The Division of Preservation and Access of the National Endowment for the Humanities will be accepting applications for grants in its Humanities Collections and Reference Resources program.  These grants support projects to preserve and create intellectual access to such collections as books, journals, manuscript and archival materials, maps, still and moving images, sound recordings, art, and objects of material culture.  Awards also support the creation of reference works, online resources, and research tools of major importance to the humanities.  Maximum awards are $350,000 for up to three years.

Eligible activities include:

·         arranging and describing archival and manuscript collections;

·         cataloging collections of printed works, photographs, recorded sound, moving images, art, and material culture;

·         providing conservation treatment (including deacidification) for collections, leading to enhanced access;

·         digitizing collections;

·         preserving and improving access to born-digital sources;

·         developing databases, virtual collections, or other electronic resources to codify information on a subject or to provide integrated access to selected humanities materials;

·         creating encyclopedias;

·         preparing linguistic tools, such as historical and etymological dictionaries, corpora, and reference grammars;

·         developing tools for spatial analysis and representation of humanities data, such as atlases and geographic information systems (GIS); and

·         designing digital tools to facilitate use of humanities resources.

In response to recent studies noting the deeply hidden, often perilous condition of audio-visual sources in cultural heritage institutions, this program encourages applications that address the preservation and access needs of humanities collections of sound recordings and moving images. Applicants may request funds to establish intellectual and physical control of such materials as well as to digitize them.

HCRR Foundations

NEH is introducing a new funding opportunity this year within Humanities Collections and Reference Resources.  To help in the formative stages of initiatives to preserve and create access to humanities collections or to produce reference resources, grants of up to $40,000 will support planning, assessment, and pilot activities that incorporate expertise from a mix of professional domains.  Drawing upon the cooperation of humanities scholars and technical specialists, these projects might encompass efforts to prepare for establishing intellectual control of collections, to develop plans and priorities for digitizing collections, to solidify collaborative frameworks and strategic plans for complex digital reference resources, or to produce preliminary versions of online collections or resources.

The new guidelines, which include sample proposal narratives, can be found at:  http://www.neh.gov/grants/preservation/humanities-collections-and-reference-resources.  The application receipt deadline is July 19, 2012, with projects beginning May 2013. All applications to NEH must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov; see guidelines for details.

Prospective applicants seeking further information are encouraged to contact the Division at 202-606-8570 or [log in to unmask].  Program staff will read draft proposals submitted six weeks before the deadline. 

Please note that the Division is also accepting applications for three other grant categories, with upcoming deadlines: “Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions” (May 1), “Research and Development” (May 16) and “Education & Training” (June 28).  Details on these programs, as well as on the full slate of funding opportunities in Preservation and Access, can be found at: 

http://www.neh.gov/divisions/preservation.

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The National Endowment for the Humanities is a grant-making agency of the United States (U.S.) federal government that supports projects in the humanities. U.S. nonprofit associations, institutions, and organizations are eligible applicants. NEH's Division of Preservation and Access supports projects that will create, preserve, and make available cultural resources of importance for research, education, and lifelong learning.  To learn more about NEH, please visit: http://www.neh.gov/.

Joel Wurl
Sr. Program Officer
Division of Preservation & Access
National Endowment for the Humanities
1100 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC  20506
phone:  202-606-8252      fax:  202-606-8639
        email:  [log in to unmask]

Visit the NEH Website at www.neh.gov