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, archaeological site reports, translations, editions, or other scholarly resources.
Summer Stipends support continuous full-time work on a humanities project for a period of two consecutive months.
Summer Stipends support projects at any stage of development.
Summer Stipends may NOT be used for:
- projects that seek to promote a particular political, religious, or ideological point of view;
- projects that advocate a particular program of social action;
- specific policy studies;
- research for doctoral dissertations or theses by students enrolled in a degree program;
- the preparation or revision of textbooks;
- curriculum development;
- the development of teaching methods or theories;
- educational or technical impact assessments;
- empirical social science research, unless part of a larger humanities project;
- inventories of collections;
- works in the creative and performing arts (for example, painting, writing fiction or
- poetry, dance performance, etc.);
- the writing of autobiographies, memoirs, or works of creative nonfiction; or
- the writing of guide books, how-to books, and self-help books.
Individuals who have either held or been awarded a major fellowship or research grant or its equivalent within the three academic years prior to the deadline are eligible. Everything else being equal, though, the program will give preference to applicants who have not received such support. A “major fellowship or research grant” is a postdoctoral research award that provides a stipend of at least $15,000. Sabbaticals and grants from an individual’s own institution and stipends and grants from other sources supporting study and research during the summer are not considered major fellowships. If you have received any fellowships or research grants within the three years prior to the deadline, please indicate on your CV the total amount of each award or grant. If you fail to do so, your application may be disqualified.
Required for the Penn State Downselect:
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. Applicants should format pages with one-inch margins and with a font size no smaller than eleven point. Single-spacing is permissible (and is the norm among successful applications).
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.
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.
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.