The 2004 deadline for this program has passed. Guidelines for 2005 will be available in the spring. In the interim, the guidelines below can be used for reference, but should NOT be used to prepare an application.

• Program Description • Award Information • Eligibility • How to Prepare and Submit an Application • Application Review • Award Administration • Frequently Asked Questions • Sample Projects

Starting August 1, 2004, NEH will accept applications for Summer Stipends electronically at http://grants.neh.gov. These guidelines describe the program and how to prepare an online application.

Type of Award
Successful applicants receive an outright award of $5,000 for two consecutive months of full-time research and writing.

Questions?
Contact NEH's Division of Research Programs at 202-606-8200 or stipends@neh.gov. Hearing-impaired applicants can contact NEH via TDD at 1-866-372-2930.

Summer Stipends support individuals pursuing advanced research that contributes to scholarly knowledge or to the public's understanding of the humanities. Applicants may be faculty or staff members of colleges, universities, or primary and secondary schools; they may also be independent scholars or writers. Award recipients usually produce scholarly articles, monographs on specialized subjects, books on broad topics, archaeological site reports, translations, editions, or other scholarly tools. Projects may be completed during the tenure of the award or be part of a long-term endeavor.

Summer Stipends awards cannot be used for:

• research for doctoral dissertations or theses by students enrolled in a degree program;
• specific policy studies or educational or technical impact assessments;
• preparing or publishing textbooks;
• works in the creative or performing arts (painting, writing fiction or poetry, dance performance, etc.);
• studies of teaching methods or theories, surveys of courses and programs, or curriculum development; and
• creating inventories of collections.

We the People Grant Initiative

To help Americans make sense of their history and of the world around them, NEH has launched an initiative: We the People. To learn more about We the People, visit the initiative's website. The Division of Preservation and Access encourages applications that provide a basis for the exploration of significant events and themes in our nation's history and culture and that advance knowledge of the principles that define America. Proposals will be evaluated through NEH's established review process and will not receive special consideration.

Summer Stipends awards provide $5,000 for two consecutive months of full-time research and writing. Recipients must work full-time on their projects for these two months, and may hold other research grants during this time. Summer Stipends normally support work carried out during the summer months, but arrangements can be made for other times of the year.

Individuals may apply for both a Summer Stipend and a Fellowship, but they cannot hold both in any given fiscal or calendar year.

U.S. citizens are eligible to apply. Foreign nationals who have been living in the United States or its jurisdictions for at least the three years prior to the application deadline are also eligible.

Recipients of a Summer Stipend in 2000 or after are ineligible.

Educational Requirements

Applicants do not need to have advanced degrees. However, individuals currently enrolled in a degree-granting program are ineligible to apply. Applicants who have satisfied all the requirements for a degree and are awaiting its conferral may apply, but such applicants must request that the dean of the conferring school write a letter attesting to the applicant's status as of May 1, 2004. This letter must be FAXed to the Summer Stipends program at 202-606-8204.

Recent grants and fellowships held by the applicant

Individuals who have held a major fellowship or research grant or its equivalent within the last three academic years prior to the deadline are ineligible. A "major fellowship or research grant" is a postdoctoral research award that provides a stipend of at least $10,000. 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.

Previously supported projects

Individuals who have previously received a Summer Stipend may apply to support a new stage in their project or a different project. These applications receive no special consideration and will be judged by the same criteria as others in the competition. Previous recipients, however, must wait five years from the time they received their award to reapply.

Nomination of college and university faculty

Faculty members teaching full-time at colleges and universities must be nominated by their institutions to apply for a Summer Stipend. Applications should be submitted online by faculty only after they have been nominated. Each college and university in the United States and its jurisdictions may nominate two faculty members. Of the two, at least one should be a junior scholar, holding the rank of instructor or assistant professor or who is at a comparably early stage of his or her career. Senior scholars hold the rank of associate professor or professor.

Each institution should announce its nominating procedures to all prospective applicants. Those wishing to apply should become familiar with their institution's nomination procedures before the October 1 application deadline. A nominating official, usually an academic vice president or dean, should be designated by each institution. After NEH receives an application from an individual who requires nomination, the nominating official will receive an e-mail from NEH asking him or her to confirm the applicant's nomination.

