NEH Notice of Funding Opportunity template

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

Funding Opportunity Title:

Funding Opportunity Number:

Funding Opportunity Type(s): New, Supplement, Limited Competition

Federal Assistance Listing Number: 45.###

Application Deadline: Month Date, 20##

Ensure your SAM.gov and Grants.gov registrations and passwords are current.

NEH will not grant deadline extensions for lack of registration.

Registration in all systems, including SAM.gov and Grants.gov,

may take up to 1 month to complete.

Division, Office

Telephone: 202-606-####

Email: ProgramEmail@neh.gov

Federal Relay: 800-877-8399

OMB control number 3136-0134, expiration date June 30, 2021

Executive Summary

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) insert Office/Division name is accepting applications for the insert program name program. The purpose of this program is to insert text to complete this sentence. Add a few more sentences to describe the program.

Funding Opportunity Title	Insert title
Funding Opportunity Number	Insert number
Federal Assistance Listing Number	45.###
Application Deadlines	Month Day, Year, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time
Anticipated Announcements	Month, 20XX
Anticipated FY 22 Funding	Approximately $#,###,###
Estimated Number and Type of Awards	Approximately # grant(s) [or cooperative agreement(s)]
Award Amount	Up to $###,###
Cost Sharing/Match Required	Enter Yes (with ratio), No, or No, unless federal matching funds are requested
Period of Performance	Up to X years, starting Month 1, Year Projects must start X DATE or no earlier than X DATE and no later than X DATE.
Eligible Applicants	Insert brief eligibility statement U.S. nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, public and 501(c)(3) accredited institutions of higher education, state and local governmental agencies, and federally recognized Native American tribal governments. See C. Eligibility Information for additional information.
Program Resource Page	https://www.neh.gov/grants/preservation/research-and-development
Pre-Application Webinar	DATE TIME LINK
Publication date

Table of Contents

A. Program Description 1

1. Purpose 1

2. Background 1

B. Federal Award Information 2

1. Type of Application and Award 3

2. Summary of Funding 3

C. Eligibility Information 4

1. Eligible Applicants 5

2. Cost Sharing 5

3. Other Eligibility Information 6

D. Application and Submission Information 7

1. Application Package 7

2. Content and Form of Application Submission 7

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management 25

4. Submission Dates and Times 25

5. Intergovernmental Review 26

6. Funding Restrictions 26

7. Other Submission Requirements, if applicable 27

E. Application Review Information 27

1. Review Criteria 27

2. Review and Selection Process 28

3. Assessment of Risk and Other Pre-Award Activities 28

4. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates 29

F. Federal Award Administration Information 29

1. Federal Award Notices 29

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements 29

3. Reporting 31

G. Agency Contacts 31

H. Other Information 32

A. Program Description

1. Purpose

This notice solicits applications for Program X.

Address program purpose, goals, objectives, and priorities here.

See D6. Funding Restrictions for unallowable activities.

See E1. Review Criteria for review critieria.

Funding categories (if applicable)

If the program does not include funding categories, omit.

Indicators of Success

From update to Appendix I - This section must communicate indicators of successful projects (e.g., if the program encourages collaborative efforts) include program goals and objectives, a reference to the relevant Assistance Listings, a description of how the award will contribute to the achievement of the program’s goals and objectives, and the expected performance goals, indicators, targets, baseline data, data collection, and other outcomes such Federal awarding agency expects to achieve.

Indicators of successful projects in the Program Name program include:

2. Background

This program is authorized by 20 U.S.C. §956, et seq. Awards are subject to 2 CFR Part 200 Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, and the General Terms and Conditions for Awards to Organizations (for grants and cooperative agreements issued December 26, 2014 or later).

According to the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act 0f 1965, “The term ‘humanities’ includes, but is not limited to, the study of the following: language, both modern and classical; linguistics; literature; history; jurisprudence; philosophy; archaeology; comparative religion; ethics; the history, criticism and theory of the arts; those aspects of the social sciences which have humanistic content and employ humanistic methods; and the study and application of the humanities to the human environment with particular attention to reflecting our diverse heritage, traditions, and history and to the relevance of the humanities to the current conditions of national life.”

Examples of NEH-funded projects may be found using the Funded Projects Query Form.

Learn more about NEH.

NEH Areas of Interest

NEH is especially interested in supporting projects that advance humanities-related work in the following areas:

Generally speaking, all programs should include reference to A More Perfect Union, but make determinations about including other areas of interest, as programmatically relevant.

A More Perfect Union: Exploring America's Story and Commemorating its 250th Anniversary

The task of building a more perfect Union rooted in the ideal of human equality falls to every generation of Americans, ours no less than our predecessors. The basic goals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness endure over time, even as the challenges change: from founding a nation out of colonies; to dismantling the institution of slavery; to prevailing through times of economic depression and war; to advancing civil rights for all; to strengthening our democratic institutions; to building a more inclusive and sustainable society.

 

NEH’s A More Perfect Union initiative encourages projects that explore, reflect on, and tell the stories of our quest for a more just, inclusive, and sustainable society throughout our history. NEH especially welcomes projects that bring the perspective of the humanities to questions of racial justice, gender equality, the evolution of the American landscape, as well as America’s place in the world. Projects that strengthen Americans’ knowledge of our principles of constitutional governance and democracy are strongly encouraged, as are projects that address the experiences of Native Americans and other under-represented communities. In addition, NEH welcomes projects that develop innovative approaches to sustaining the nation’s humanities infrastructure and preserving its historical record.

Standing Together

In recognition of the importance of the humanities both in helping Americans to understand the experiences of service members and in assisting veterans as they return to civilian life, NEH has launched a special initiative titled Standing Together: The Humanities and the Experience of War. This special initiative draws on the power of the humanities 1) to support advanced research in the humanities that explores war and its aftermath; 2) to promote discussion and deepened understanding of the experiences of those Americans affiliated with the armed services, whether active duty or veterans; and 3) to support returning veterans and their families.

Protecting our Cultural Heritage

In response to the destruction of cultural heritage materials worldwide, NEH encourages applications for projects that study, document, or create digital representations of lost or imperiled cultural heritage materials. Proposed projects should be based on scholarly work and follow standards and best practices. Projects must demonstrate the capacity to be sustained and must be widely accessible to the public. Learn more about Protecting our Cultural Heritage.

In addition, NEH especially encourages projects that include Native American organizations and communities as lead applicants and project partners.

B. Federal Award Information

1. Type of Application and Award

NEH seeks new, competing continuation, competing supplement applications in response to this notice. (this is the same information listed on the cover).

Choose one:

NEH will provide funding in the form of grants.

NEH will provide funding in the form of fixed amount grants.

NEH will provide funding in the form of formula grants.

NEH will provide funding in the form of cooperative agreements. A cooperative agreement is a financial assistance mechanism where substantial programmatic involvement is anticipated between NEH and the recipient during performance of performance.

For cooperative agreements only

NEH involvement will include:

• Insert text and note that the list of added program activities must be specific to the project. These should be specific, and clearly document the need for additional federal programmatic involvement.

The cooperative agreement recipient’s responsibilities will include:

• Insert text that demonstrates cooperation/collaboration and tracks to the NEH program involvement statement above.

2. Summary of Funding

You may request up to $###,###.

For programs that only use outright funds.

Successful applicants will be awarded outright funds.

For incrementally funded programs (e.g., Challenge, awards utilizing Treasury Matching Funds, etc.)

Funding beyond the first year is dependent on the availability of appropriated funds for Program X in subsequent fiscal years, satisfactory recipient performance, and a decision that continued funding is in the best interest of the Federal Government.

For projects with a single deadline

The period of performance is up to X months/years, with a start date of Month Date, 20##.

For projects with multiple deadlines.

