New NEH grant program extended to the CNMI

WASHINGTON—The National Endowment for the Humanities announced yesterday the Creating Humanities Communities, a new grant that supports grassroots humanities programs by encouraging partnerships and collaborations between multiple institutions or organizations in a town, county, region, or area.

NEH hopes the relationships built and strengthened through Creating Humanities Communities will lead to increases and improvements in humanities infrastructure for years to come, even beyond the initial activities funded by these grants.

“All Americans, no matter where they live, should be able to benefit from the power of the humanities,” said NEH chair William D. Adams. “Through this new grant program, the National Endowment for the Humanities will stimulate the humanities in communities that have received less support in the past. The Endowment is particularly reaching out to Native American groups and tribal governments with this new grant.”

Creating Humanities Communities grants are available only to states and territories designated as “incentive areas.” These are the 20 states and five territories that received the least funding through competitively awarded NEH grants in the previous fiscal year. This year’s incentive areas are: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Institutions and organizations from incentive areas may apply for matching grants of $30,000, $60,000, $90,000 or $150,000 over three years. Each $1 of NEH grant support awarded must be matched by $1 in nonfederal third-party funds.

“This grant is a great opportunity for small organizations to join forces and create new projects that will benefit communities in a significant way. NEH staff is eager to talk to prospective applicants at every stage in the process. Call us, write to us, we’re here to help you,” urged Katja Zelljadt, director of the Office of Challenge Grants.

The Office of Challenge Grants program staff can be reached at 202-606-8309 and challenge@neh.gov. The application deadline for the inaugural round of grants is Feb. 15, 2017. Office hours to discuss applications are from 1pm to 3pm EST on Jan. 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, and Feb. 7, 8, and 9, 2017, and applicants who would like staff to review their applications in advance must submit drafts by Jan. 16, 2017.

Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at: www.neh.gov. (NEH)