Applicants exempt from nomination

The following individuals may apply online without a nomination:

• independent scholars not affiliated with a college or university;
• nonfaculty college and university staff members who will not be teaching during the academic year preceding the award tenure; and
• adjunct faculty, part-time faculty, and applicants with academic appointments that terminate by the summer of the award tenure.

Preparing an application

Beginning August 1, 2004, NEH will accept applications at http://grants.neh.gov for Summer Stipends.

Please examine the "Test Drive" section on the NEH website and review the Frequently Asked Questions before filling out an application.

To begin the application process, you will be asked to create a user account by providing your name and e-mail address and then selecting a password. Use an e-mail address that will be valid until March 31, 2005. Your user account will allow you to create, save, and revise your application. You cannot log in to the application system until you have created an account.

From the list of grant programs, select "Summer Stipends." Once you have done so, the Summer Stipends main menu will appear. From this menu, you can:

• create and edit your cover sheet;
• create and edit your résumé;
• create and edit your project narrative, bibliography, and edition/translation sample (if applicable)
• check whether your nominating official has confirmed your nomination (if applicable)
• check whether NEH has received your letter of recommendation;
• print your application; and
• change your password.

You can modify your application until October 1, 2004, 5:00 p.m. local time. (For example, applicants in California can make changes until 5:00 p.m. PST.) After that time, no changes will be allowed.

NEH estimates the average time to complete an online application is fifteen hours.

Formatting

Your application will be saved as plain text. Special formatting such as italics, underlining, and "curly quotes" will not be saved. You should plan accordingly by using alternatives to such formatting, i.e., putting book titles in quotation marks or all uppercase letters. You should not, however, use angle brackets ("<" and ">"). Brackets are commonly used in HTML, the code that drives the web-based online application system. If you use brackets, the system will interpret it as faulty HTML code and generate an error message.

Application cover sheet

The cover sheet asks for basic information about you and your project. The following information must be provided before an application is considered complete:

• Applicant information

  Provide your name, postal and e-mail addresses, and telephone and fax numbers. Select a field of expertise from one listed in the pull-down menu. Identify your employment level (junior or senior scholar), as well as your citizenship status. If you are a foreign national, identify your country of citizenship and the month and year you began your most recent period of residency in the United States.

• Institution information

  Answer whether or not you are affiliated with an institution. If yes, identify your institution.

• Project information

  Enter a brief title that clearly identifies your project. Select the field of your project from those listed in the pull-down menu. Using the pull-down menu, identify the beginning and ending dates for your award period. Provide a brief description of your project (750 characters, approximately 120 words).

• Reference letters

  Provide the names and e-mail addresses for your two recommenders. Also identify their respective affiliations.

  Before entering the e-mail addresses, please check that they are correct and will be active until October 15, 2004. Once you officially submit your application, separate e-mails will be sent to each referee with instructions on how to submit reference letters online. These messages will also include the brief description of your project you have provided. Reference letters will be accepted until October 15, 2004, 5:00 p.m. local time.

  Reference letters should provide important information about you and your project. They should discuss the project's significance to the field, the intended audience, the likely outcome, the general quality of your work, and your ability to carry out the project successfully. Ideally, no more than one referee should be from your own institution. There are no word limits on these reference letters. Referees may submit their letters once they receive their e-mail from NEH.

  When a letter is submitted, both the applicant and the referee will receive a confirmation via e-mail.

• Nominating official

  Provide the contact information for your institution's nominating official, including name, title, department (if applicable), mailing address, and e-mail address. If you are exempt from the nomination process, indicate your exemption.

  When you officially submit your application, an e-mail will be sent to the nominating official. When nominating officials receive the e-mail, they are given instructions for verifying the nomination online. After logging on with their name and e-mail address, nominating officials are asked to confirm the status of applicants from their institutions.

  Since the nominating official's e-mail address is a key identifier in this online process, applicants and officials must be sure that it is entered correctly. All nominations must be confirmed by October 15, 2004. When the nominations have been confirmed, both nominating officials and applicants will receive a confirmation via e-mail.

Résumé

The résumé form asks applicants to provide information normally contained in a two-page résumé:

• Contact information

  Provide your name, work and home addresses, telephone numbers, fax numbers, and your e-mail address.

• Current and past positions

  Describe your current position, including title, institution or organization, department, and a brief description of your duties (600 character limit, approximately 85 words). Also indicate whether your position is part-time or full-time, and the status of the current contract. List your past positions (800 character limit, approximately 115 words).