The period of performance is up to X years.

The period of performance start date for applications submitted before the first deadline is Month Date, 20##.

The period of performance start date for applications submitted before the second deadline is Month Date, 20##.

NEH expects to have approximately $###,### to fund an estimated (#) recipients.

The following paragraph will apply only if the appropriations/federal budget has not been enacted for the FY.

NEH will not determine the amount available until Congress enacts the final FY 2022 budget. This notice is subject to the availability of appropriated funds, and is a contingency action taken to ensure that, should funds become available for this purpose, applications can be processed and funds awarded in a timely manner.

C. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants include U.S. nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, public and 501(c)(3) accredited institutions of higher education, state and local governmental agencies, and federally recognized Native American tribal governments.

For programs that involve collaborative applications

An eligible entity may apply on behalf of a consortium of collaborating organizations. The lead applicant would be programmatically, legally, and fiscally responsible for the award.

Individuals, foreign and for-profit entities are not eligible to apply.

2. Cost Sharing

Choose one of the following:

Cost sharing is required in this program.

Cost sharing is not required in this program.

Cost sharing is not required in this program, unless federal matching funds are requested. Learn about different type of funds offered by NEH.

Cost sharing or matching is the portion of the project costs not paid by NEH funds. Cost sharing will not be considered in the evaluation of applications.

Voluntary cost sharing

Applicants may use voluntary cost sharing for projects in which the total costs exceed the amount awarded by NEH.

Applicable to most programs

Voluntary cost sharing consists of the cash contributions made to a project by the applicant, including unrecovered indirect costs, and by third parties as well as third-party in-kind contributions. Third-party in-kind contributions are non-cash contributions (such as property or services) that benefit the funded project, and are contributed by non-federal third parties, without charge, to the recipient of the federal award.

For programs that require cost share

Required cost sharing includes third-party non-federal gift money that must be raised to release federal matching funds.

For programs that use outright and matching.

Applicants requesting federal matching funds must raise dollar-for-dollar cash contributions from nonfederal third parties and have them certified by NEH before the funds are released (see the NEH Federal Matching Funds Guidelines). The full amount of federal matching funds may not be available for release in the first year of a multi-year period of performance. Federal matching funds are typically distributed on an annual basis over the life of the award.

Recipients are responsible for maintaining auditable records of the source and use of cost sharing contributions. See 2 CFR §200.306.

3. Other Eligibility Information

Pick one of the two choices immediately below; as well as other program specific eligibility restrictions:

An applicant may not submit multiple applications under this notice.

Eligible applicants may submit multiple applications for separate and distinct projects under this notice. If applicable: Project directors may (or may not) submit applications for two different projects under this notice. If so, project directors should explain in the applications how they would allocate their time if they received more than one award.

For programs that allow only a single application to be submitted

If for any reason an application is submitted more than once before the deadline (including submitting to the wrong funding opportunity or making corrections/updates), NEH will only accept your last validated submission, under the correct Grants.gov funding opportunity, prior to the deadline as the final and only acceptable application.

Two or more applications for federal funding and/or approved federal award budgets are not permitted to include overlapping project costs. However, applicants may seek funding from other NEH programs for complementary aspects of the same overall project.

For programs with multiple funding categories (planning and implementation, etc.)

An applicant whose project has received a prior award from NEH may request support for a new or subsequent stage of that project. Such proposals will be judged by the same criteria as others in the current competition. Previously rejected applications may be revised and resubmitted.

NEH does not make awards to other federal entities or to applicants whose projects are so closely intertwined with a federal entity that the project takes on characteristics of the federal entity’s own authorized activities. This does not preclude applicants from using funds from, or sites and materials controlled by, other federal entities in their projects. Such resources may not be used as gifts to release NEH matching funds.

NEH does not provide financial assistance to foreign institutions or organizations. Nevertheless, otherwise eligible American institutions may apply for collaborative projects involving U.S. and foreign organizations provided they do not use NEH funds for the purpose of issuing subawards to any foreign organization, as defined in 2 CFR §200.1 and 2 CFR §200.331(a). This limitation does not preclude American institutions from obtaining the services of foreign individuals and consultants to carry out various programmatic activities on a fee-for-service basis, as specified in 2 CFR §200.459; it also does not preclude vendor contracts such as in-country transportation services. If you are interested in submitting an application for a project involving international collaboration, consult with program staff.

Applications must be received by the deadline. Late, incomplete, nonresponsive, or ineligible applications will not be considered for funding under this notice. Applications that exceed specified page limits will not be reviewed. See the Application Components Table.

Participant Eligibility

If applicable, include text regarding beneficiary eligibility requirements. (For example, students/trainees receiving support from award funds must be a citizen of the United States or a foreign national having in his/her possession a visa permitting permanent residence in the United States.)

D. Application and Submission Information

1. Application Package

This funding opportunity is available in Grants.gov under number FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBER. You can also find a link to the funding opportunity on the program resource page.

For programs with a single package

The application package for this funding opportunity can be found under the “Package” tab. It includes a series of required and conditionally required forms. You will upload additional application components into the Attachments Form.

For programs with multiple application packages

This funding opportunity includes X application packages, which can be found under the “Package” tab. Select the appropriate one based upon your project type. Each package includes a series of required and conditionally required forms. You will upload additional application components into the Attachments Form.

Package Name 1- Package Number 1

Package Name 2 – Package Number 2…

You must apply electronically using Grants.gov Workspace or a Grants.gov system-to-system solution. A multistep registration process is required to submit your application. See D3 Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management.

Contact [email protected] to request a paper copy of this notice.

Applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing can contact NEH via Federal Relay at 800-877-8399.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

Your application will include a narrative, budget, and other required forms and attachments.

Narrative

Compose a narrative that provides a comprehensive description of your proposed project. Your narrative should be succinct, well organized, and free of technical terms and jargon so that peer reviewers can understand the proposed project.

You must limit the narrative to fifteen double-spaced pages with one-inch margins and a font size of at least twelve point.

Use the following section headings for your narrative. NEH has aligned each section of the narrative with a corresponding review criterion. Refer to E1. Review Criteria.

Insert your own narrative sections below. Generic/boiler plate instructions are provided below as examples for writing a project narrative as examples. Insert additional instructions to ensure the narrative is sufficient for the program purpose and related review criteria outlined in this NOFO.

The crosswalk below is mandatory in all non-formula NOFOs, based upon applicant feedback. Program staff must fill in the number and name of the review criteria that are applicable to the corresponding narrative sections and ensure consistency between this crosswalk, the narrative sections, and the review criteria. Reminder: applicants will be reviewed on what’s been requested of them here; therefore, this section and the review criteria must be in sync.

NARRATIVE GUIDANCE To ensure that you fully address the review criteria, this table provides a crosswalk between the narrative language and where each section falls within the review criteria.
Narrative Section	Review Criteria

Research and Related Budget

You must submit a project budget using the Research and Related Budget form included in the Grants.gov application package and attach a budget justification.

For most institutional programs

Complete a single detailed budget for the proposed period of performance. The form will generate a cumulative budget for the period of performance.

For multiple detailed budgets (Challenge Digital, etc.)

Complete a detailed budget for each year of the proposed period of performance. The form will generate a cumulative budget for the period of performance.

If you are exclusively requesting outright funds, your budget should reflect only funding requested from NEH. If you are requesting federal matching funds, your budget must equal total funding requested from NEH (outright and federal matching funds) and the one-to-one required third party cost share for the federal matching funds.) Refer to the NEH Federal Matching Funds Guidelines regarding the eligibility of gifts for matching purposes. The total federal matching funds and cost share should be equal to the amounts indicated on the Supplementary Cover Sheet for NEH Grant Programs in the “Federal Matching” and “Cost Sharing” fields.

