Challenge Grants

Document Type:	Grants Notice
Funding Opportunity Number:	NEH-GRANTS-012904-002
Posted Date:	Feb 03, 2004
Original Due Date for Applications:	Nov 03, 2004
	Receipt Deadline
Current Due Date for Applications:	Nov 03, 2004
	Receipt Deadline
Archive Date:	Dec 03, 2004
Funding Instrument Type:	Grant
Category of Funding Activity:	Humanities (see "Cultural Affairs" in CFDA)
Expected Number of Awards:	Not Available.
Estimated Total Program Funding:	Not Available.
Award Ceiling:	$1,000,000.00
Award Floor:	$30,000.00
CFDA Number:	45.130 -- Promotion of the Humanities_Challenge Grants
Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement:	Yes

Eligible Applicants

County governments

City or township governments

Special district governments

Independent school districts

Public and State controlled institutions of higher education

Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)

State governments

Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education

Private institutions of higher education

Agency Name

National Endowment for the Humanities

Description

NEH challenge grants help institutions and organizations secure long-term improvements in and support for their humanities programs and resources. Awards are made to museums, public libraries, colleges, research institutions, historical societies and historic sites, public television and radio stations, universities, scholarly associations, state humanities councils, and other nonprofit entities. Because of the matching requirements, these NEH awards also strengthen the humanities by encouraging nonfederal sources of support. Challenge grants are offered only when NEH funds will help institutions carry out long-term plans and enhance their financial stability.

Both federal and nonfederal funds must provide long-term benefits to the humanities. Challenge grant funds should not merely replace funds already being expended on the humanities, but instead should reflect careful strategic planning to improve and strengthen the institution's activities in and commitment to the humanities.

Challenge grants most commonly augment or establish endowments. The income from invested funds may support ongoing humanities activities in education, public programming, scholarly research, and preservation. Examples include faculty and staff positions, fellowships, lecture or exhibition series, visiting scholars, publishing subventions, consultants, maintenance of facilities, faculty development, acquisitions, and preservation/conservation programs.

Where the need is compelling and clearly related to improvements in the humanities, some direct expenditures from challenge grant awards may be allowable. Such expenditures, however, must be for items that have inherent longevity; for example, materials that enhance library or museum collections, construction or renovation of facilities, equipment, conservation of collections, and fund-raising costs (no more than ten percent of total grant funds). Grant funds may also be used for bridging support, where the challenge grant provides for endowment income to meet the same expenses in the future.

All challenge grant funds, federal and nonfederal, must be raised and expended during the grant period. For the Challenge Grants program, deposit of funds into an interest- or dividend-bearing account constitutes expenditure.

Link to Full Announcement

Guidelines for Challenge Grants

If you have difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically, please contact:

Scott, Peter, Public Affairs Officer, Phone 202-606-8400, Email info@neh.gov Scott, Peter

• NEH OPUB listed by [Posted Date]
• NEH Agencywide listed by [Posted Date]