
projects that reach as many Americans as possible. For example, we
encourage applicants to propose traveling exhibitions rather than
those that serve only one site. A project on a topic that is strictly
local or narrow in scope, interest, or impact would have to be judged
a national model, one that is easily replicable or is highly
innovative in its mode of presentation.
New or expanded audiences We especially seek programs that are
intended for groups of Americans not often engaged in public
humanities projects. For example, although the Division will continue
its prohibition against funding in-school programs that take place
during the school day, projects that involve at-risk youth or other
young people in after-school settings will be eligible. Senior
citizens, people in rural communities, disadvantaged urban residents,
and other underserved members of the public are welcome as
participants. It is especially important that applicants be able to
identify who is expected to take part in the program, how that
audience will be recruited, how the proposed project will be
appropriate for them, and what participants will learn.
Collaboration The Division encourages cultural institutions and
organizations to engage in partnerships with other groups in order to
have the maximum public impact. For example, a group of historical
societies might work with a public library system to create a project
that would be broader in interest, scope, and audience than any single
partner could offer. Likewise, a film producer might collaborate with
a group of museums to organize an exhibition that would complement a
film broadcast. Community-based organizations such as YMCAs or PTAs
would also be natural partners for projects for the public.
Use of new technologies or multiple formats We support projects that
involve a broad spectrum of the most effective formats, technologies,
and venues for lifelong learning in the humanities. We welcome projects
that combine media, such as reading and discussion programs, video
components, and exhibits. In addition, we will support the development
of multimedia projects involving such new technological tools as CD-
ROMs, teleconferencing, and the Internet. Applicants will be expected
to show that these media are appropriate in terms of the intellectual
content of the project and the intended audience.
Although every proposal will probably not meet all of the criteria
outlined above, the Division will give priority to those that further
our goals by demonstrating broad appeal, fruitful collaboration, a
real knowledge of and attention to audience, and maximum impact.
If you have any questions, please contact us at 202/606-8267 or by
e-mail at PUBLICPGMS@NEH.FED.US.
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