Required fields are indicated in yellow. Round to the nearest whole dollar amount in all dollar fields. The inclusion of a cost category on the Research and Related Budget does not automatically indicate that an expense is allowable in this program. See D6. Funding Restrictions for a list of unallowable costs. Carefully review these instructions to ensure that costs are not disallowed.

All costs, whether supported by NEH funds or required cost sharing contributions (if applicable), must be reasonable, necessary to accomplish project objectives, allowable in terms of 2 CFR 200 Subpart E - Cost Principles, auditable, and incurred during the period of performance. All costs are subject to audit, record retention, and other requirements set forth in 2 CFR 200 Subpart F.

If you charge indirect costs to the project, ensure that expenses included in your organization's indirect cost pool are not charged to the project as direct costs. See H. Indirect Costs.

Introductory Fields

If not pre-populated, indicate your organization’s unique entity identifier, the name of your organization, and the period of performance start and end dates. This should be the same as the information provided on your SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance - Short Organizational. Check “project” for budget type.

A. Senior/Key Person

Include the names of the project director and other senior/key persons who are employed by the applicant organization and who are involved in the project. Do not include collaborators at other institutions or consultants here, as they will be included in F. Other Direct Costs.

Enter the base salary (annual compensation) and identify the number of months each senior/key person will devote to the project in the applicable box (i.e., calendar, academic, summer). Use either calendar months or a combination of academic and summer months.

If level of effort will not change throughout the year, you may use only the calendar months column. If effort remains constant, but your institutional business process requires noting academic and summer months separately, you may use both columns. If effort varies between academic and summer months, leave the calendar months column blank and use only the academic and summer months columns. If your institution does not use a nine-month academic year or a three-month summer period, include your institution's definition of these terms in your budget justification.

Enter the requested salary and fringe benefits for each senior/key person. Per 2 CFR §200.431, fringe benefits are allowances and services provided by employers to their employees as compensation in addition to regular salaries and wages. Fringe benefits include, but are not limited to, the costs of leave (vacation, family-related, sick, or military), employee insurance, pensions, and unemployment benefit plans. The sum of requested salary and fringe benefits will be automatically calculated for each senior/key person.

Salaries and wages claimed must be in compliance with 2 CFR §§200.430 and .466. Fringe benefits claimed must be in compliance with 2 CFR §200.431.

The form can accommodate up to eight senior/key persons. If you are requesting funds for additional senior/key persons, list them in a separate document using the same format as the Research and Related Budget. Save the document as a PDF named additionalpersonnel.pdf and attach it under “Additional/Senior Key Persons” If applicable, enter the total funds requested for personnel listed in the attachment in the "Total Funds requested for all Senior/Key Persons in the attached file" field.

B. Other Personnel

For each project role described below, identify the number of personnel proposed, the total number of months, total salary, and total fringe benefits requested as described in A. Senior/Key Person. Totals will be automatically calculated.

Post-doctoral associates, graduate students, and undergraduate students

For programs that allow students costs

In your budget justification, list names, roles, associated months, and requested salary and fringe benefits for post-doctoral associates, graduate students, and undergraduate students.

If applicable, include charges for tuition remission and other forms of compensation paid to students as, or in lieu of, salaries and wages. Such costs are subject to the reporting requirements in 2 CFR §200.430, and must be treated as direct or indirect costs in accordance with the actual work being performed. Tuition remission may be charged on an average rate basis.

For programs that do not allow students costs

As a matter of programmatic policy, costs associated with post-doctoral associates, graduate students, and undergraduate students are not allowed in this program. Costs included on these lines will be disallowed.

Secretarial/Clerical

In most circumstances, the salaries of administrative, secretarial, or clerical staff are included as part of indirect costs (see H. Indirect Costs). Per 2 CFR §200.413(c), direct charging of salaries for administrative or clerical staff may be appropriate only if all of the following conditions are met:

1. Administrative or clerical services are integral to a project or activity.

2. Individuals involved can be specifically identified with the project or activity.

3. Such costs are explicitly included in the budget or have prior written approval of the federal awarding agency.

4. The costs are not also recovered as indirect costs.

In your budget justification, document how direct charging for secretarial/clerical personnel (i.e., administrative and clerical staff) meets all four conditions. NEH may request additional information for these positions in order to assess allowability.

Additional Other Personnel

List any additional project role(s). The form can accommodate up to six named roles. If you have more than six, combine project roles here and explain in your budget justification.

Salaries and wages claimed must be in compliance with 2 CFR §§200.430 and .466. Fringe benefits claimed must be in compliance with 2 CFR §200.431.

Do not list details of collaborators at other institutions or consultants here, as they will be included in F. Other Direct Costs.

C. Equipment Description

List each item of equipment to be purchased and its estimated cost, including shipping and maintenance. Justify each in your budget justification.

You may purchase equipment if an analysis demonstrates that it is more economical and practical than leasing (equipment rental/user fees should be included in F. Other Direct Costs). Equipment is defined as nonexpendable personal property costing $5,000 or more and having a service life of more than one year (unless your organization has established a lower level). See 2 CFR §§200.313 and .439. You may charge depreciation in compliance with 2 CFR §200.436.

Per 2 CFR §200.322, as appropriate and to the extent consistent with law, applicants should, to the greatest extent practicable under a federal award, provide a preference for the purchase, acquisition, or use of goods, products, or materials produced in the United States. The requirements of this section must be included in all subawards including all contracts and purchase orders for work or products under this award.

The form can accommodate up to ten equipment items. If you request funds for additional equipment, list them in a separate document. Save the document as a PDF named additionalpersonnel.pdf and attach it under “Additional Equipment.” Enter the total funds requested for the additional equipment in the “Total funds requested for all equipment listed in the attached file” field.

Total equipment costs will be automatically calculated.

D. Travel

Enter the total funds requested for both domestic (local and long-distance) and foreign travel (travel to Canada and Mexico is considered foreign travel). In your budget justification, include the purpose, destination, travel dates (if known), and the names and number of travelers for each trip. If dates are not known, specify the estimated length of trip (e.g., 3 days). All trips—both foreign and domestic—must be justified individually.

For local travel, outline the mileage rate, number of miles, reason for travel, and staff member/consumers completing the travel. For long-distance travel, calculate per diem amounts for meals and lodging consistent with written institutional policy. The lowest available commercial fares for coach or equivalent accommodations must be used. Arrangements made on a non-refundable basis are at the risk of the recipient if the services must be cancelled for any reason.

Travel costs must comply with 2 CFR §200.475 and foreign travel must comply with article 10 of the General Terms and Conditions for Awards to Organizations. NEH will use the General Services Administration's published per diem rates to assess if proposed travel costs are reasonable.

For programs with project directors meetings:

Include funds for the project director(s) to attend a two-day meeting in Washington, D.C. in MONTH 20XX.

Select one of the following statements (or similar).

NEH funds may not be used to support attendance at regularly-occurring professional meetings.

NEH funds may not be used to support attendance at regularly-occurring professional meetings unless the purpose of attending is to disseminate project-related findings.

Include travel costs for participants in E3 and travel costs for consultants in F3.

Total travel costs will be automatically calculated.

E. Participant/Trainee Support Costs

As defined in 2 CFR §200.1, participant support costs are direct costs for expenses such as stipends, travel allowances, subsistence allowances, and registration fees paid to or on behalf of participants (but not employees) in connection with conferences or training projects.

Per 2 CFR §200.432, a conference is defined as a meeting, retreat, seminar, symposium, workshop, or event, the primary purpose of which is the dissemination of technical information beyond the non-federal entity and is necessary and reasonable for successful performance under the federal award.

Justify participant support costs in your budget justification. Arrangements made on a non-refundable basis are at the risk of the recipient or participant if the services must be cancelled for any reason.