• Education

  List institutions, degrees, dates awarded, and titles of any theses or dissertations.

• Languages

  Describe your language proficiency.

• Awards

  List the awards and grants you have received since January 1, 1997, including sources, dates of tenure, dollar amounts, and terms of leave provided by such awards and grants. In the case of grants for purposes other than individual study and research, describe their purpose and activities undertaken. If you have previously received a Summer Stipend to support your proposed project, indicate the dates of tenure, the amount of the award, and the results.

• Publications

  List up to ten items, including books, articles, and book chapters.

  Include page numbers for journal articles and book chapters. This information is stored as plain text (.txt) without formatting such as italics and underlining. Therefore, place titles in quotation marks or uppercase letters.

• Additional Information

  Provide other relevant information about your professional activities and accomplishments (1,500 characters, approximately 215 words).

Some of the fields have character limits. The form will indicate if the text exceeds the limits.

Project narrative

The narrative text should not exceed three single-spaced pages (12,500 characters, approximately 1,785 words). It is suggested that you write the narrative in a word processing program and paste the text into the narrative form. The form will indicate if the text exceeds the word limit.

The narrative should clearly convey the ideas, objectives, and methods of the project. It should also communicate the project's substance and potential contribution to humanities scholarship. A simple statement of need or intent is insufficient. Because reviewers will not possess specialized knowledge of the proposed field of study, the project description should be free of jargon.

There is no formula for writing a successful application. However, past applicants have typically addressed the following questions in their narratives:

1. What are the basic ideas, problems, or questions examined by the study? Explain the planned approach or line of thought. If the area is a new area of research, explain the reasons for working in it.
2. For what part or stage of your project are you seeking support? Provide an overview of the project and describe what part of the study you will undertake during the award period. If working on a book, provide a tentative chapter outline.
3. What work will be accomplished during the award period? Supply a brief work plan.
4. How will the project complement, challenge, or expand relevant studies in the field? Explain what makes the study distinctive.
5. What contribution will the project make to the humanities?
6. What is your competence in the languages needed for the study?
7. Where will you conduct the study and what materials will you use? Describe access to archives, collections, or institutions with the necessary resources.
8. What is the intended audience for the results of the study?
9. What are the intended results of the project? Indicate plans for articles, conference papers, books, etc.

Project bibliography

The bibliography should not exceed one single-spaced page (4,000 characters, approximately 570 words). NEH suggests that you prepare the bibliography in a word processing program and paste the text into the form. The form will indicate if the text exceeds the word limit. This information is stored as plain text (.txt) without formatting such as italics and underlining.

The bibliography should consist of primary and secondary sources that relate directly to the project. It is usually advisable to include works that pertain to both the project's substance and its theoretical or methodological approaches. Titles cited in the application narrative do not have to be included in the bibliography. Reviewers will use the bibliography to evaluate your preparation in the subject area and your approach to the topic.

Edition,translation, or database sample (if applicable)

If you are proposing an edition or a translation you must provide a sample of the original text and your edited/translated version. Neither the original text nor the translation should exceed one single-spaced page (4,000 characters, approximately 570 words). NEH suggests that you prepare these texts in a word processing program and paste the text into the forms provided. The forms will indicate if the text exceeds the word limit. If you cannot submit the original text using this form, please contact the Summer Stipends program and FAX the original to 202-606-8204.

For database projects, provide a sample entry not to exceed 4,000 characters (approximately 570 words, or one single-spaced page.)

Criteria

Reviewers are asked to evaluate an application according to the following four criteria:

1. the significance of the contribution that the project will make to knowledge in the specific field and to the humanities generally;
2. the quality or promise of quality of the applicant's work;
3. the quality of the conception, definition, organization, and description of the project; and
4. the likelihood that the applicant will complete the project.

Review and selection process

Knowledgeable persons outside NEH will read each application and advise the agency about its merits. The Endowment's staff comments on matters of fact or on significant issues that would otherwise be missing from these reviews, and then makes recommendations to the National Council on the Humanities. The National Council meets at various times during the year to advise the NEH chairman on grants. The chairman takes into account the advice provided by the review process and, by law, makes all funding decisions.

Award notices

Applicants will be notified by letter in late March 2005.

Administrative requirements

Before submitting an application, you should review NEH's Research Misconduct Policy and the certification requirements..