NEH staff will host a webinar describing the program, including eligibility, the application and nomination processes, and suggestions for writing an effective application. The presentation will include questions and answers from participants. The webinar will be Wednesday, April 14, 2:00-3:00 PM (Eastern). The webinar can be viewed here.
The National Endowment for the Humanities’ Summer Stipends program aims to stimulate new research in the humanities and its publication. The program works to accomplish this goal by:
- Providing small awards to individuals pursuing advanced research that is of value to humanities scholars, general audiences, or both
- Supporting projects at any stage of development, but especially early-stage research and late-stage writing in which small awards are most effective
- Furthering the NEH’s commitment to diversity and inclusion in the humanities by encouraging applications from independent scholars and faculty at Hispanic Serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and community colleges
Summer Stipends support continuous full-time work on a humanities project for a period of two consecutive months. NEH funds may support recipients’ compensation, travel, and other costs related to the proposed scholarly research. Summer Stipends support individuals pursuing advanced research that is of value to humanities scholars, general audiences, or both.
Eligible projects usually result in articles, monographs, books, digital materials and publications, archeological reports, translations, editions, or other scholarly resources.
NEH Areas of Interest
NEH is especially interested in supporting projects that advance humanities-related work in the following areas.
“A More Perfect Union”: NEH Special Initiative Advancing Civic Education and Commemorating the Nation’s 250th Anniversary
As our nation approaches its 250th anniversary in 2026, NEH encourages projects that promote a deeper understanding of American history and culture and that advance civic education and knowledge of our core principles of government. The agency-wide “A More Perfect Union” initiative will help Americans better understand the world’s oldest constitutional democracy and how our founding ideals are met in a modern, pluralistic society.
NEH welcomes consideration of diverse topics in American history, from Native American culture to rural life to the rise of the industrial city, from the Civil War to the Cold War to the Civil Rights movement, etc. We also seek projects that examine foundational documents in U.S. history, as well as projects that examine historical objects, places, traditions, events, and individuals who collectively shaped our states and nation. Applications about the contributions of under-represented communities are highly encouraged.
Funds under this notice may not be used for the following purposes:
- research by students enrolled in a degree program. including research for doctoral dissertations or theses
- training or coursework for the applicant
- support for graduate student assistants
- the preparation or revision of textbooks
- curriculum development
- the development of teaching methods or theories
- educational or technical impact assessments
- inventories of collections
- the writing of guide books, how-to books, and self-help books
- 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; the creation or performance of art; creative writing, autobiographies, memoirs, and creative nonfiction; and quantitative and/or policy-driven social science research
An individual may not hold more than one NEH individual award (for example, a Fellowship, a Public Scholar award, or a Summer Stipend) at the same time. Nor may an individual work on a project supported by an NEH institutional award as either a project director or participant while holding an NEH individual award. An individual may not accept a teaching assignment or undertake any activities diverting the individual from the Summer Stipend project during the period of performance of the award.
Please upload one PDF file (File name: Last name_NEH Summer Stipend_2022.pdf) containing the following items in order:
1. Narrative—Not to Exceed Three Single-Spaced Pages
Applicants should provide an intellectual justification for their projects, conveying the ideas, objectives, methods, and work plan. A simple statement of need or intent is insufficient. The narrative should not assume specialized knowledge and should be free of technical terms and jargon.
In the course of writing a narrative, applicants should address the following areas:
- Research and contribution: Describe the intellectual significance of the proposed project, including its value to humanities scholars, general audiences, or both. Provide an overview of the project, explaining the basic ideas, problems, or questions examined by the study. Explain how the project will complement, challenge, or expand relevant studies in the field.
- Methods and work plan: Describe your method(s) and clarify the part or stage of the project that will be supported by the Summer Stipend. Provide a work plan, describing what you will accomplish during the award period. Your work plan must be based on a full-time commitment to the project; part-time work is not allowed. If you do not anticipate finishing the entire project during the award period, discuss your plan for doing so. For book projects, explain how the final project will be organized. If possible, provide a brief chapter outline. For digital projects, describe the technologies that will be used and developed, and explain how the scholarship will be presented to benefit audiences in the humanities.
- Competencies, skills, and access: Explain your competence in the area of your project. If the area of inquiry is new to you, explain your reasons for working in it and your qualifications to do so. Specify your level of competence in any language or digital technology needed for the study. Describe where the study will be conducted and what research materials will be used. If relevant, specify the arrangements for access to archives, collections, or institutions that contain the necessary resources.
- Final product and dissemination: Describe the intended audience and the intended results of the project. If relevant, explain how the results will be disseminated and why these means are appropriate to the subject matter and audience. If the project has a website, please provide the URL. If the final product will appear in a language other than English, explain how access and dissemination will be affected. NEH expects grantees to provide broad access to all grant products, insofar as the conditions of the materials and intellectual property rights allow. For projects that lead to the development of websites, all other considerations being equal, NEH gives preference to those that provide free access to the public. NEH also expects that any materials produced in digital form as a result of its awards will be maintained so as to ensure their long-term availability. To that end, describe how the project’s digital results, if any, will be maintained and supported beyond the period of the grant.
2. Bibliography—Not to Exceed One Single-Spaced Page
The 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. Evaluators will use the bibliography to assess your knowledge of the subject area. Any standard format is acceptable.
3. CV—Not to Exceed Two Single-Spaced Pages
If you have received prior support from NEH, indicate the dates of these grants and the publications that resulted from them. When applicable, provide the dollar amount of any awards or fellowships that you received in the three years preceding the application deadline
Formatting Guidelines:
- Font/size: Times New Roman (12 pt.)
- Document margins: 1.0” (top, bottom, left and right)
- Standard paper size (8 ½” x 11)
Questions concerning the limited submissions process may be submitted to limitedsubs@psu.edu