Total participant support costs will be automatically calculated.

1. Tuition/Fees/Health Insurance

Leave this field blank.

2. Stipends

Enter the total funds requested for participant stipends.

3. Travel

Enter the total funds requested for participant travel. In your budget justification, name the travelers (if possible) and reflect the travel expenses for each (e.g., roundtrip airfare, mileage or public transportation, related parking, etc.).

4. Subsistence

Enter the total funds requested for participant subsistence. Subsistence expenses include lodging and service charges; meals, including taxes and tips; and incidental expenses (e.g., fees and tips).

5. Other

Describe other participant support costs (e.g., local ground transportation to venues, admission fees, bottled water, etc.) and enter the total funds requested for the costs described.

Number of Participants/Trainees

Enter the total number of participants. The value of this field cannot exceed 999.

F. Other Direct Costs

Total other direct costs will be automatically calculated.

1. Materials and Supplies

Enter the total funds requested for materials and supplies costing the lesser of the capitalization level established by the applicant or $5,000, regardless of the length of its useful life. See 2 CFR §§200.314 and .453.

In your budget justification, indicate general categories, including an amount for each category (e.g., personal computers, digital cameras, archival supplies). Itemize categories totaling $1,000 or more.

2. Publication Costs

For programs that allow publication costs

Enter the total funds requested for publication costs. You may request funds for the costs of documenting, preparing, publishing, or otherwise making available to others, the findings and products of the work conducted under the award. Include supporting information in your budget justification.

For programs that disallow publication costs

As a matter of programmatic policy, publication costs are not allowed in this program. Costs included on this line will be disallowed.

3. Consultant Services

Enter the total funds requested for consultant services. In your budget justification, describe each consultant, the services he/she will perform, total number of days, travel costs, and the total estimated costs. If your project includes an external advisory committee, include associated costs here.

Consultant fees must be in compliance with 2 CFR §200.459.

4. Automated Data Processing (ADP)/Computer Services

Enter the total funds requested for ADP/computer services, including computer-based retrieval of scientific, technical, and education information. In your budget justification, include the established computer service rates, if applicable. If such services are provided by a third-party, include them in Subawards/Consortium/Contractual Costs. Personal computers and peripherals should be included in Materials and Supplies.

5. Subawards/Consortium/Contractual Costs

Enter the total funds requested (both direct and indirect costs) for activities to be performed by third-party subrecipients. This includes subawards and other contractual costs. Itemize the costs associated with the subaward or contract in your budget justification, using the same categories on the Research and Related Budget. Justify each subrecipient individually. See 2 CFR §§200.331 and .332.

Per 2 CFR §§200.1 and .331(a), a subaward is an award provided by a pass-through entity to a subrecipient to carry out part of a federal award. Payments to contractors (as defined in 2 CFR §200.1 and 331(b)) or payments to individuals who are beneficiaries of federal programs are not considered subawards.

A pass-through entity may provide a subaward through any form of legal agreement, including an agreement that the pass-through entity considers a contract. In determining whether an agreement between a pass-through entity and another non-federal entity casts the latter as a subrecipient or a contractor, the substance of the relationship is more important than the form of the agreement. See 2 CFR §200.331(c).

Per 2 CFR §25.300, recipients may only issue subawards with federal funds to organizations that have obtained and provided to the recipient a unique entity identifier. Subrecipients are not required to complete registration with the System for Award Management (SAM) to obtain a unique entity identifier. See D3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management.

Contractual costs are occasionally sufficiently high enough to warrant a categorical breakdown of costs. When this is the case, provide detailed information in your budget justification. NEH may request additional information in order to assess reasonableness and allowability.

If a subrecipient is claiming indirect costs, include their federally negotiated indirect cost rate agreement in Attachment X: Federally negotiated indirect cost rate agreement.

6. Equipment or Facility Rental/User Fees

Enter the total funds requested for rental/user fees for equipment and facilities. Identify and justify each rental/user fee in your budget justification.

You may charge depreciation in compliance with 2 CFR §200.436. If you will use equipment purchased with federal funds under another award, it may be appropriate to charge user fees consistent with 2 CFR §200.313(c)(2). You may not charge both depreciation and user fees.

Per 2 CFR §200.432, allowable conference costs may include rental of facilities. Rental costs under “less-than-arm's-length” leases are allowable with the condition that they must be consistent with the limitations set forth in 2 CFR §200.465(c).

Federally funded meetings and conferences must be held in properties that comply with the Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act of 1990 (Pub. L. 101-391). Consult the U.S. Fire Administration’s National Master List for a list of fire code compliant hotels.

7. Alterations and Renovations

For all programs except SCHC and Public Humanities Projects

Leave this line blank. Per 2 CFR §200.462, costs incurred for ordinary and normal rearrangement and alteration of facilities are allowable as indirect costs.

For SCHC and Public Humanities Projects

List the total funds requested for alterations and renovations. In your budget justification, itemize by category and justify the costs of alterations and renovations (e.g., installation of permanent exhibitions, HVAC, creation or expansion of storage facilities, etc.). If applicable, provide the square footage. Per 2 CFR §200.462, costs incurred for ordinary and normal rearrangement and alteration of facilities are allowable as indirect costs.

8-10. Other

List items not previously included in other budget categories or in the indirect cost pool. “Other” project-specific costs may include promotion, acquisition fees, rights, evaluation and assessment fees, and access accommodations (e.g., audio description, sign-language interpretation, closed or open captioning, large-print brochures/labeling). Itemize and justify costs in your budget justification. “Miscellaneous” and “contingency” are not acceptable budget categories.

Per 2 CFR §200.432, allowable conference costs may include speakers’ fees, costs of meals and refreshments, and other items incidental to such conferences. Conference hosts must exercise discretion and judgment in ensuring that costs are appropriate, necessary, and managed in a manner that minimizes costs to the award. If incidental food items and/or meals are provided at no charge during meetings, conferences, training, or other events attended while on NEH-supported travel, the per diem charged to the award must be reduced accordingly. Per 2 CFR §200.423, alcoholic beverages are unallowable.

G. Total Direct Costs

Total direct costs will be automatically calculated.

H. Indirect Costs

Indirect costs are costs that are incurred for common or joint objectives and therefore cannot be readily identified with a specific project or activity of an organization. Indirect costs include such expenses as the depreciation on buildings, equipment, and capital improvement; operations and maintenance expenses; accounting and legal services; and salaries of executive officers.

Indirect costs are computed by applying a federally negotiated indirect cost rate to a distribution base, usually the project’s modified total direct costs (MTDC).

Carefully review your institution’s negotiated indirect cost rate(s) to make sure you are using the most appropriate rate for your project. Many institutions of higher education negotiate multiple rates—for example, “research,” “instruction,” and “other sponsored activities.” With rare exceptions, your institution’s “research” rate will not be the appropriate rate for inclusion in your NEH project budget, as the use of this rate is reserved for projects involving scientific research, not scholarly inquiry of the type most often supported by NEH.

Except as provided in paragraph (c)(1) of 2 CFR §200.414, federal agencies must use the negotiated rate(s) in effect at the time of the initial award throughout the life of the federal award. Award levels will not be adjusted in future years as a result of changes in negotiated rates. Except as provided in 2 CFR §200.414, when an educational institution does not have a negotiated rate with the federal government at the time of an award (because the educational institution is a new recipient or the parties cannot reach agreement on a rate), the provisional rate used at the time of the award must be adjusted once a rate is negotiated and approved by the cognizant agency for indirect costs. If the recipient fails to negotiate an indirect cost rate applicable to the period of performance within the period of performance, indirect costs may be disallowed.

An organization that wishes to include indirect costs in its budget but does not have a federally negotiated indirect cost rate may choose one of the following options:

• direct cost all expenses;

• submit an indirect cost proposal to their cognizant federal agency to negotiate a rate within three months of the effective date (period of performance start date) of the award (subrecipients may negotiate a rate with the recipient consistent with the requirements outlined in 2 CFR §200.414); or

• charge a de minimis rate of 10% of MTDC (see 2 CFR §200.414(f))

Per 2 CFR §200.1, MTDC are all direct salaries and wages, applicable fringe benefits, materials and supplies, services, travel, and up to the first $25,000 of each subaward (regardless of the period of performance of the subaward). MTDC exclude equipment, capital expenditures, rental costs, tuition remission, scholarships and fellowships, participant support costs, and the portion of each subaward in excess of $25,000.

If you choose one of these options, indicate this under Indirect Cost Type.

If applicable, include a copy of your federally negotiated indirect cost rate agreement as Attachment X: Federally negotiated indirect cost rate agreement.

Indirect Cost Type

Enter the type of indirect cost rate (e.g., other sponsored activities, all programs, instruction, 10% de minimis, etc.) and base (e.g., salaries, salaries & fringe, MTDC, etc.) and whether the activity and rate are onsite or off-site. If your budget includes more than one indirect cost rate or base, list them as separate entries. If you do not have a current indirect rate(s) approved by a federal agency but intend to (re)negotiate, indicate "None--will negotiate." If needed, provide additional detail in your budget justification.

Indirect Cost Rate (%)

Enter the most recent indirect cost rate(s) established with your cognizant federal agency. Enter your rate as a number without special characters (i.e., 32.5).

Indirect Cost Base ($)

Enter the base for each indirect cost type. Describe any exclusions in your budget justification. If applicable, refer to your federally negotiated indirect cost rate agreement to determine how to calculate your indirect cost base.

Funds Requested ($)

Enter the funds requested for each indirect cost type.

Total Indirect Costs

Total indirect costs will be automatically calculated.

Cognizant Federal Agency

Enter the name of your cognizant federal agency, if applicable.

I. Total Direct and Indirect Costs

Total costs will be automatically calculated.

J. Fee

Leave this field blank.

K. Total Costs and Fee

This field will be automatically calculated. Since there is no fee, this will be the same amount as I. Total Direct and Indirect Costs.

L. Budget Justification

A budget justification is required. Save the document as a PDF named justification.pdf. Attach only one file. Do not use your budget justification to expand your narrative.

Provide the information requested to support your budget. If applicable, the following categories must be justified: equipment, travel, participant/trainee support, and other direct costs.

Your budget justification must specifically describe how costs have been calculated and how each item will support the proposed objectives. If you have a quote(s), include it here. If your project includes subawards, detail and quantify all subaward costs.

Explain any exclusions applied to your indirect costs base calculation.

Voluntary cost share

If your project includes voluntary cost share, describe it here. These costs should not be included on the Research and Related Budget form.

For programs utilizing federal matching funds

If you have requested federal matching funds, identify the activities supported by your required cost share, and the source(s) of funding. Refer to the NEH Federal Matching Funds Guidelines regarding the eligibility of gifts for matching purposes.

The total federal matching funds and cost share should be equal to the amounts indicated on the Supplementary Cover Sheet for NEH Grant Programs in the “Federal Matching” and “Cost Sharing” fields.

Application Components

Your application consists of a series of forms included in Grants.gov Workspace and other components which you will prepare and upload to the Attachments Form.

Applications missing any required documents or conditionally required documents will be considered incomplete and will be rejected from further consideration.

Applications that exceed page limits or violate format instructions will be considered nonresponsive and will be rejected from further consideration.

Grants.gov form/Attachment	Naming convention	Page limits	Notes
SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance - Short Organizational	Grants.gov form		Required
Supplementary Cover Sheet for NEH Grant Programs	Grants.gov form		Required
Project/Performance Site(s) Location Form	Grants.gov form		Required
Research and Related Budget	Grants.gov form		Required
Attachments Form	Grants.gov form		Required
Certification Regarding Lobbying	Grants.gov form		Conditionally required
Standard Form-LLL, “Disclosure of Lobyying Activities”	Grants.gov form		Condtionaly required
Attachment 1: Narrative	narrative.pdf	15	Required
Attachment 2: Work plan	workplan.pdf		Required
Attachment 3: Résumés or biographies	resumes.pdf	2 pages per resume	Required
Attachment 4: Letters of commitment	letters.pdf		Required
Attachment 5: Bibliography	bibliography.pdf	2
Attachment 9: Federally negotiated indirect cost rate agreement	agreement.pdf		Conditionally required
Attachment 10: Explanation of delinquent federal debt	delinquentdebt.pdf		Conditionally required

SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance – Short Organizational

This form includes basic information about the project, the project director, and the institution. Items 1, 2, and 4 will be automatically filled in; item 3 should be left blank.

5. Applicant Information

Provide your organization’s legal name, address, employer/taxpayer identification number (EIN/TIN), unique entity identifier (assigned by the System for Award Management) , website address, and congressional district. For example, if your institution is located in the 5th congressional district of your state, put a “5.” If your institution does not have a congressional district (for example, it is in a state or U.S. territory that does not have districts, or is in a foreign country), put a “0” (zero).

Select the applicant type that best describes your organization from the drop-down menu.

Institutions applying to federal programs are required to include a unique entity identifier. If you do not know your identifier, contact your grants administrator or chief financial officer.

6. Project Information

a. Provide the title of your project. It should be brief (no more than 125 characters, including spaces). Successful applications typically have titles that are descriptive of the project and easily understood by the general public. NEH reserves the right to retitle funded projects for clarity when announcing its funding decisions and in its own reports and communications, but recipients are permitted to use their preferred title for any award products.

b. Provide a brief (no more than one thousand characters, including spaces) description of your project. It should be written for a nonspecialist audience and clearly state the importance of the proposed work and its relation to larger issues in the humanities.

c. List the start and end dates for your project. Your project must start on the first day of a month and end on the last day of a month. See B2. Summary of Funding for information regarding allowable periods of performance.

7. Project Director

Provide the project’s director’s name, title, and contact information. The project director is responsible for the programmatic aspects and day-to-day management of the proposed project and is critical to its success. You must notify the NEH Office of Grant Management immediately if the project director named in the application changes.

8. Primary Contact/Grants Administrator

Provide the name, title, and contact information for the official responsible for the administration of the award (e.g., negotiating the budget and ensuring compliance with the terms and conditions of the award).

As a matter of NEH policy, the project director named in item 7 may not be the same individual named as the primary contact/grants administrator named in item 8. The role of the project director must be distinguished from that of the institutional grants administrator, who functions as the representative of the recipient organization with authority to act on the organization’s behalf in matters related to the administration of the award. Financial reports and prior approval requests such as budget revisions, extensions of the period of performance, and changes in key personnel must be signed or countersigned by the institutional grants administrator. Similarly, official correspondence from NEH to a recipient (for example, an offer letter, award documents, an extension, a supplement, or amendment) is addressed to the institutional grants administrator and copied to the project director.

9. Authorized Representative

Provide the name, title, and contact information for the authorized organization representative (AOR) who is submitting the application on behalf of the institution. This person, often called an “authorizing official,” is typically the president, vice president, executive director, provost, or chancellor. To become an AOR, the person must be designated by the institution’s E-Business Point of Contact. Consult the Grants.gov Online User Guide.

Supplementary Cover Sheet for NEH Grant Programs

1. Project Director

Select the project director’s major field of study from the drop-down menu.

2. Institutional Information

Select the appropriate institution type from the drop-down menu.

3. Project Funding

Enter the amount requested in outright funds.

OR

Enter the amount of each type of funds requested, as well as required cost share to unlock federal matching funds, if applicable. Do not include voluntary cost share.

4. Application Information

Indicate whether the proposal will be submitted to other NEH programs, government agencies, or private entities for funding. If so, specify when and to whom. NEH frequently cosponsors projects with other funders. Providing this information will not prejudice the review of your application.

For type of application, check “new.”

Select the project’s primary discipline from the drop-down menu. Optionally, select the project’s secondary and tertiary disciplines.

Project/Performance Site Location(s) Form

Provide the primary location and any other locations where the project activity will occur during the period of performance. You may include multiple performance sites. If you need to add more locations than the form allows, enter the information in a separate file and add it to the "Additional Locations" section. Position your cursor over each field to view instructions.

Assurances as to Labor Standards

Per U.S. Department of Labor regulations set forth in 29 CFR Part 505, recipients must provide written assurance that all professional performers, scriptwriters, and related or supporting professional personnel employed on projects or productions supported in whole or in part by NEH will be paid not less than the minimum union or guild rates, and that no part of any project or production will be performed or engaged in under working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to the health and safety of such individuals. Applicants must submit the Assurances as to Labor Standards Under Section 5(i) and Section 7(g)of the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act of 1965, as Amended. Review Labor Standards on Projects or Productions Assisted by Grants from the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities.

Institutional Profile Form

Select the appropriate response to each of the six questions on the form.

Certification Regarding Lobbying (conditionally required)

If you are requesting an award greater than $100,000, you must submit the Certification Regarding Lobbying. Once selected, this form will autofill based upon information provided on the SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance - Short Organizational.

Standard Form-LLL, “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities” (conditionally required)

If non-federal funds have been or will be used for lobbying, you must submit Standard Form-LLL, “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities.” See 2 CFR §200.450.

Attachments Form

This form can accommodate up to fifteen attachments. Consult the Application Components Table to name and sequence your attachments in the proper order so that NEH can easily identify them.

Attachments must be in Portable Document Format (.pdf). Reformat all non-PDF files (i.e., Word, Excel, images, etc.) as PDFs. If an attachment contains multiple documents, merge them into a single file. Do not attach portfolios containing multiple PDFs. NEH cannot accept security-enhanced PDFs (e.g., password-protection, encryption, digital signatures, etc.). Flatten these files before uploading to Grants.gov.

Visit the Grants.gov Adobe Software Compatibility page to verify the compatibility of your current software or to download the appropriate version. If you have a problem installing Adobe Reader, contact your system administrator.

Limit file names to 50 or fewer characters. Do not attach any documents with the same name. Each attachment should have a unique name. Use only the following UTF-8 characters when naming your attachments: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, underscore, hyphen, space, period, parenthesis, curly braces, square brackets, ampersand, tilde, exclamation point, comma, semi colon, apostrophe, at sign, number sign, dollar sign, percent sign, plus sign, and equal sign. If you do not follow these naming conventions, your application may be rejected.

Grants.gov may accept and validate your submission even if required components are missing or are improperly formatted. This may result in NEH rejecting your application as incomplete. It is your responsibility to ensure that all required components are properly formatted, attached, and submitted.

List all required attachments in the order to be submitted.

Attachment 1: Narrative (required)

Refer to the prior instructions on preparing your narrative. Name the file narrative.pdf.

Attachment 2: Work plan (required)

Your work plan should reflect major activities described in your narrative and the project dates identified on the SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance - Short Organizational and the Research and Related Budget.

Describe the activities that will take place during the period of performance to achieve each of the proposed objectives. Use a timeline that includes each activity and identifies responsible staff. Explain how outcomes from one activity will carry over into the next. For each activity, specify the project team members involved. For multi-institutional collaborative projects, discuss the distribution of responsibilities across each institution. As appropriate, identify meaningful support and collaboration with key stakeholders in planning, designing, and implementing activities. Name the file workplan.pdf.

Attachment 3: Résumés for key personnel (required)

Include résumés for key personnel, not to exceed two pages in length per person. Name the file resumes.pdf.

Attachment 4: Letters of commitment and support (required)

Provide any documents that describe working relationships between your organization and other individuals, entities and programs cited in the application. Letters of commitment must be signed and dated.

Elected government officials and current members of the NEH National Council on the Humanities may not serve as letter writers.

Name the file letters.pdf.

Attachment 5: Bibliography (required)

Sample 1

Your bibliography should consist of primary and secondary sources that relate directly to the project. Include works that pertain to both the project’s substance and its theoretical or methodological approaches to give a well-rounded representation of your project. Evaluators will use the bibliography to assess your knowledge of the subject area.

Your bibliography must not exceed one page. Use one-inch margins and a font size no smaller than eleven point. Any standard bibliographic format is acceptable. Items referenced in the narrative need not appear in the bibliography, if the citation in the narrative enables readers to identify the work.

Name the file bibliography.pdf.

Attachment 6-X: Work sample or other supporting documentation

Program specific language – this could be for a syllabus, conference agenda, script, treatment, digital project, sample translation, database entry, interpretive plan, object list, walk through, visual materials, etc.

Attachment 9: Federally negotiated indirect cost rate agreement (conditionally required)

If your organization is claiming indirect costs and has a current federally negotiated indirect cost rate agreement, submit a copy of the agreement. If a subrecipient is claiming indirect costs and has a current federally negotiated indirect cost rate agreement, submit a copy of the agreement. If you are requesting the de minimis rate, this attachment is not required.

Name the file agreement.pdf.

Attachment 10: Explanation of delinquent federal debt (conditionally required)

If your organization is delinquent in the repayment of any federal debt, provide explanatory information. Provide evidence that you have entered into a repayment agreement with the Internal Revenue Service, and that you are current on all payments due. Examples of relevant debt include delinquent payroll or other taxes, audit disallowances, and benefit overpayments. See OMB Circular A-129.

Name the file delinquentdebt.pdf.

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management

Before submitting an application, your organization must have a unique entity identifier, System for Award Management (SAM) registration, and Grants.gov registration. Learn more about this multistep process.

Check your registrations well in advance of the deadline to ensure that they are accurate, current, and active. If your D-U-N-S^® number and SAM registration are not active and current at the time of Grants.gov submission, your application will be rejected.

You should allow several weeks for the registration process. If you fail to allow sufficient time to complete registration with SAM or Grants.gov, you will not be eligible for a deadline extension or waiver of the online submission requirement.

If your SAM registration is not active and current at the time an award is made, NEH may determine that you are not qualified to receive an award and use that determination as a basis for making an award to another applicant.

D-U-N-S^®

Your organization must obtain a valid Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (D-U-N-S^®) number. D-U-N-S^® numbers are unique nine-digit numbers assigned to all types of business organizations, including nonprofits and government entities. A D-U-N-S^® number will be required to register with the System for Award Management until April 2022.

System for Award Management (SAM)

Your organization must register with the System for Award Management (SAM) and continue to maintain active SAM registration with current information at all times during which you have an active federal award or an application or plan under consideration by an agency (unless the applicant is an individual or federal agency that is exempted from those requirements under 2 CFR §25.110(b) or (c), or has an exception approved by the agency under 2 CFR §25.110(d)). When your organization registers in SAM, it will be assigned a unique entity identifier.

If you have not already done so, you will be required to create a Login.gov user account. When registering or renewing in SAM, you will be required to review and agree to the Financial Assistance Representations and Certifications, a common set of certifications and representations required by federal statutes or regulations in accordance with Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

Grants.gov

Your organization must register with Grants.gov before submitting an application. You must submit your application using Grants.gov Workspace or a Grants.gov system-to-system solution. Workspace is a shared, online environment where team members may simultaneously access and edit forms within a grant application.

After you register with Grants.gov and create an Organizational Applicant Profile, a request will be sent to your E-Business Point of Contact to assign the appropriate Grants.gov roles to individuals within your organization. This includes the authorized organization representative (AOR) who will give permission to complete and submit applications on behalf of your organization.

If you have previously registered with Grants.gov, confirm that your registration is still active and that your authorized organization representative (AOR) is current.

Grants.gov maintains a library of instructional videos which may be helpful resources as you prepare your application.

4. Submission Dates and Times

For programs that review drafts

Program officers will review drafts submitted by Month Day, Year at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Drafts submitted after this date will not be reviewed. This optional preliminary review is not part of the formal selection process and has no bearing on the final funding decision. However, previous applicants have found it helpful in strengthening their applications. If you choose to submit a draft, send it as an attachment to ProgramEmail@neh.gov.

For programs that have a single annual deadline

The deadline for applications under this notice is Month Date, 20##, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

For programs that have multiple deadlines (ODH, Public Programs, etc.)

There will be two/three deadlines under this notice:

Month Date, 20##, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time

Month Date, 20##, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time

Month Date, 20##, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time

Applications must be complete, within the specified page limits, and validated by Grants.gov under the correct funding opportunity prior to the deadline to be considered under this notice.

It is your responsibility to confirm that Grants.gov and subsequently NEH have received your application. Check your application status.

When NEH receives your application from Grants.gov, the agency will assign it a tracking number beginning with XX-. A tracking number does not guarantee that the application is free of technical problems (such as missing attachments or failure to convert attachments to PDFs). If a technical problem is detected, NEH will notify you via email. It is your responsibility to correct any errors prior to the deadline.

Once you have applied, NEH will not comment on the status of your application except on issues of eligibility, completeness, and responsiveness.

5. Intergovernmental Review

This funding opportunity is not subject to intergovernmental review under Executive Order 12372.

6. Funding Restrictions

Awards made under this notice may not be used for the following purposes:

All programs should include these five agencies restrictions. Insert program specific funding restrictions.

• promotion of a particular political, religious, or ideological point of view

• advocacy of a particular program of social or political action

• support of specific public policies or legislation

• lobbying

• projects that fall outside of the humanities and the humanistic social sciences (including the creation or performance of art; creative writing, autobiographies, memoirs, and creative nonfiction; and quantitative social science research or policy studies)

See also the unallowable costs included in 2 CFR 200 Subpart E - Cost Principles.

7. Other Submission Requirements (if applicable)

Program specific instructions regarding submission of letters of reference. If not relevant to the program, do not include this section.

E. Application Review Information

1. Review Criteria

Peer reviewers will use the following criteria to review applications in the PROGRAM program:

Insert the program’s review criteria:

2. Review and Selection Process

NEH staff review all applications for eligibility, completeness, and responsiveness, and then uses a peer review process to evaluate all eligible and complete applications. Peer reviewers are experts in the field with relevant knowledge and expertise in the types of project activities identified in the applications. NEH instructs reviewers to evaluate applications according to the review criteria in this Notice of Funding Opportunity. Peer reviewers must comply with federal ethics and conflicts of interest requirements.

NEH staff comment on matters of fact or on significant issues that otherwise would be missing from peer reviews, then makes recommendations to the National Council on the Humanities. The National Council meets at least twice annually to advise the NEH Chairman. The Chairman considers the advice provided by the review process and, by law, makes all funding decisions. Learn more about the NEH review process.

3. Assessment of Risk and Other Pre-Award Activities

Applications that have received a favorable review are subsequently reviewed for other considerations, including past performance, as applicable; cost analysis of the project budget; assessment of management systems; continued applicant eligibility; and compliance with any public policy requirements.

You may be asked to submit additional programmatic or administrative information (such as an updated budget or supporting documentation) or to undertake certain activities (such as negotiation of an indirect cost rate) in anticipation of an award. However, such requests do not guarantee that an award will be made.

After reviewing applicable information, NEH’s approving and grant management officials will determine whether an award can be made, if special conditions are required, and what level of funding is appropriate. NEH may elect not to fund applicants with management or financial instability that affects their ability to implement the terms and conditions of the award (2 CFR §200.206).

Award decisions are discretionary and are not subject to appeal to any NEH official or board.

Include the following paragraph IF the award made will be greater than $500,000 over the period of performance

NEH is required to consider any information about your organization that is in the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS). You may review and comment on any information about your organization that a federal awarding agency previously entered. NEH will consider your comments, in addition to other information in FAPIIS in making a judgment about your organization’s integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under federal awards when completing the review of risk posed, as described in 2 CFR §200.206. Per 2 CFR §200.213, NEH will report determinations that an applicant is not qualified to FAPIIS.

4. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates

NEH will notify applicants of funding decisions by email in Month 20##. This notification is not an authorization to begin performance or incur related costs. You may request evaluations of your proposal by contacting [email protected].

F. Federal Award Administration Information

1. Federal Award Notices

Institutional grants administrators and project directors of successful applications will receive award documents from the NEH Office of Grant Management via eGMS Reach in Month 20##.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

Awards are subject to 2 CFR Part 200 Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, and the General Terms and Conditions for Awards to Organizations (for grants and cooperative agreements issued December 26, 2014 or later), and the specific terms and conditions in the Notice of Action.

Debarment, suspension, ineligibility, and voluntary exclusion certification

You must comply with 2 CFR §§180.335 and .350 with respect to providing information regarding all debarment, suspension, and related offenses information, as applicable.

1. The prospective recipient certifies, by submission of this application, that neither it nor its principals is presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in this transaction by any federal department or agency.

2. Failure to make required disclosures can result in any of the remedies described in 2 CFR §200.339, including suspension or debarment. See also 2 CFR parts 180 and 3369.

3. If the prospective recipient is unable to attest to the statements in this certification, an explanation must be included in Attachment X: Explanation of delinquent federal debt.

Providing access to NEH-funded products

As a taxpayer-supported federal agency, NEH endeavors to make the products of its awards available to the broadest possible audience. Our goal is for scholars, educators, students, and the American public to have ready and easy access to the wide range of NEH award products. All other considerations being equal, NEH gives preference to those that provide free access to the public.

Recipients must follow the requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which is designed to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. Consult Design for Accessibility: A Cultural Administrator's Handbook.

Copyright information

Recipients may copyright any work that is subject to copyright and was developed, or for which ownership was acquired, under an award. In accordance with 2 CFR §200.315(b), NEH reserves a royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable right to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the work for federal purposes, and to authorize others to do so. NEH has typically exercised this right in consultation with recipients to publish an excerpt from resulting grant product(s) in Humanities magazine or on the NEH website.

Acknowledging NEH support

All materials publicizing or products resulting from NEH-funded activities must contain an acknowledgment of NEH support. Consult Acknowledgment and Publicity Requirements for NEH Awards and Publicizing Your Project for guidance.

Program income policy

Select program specific program income policy.

All programs (except State Humanities Councils and Media Production)

All program income generated as a result of awarded funds must be used for approved project-related activities. The program income alternative applied to the award(s) under the program will be addition. Post-award requirements for program income can be found at 2 CFR §200.307.

State Humanities Organizations only

All program income generated as a result of awarded funds must be used for approved project-related activities. The program income alternative(s) applied to the award(s) under the program will be cost sharing and matching. Post-award requirements for program income can be found at 2 CFR §200.307.

Media Projects and Short Docs only

Recipients must report income directly generated by NEH-funded activities or earned by the recipient or subrecipient as a result of the award during the period of performance and for seven years following the end of the period of performance. When NEH funding of a project amounts to $50,000 or more, and the total program income earned after the period of performance exceeds $50,000, NEH reserves the right to make a claim to or to restrict the use of the federal share of income earned during the seven years following the period of performance. The federal share is a percentage based upon the proportion of NEH support of the total project costs. Review the NEH Program Income Policy.

For research programs

NEH Research Misconduct Policy

In accordance with the Federal Policy on Research Misconduct, published in the December 6, 2000, edition of the Federal Register, 65 Fed. Reg. 76,260, the National Endowment for the Humanities has established procedures for handling allegations of research misconduct applicable to both internal and external research programs supported by NEH. This policy reflects NEH's interest in the accuracy and reliability of the research record and the processes involved in its development. As defined in the Federal Policy on Research Misconduct, research includes all basic, applied, and demonstration research. Review the NEH Research Misconduct Policy.

For Seminars, Institutes, Workshops, Collaborative Research, Public Humanities Projects

Principles of Civility

Recipients must adhere to the Principles of Civility for NEH Seminars, Institutes, and Workshops. NEH expects project directors to take responsibility for encouraging an ethos of openness and respect, upholding the basic norms of civil discourse.

For capitol projects, arechology, other ground disturbing activities

Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and National Environmental Policy Act of 1969

Archaeological and Ethnographic Field Research projects that include fieldwork occurring in the United States, including U.S. jurisdictions, must be reviewed under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA) ( 54 U.S.C. §306108 ) and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) ( 42 U.S.C. §4321, et seq ) when the proposed project involves:

• ground disturbing activities;

• an impact within or to a flood plain or wetland;

• a determination of an adverse effect that cannot be mitigated on a property eligible for inclusion the National Register of Historic Places; and/or

• an extraordinary circumstance, such as: public controversy, or extensive site contamination.

If NEH funds your project, you may not start physical work (ground disturbance) until NEH has completed its environmental and historic preservation compliance reviews required by NEPA and Section 106 of the NHPA.

Applicants should review the NEH’s Section 106 and NEPA guidance to familiarize themselves with the Section 106 process.

For archeology and capitol projects

Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990

The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 (NAGPRA) provides protection of Native American graves and items, that is, human remains, funerary objects, and sacred objects. NAGPRA applies to any organization which controls or possesses Native American human remains and associated funerary objects and which receives federal funding, even for a purpose unrelated to the Act. More information may be found on the National Park Service website .

For projects involving geospatial data (ODH, Research)

Coordination of geographic information and related spatial data

Applicants requesting funding for the development, acquisition, preservation, or enhancement of geospatial data, products, or services must conduct a due diligence search at the Data.gov list of datasets to discover whether the needed geospatial-related data, products, or services already exist. If not, the proposed geospatial data, products, or services must be produced in compliance with applicable proposed guidance posted at www.fgdc.gov.

For exhibition programs (Public Humanities Projects, etc.)

Indemnity: The Arts and Artifacts Indemnity Act

The Arts and Artifacts Indemnity Act authorizes the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities to enter into indemnity agreements with U.S. nonprofit tax-exempt organizations and government units. Institutions that are organizing an exhibition with internationally loaned objects are encouraged to apply for indemnity. Indemnity can significantly lower the overall cost of insuring an exhibition with internationally loaned objects. The indemnity program is administered by the National Endowment for the Arts. Learn more about the indemnity program.

Eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse

Help NEH eliminate fraud and improve management by providing information about allegations or suspicions of waste, fraud, abuse, mismanagement, research misconduct (fabrication, falsification, plagiarism), or unnecessary government expenditures, during the period of award performance, to the NEH Office of the Inspector General.

Termination

NEH reserves the right to terminate awards consistent with 2 CFR §200.340.

3. Reporting

Recipients must comply with the following reporting requirements. Reports must be completed online in eGMS Reach, the NEH online grant management system, unless otherwise instructed. Further information will be provided in the Notice of Action.

1. Federal Financial Report(s). Recipients must submit the Federal Financial Report (SF-425) on an annual basis.

2. Performance Progress Report(s). Recipients must submit a performance progress report to NEH on an annual basis.

3. Final Reports. Recipients must submit a final Federal Financial Report (SF-425) and a final performance report within 120 calendar days after the period of performance ends. The final performance report collects information relevant to program specific goals and progress on strategies; impact of the overall project; the degree to which the recipient achieved the mission, goals, and strategies outlined in the approved application; recipient objectives and accomplishments; barriers encountered; and responses to summary questions regarding the recipient’s overall experiences during the entire period of performance.

4. Other required reports and/or products. List and describe other white papers, consultant reports or work products that are required from recipients under this NOFO. Use only OMB-approved forms, and include OMB approval numbers and expiration dates on all forms.

5. Tangible Personal Property Report. If applicable, recipients must submit the Tangible Personal Property Report (SF-428) and any related forms within 120 calendar days after the period of performance ends. Recipients must report all equipment with an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per unit purchased with NEH funds.

For Research

NEH encourages recipients to send copies of books resulting from research supported by NEH awards to the address below. In addition, recipients are asked to update the “Products and Prizes” tab in eGMS Reach for any publications or prizes resulting from NEH support.

For Media/Short Docs/Digital Project for the Public

Following the period of performance, NEH requests that recipients voluntarily keep the agency informed of new or changing project distribution arrangements.

Learn more about Performance Reporting Requirements and Financial Reporting Requirements.

G. Agency Contacts

If you have questions about the program, contact:

Division/Office

National Endowment for the Humanities

400 Seventh Street, SW

Washington, DC 20506

202-606-2324

ProgramEmail@neh.gov

If you have questions about administrative requirements or allowable costs, contact:

Office of Grant Management

National Endowment for the Humanities

400 Seventh Street, SW

Washington, DC 20506

[email protected]

For CHA-capitol projects, SCHC, Archaeolgy

If you have questions about NEPA and NHPA, contact:

Office of Grant Management

National Endowment for the Humanities

400 Seventh Street, SW

Washington, DC 20506

[email protected]

Applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing can contact NEH via Federal Relay at 800-877-8399.

If you have questions about registering or renewing your registration with login.gov or SAM.gov, contact the Federal Service Desk, Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, at:

Federal Service Desk

U.S. calls: 866-606-8220

International calls: +1 334-206-7828

For assistance in registering with or submitting your application through Grants.gov, contact Grants.gov Applicant Support, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, excluding federal holidays. at:

Grants.gov Applicant Support

Telephone: 1-800-518-4726

International Calls: 606-545-5035

Email: [email protected]

Always obtain a case number when calling for support.

H. Other Information

Related funding opportunities

If relevent, describe related NEH funding opportunities.

Privacy policy

NEH solicits the information in this Notice of Funding Opportunity under the authority of the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act of 1965, as amended, 20 U.S.C. 951, et seq. Disclosure of the information is voluntary. The principal purpose for which NEH will use the information is to process the application, which may include determining eligibility, evaluating the application, selecting recipients, and administering the award program. Panelists and other third parties may assist in the evaluation of applications, in which case NEH will take appropriate security measures with respect to the information provided to such individuals for review. NEH may also use or disclose the information it collects as required by law and for governmental purposes such as statistical research, analysis of trends, Congressional oversight, and the other routine uses set forth in the systems of records notice (“SORN”) published by NEH in the Federal Register. NEH ordinarily will not publicly disclose the contents of applications that NEH does not select for funding, except as set forth in the SORN. Failure to provide the information solicited in this Notice may result in rejection of the application.

Application completion time

The Office of Management and Budget requires federal agencies to supply information on the time needed to complete forms and also to invite comments on the paperwork burden. NEH estimates that on average it takes sixty hours to complete this application. This estimate includes time for reviewing instructions, researching, gathering, and maintaining the information needed, and completing and reviewing the application.

You may send any comments regarding the estimated completion time or any other aspect of this application, including suggestions for reducing the completion time, to the Chief Funding Opportunity Officer at [email protected]. According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB number. The OMB Control Number for this Notice of Funding Opportunity is 3136-0134, expiration date June 30, 2021.