Promotion of the Humanities-Division of Preservation and Access (45.149)
Program
45.149 Promotion of the Humanities-Division of Preservation and Access
Federal Agency
NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES, NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES
Authorization
National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965, as amended, Public Law 89-209, 20 U.S.C. 951 et seq.
Program Number
45.149
Last Known Status
Active
Objectives
To fund, wholly or partially, projects that will promote the preservation of and provide intellectual access to resources held in libraries, museums, archives, historical organizations, and other collections that are important for research, education, and public programming in the humanities.
Types of Assistance
Project Grants.
Uses and Use Restrictions
Grants support: a coordinated, national program for the preservation of brittle books and serials in college and university libraries; the bibliographic control of printed works; the arrangement, description and preservation of archival collections, still and moving images, and recorded sound collections; archival surveys; the documentation of collections of art and material culture; projects to produce bibliographies, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other research tools and reference works; professional training in preservation administration and in the care of material culture collections; the stabilization of material culture collections; the work of regional preservation services; general preservation assessments and special consultations; research to improve preservation technology and procedures; projects designed to increase public understanding of preservation and access issues; and a national program for the cataloging and preservation of U.S. newspapers on a state-by-state basis. Expenses may include salaries and wages, consultant and other contract services, supplies and limited equipment purchases, travel, and per diem.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicant Eligibility
U.S. citizens and residents; State and local governments; sponsored organizations; public and private nonprofit institutions/organizations; other public institutions/organizations; Federally recognized Indian tribal governments; Native American organizations; U.S. Territories; non-government-general; minority organizations; and other specialized groups; quasi-public nonprofit institutions.
Beneficiary Eligibility
U.S. citizens and residents; State and local governments; sponsored organizations; public and private nonprofit institutions/organizations; other public institutions/organizations; Federally recognized Indian tribal governments; Native American organizations; U.S. Territories; non-government-general; minority organizations; and other specialized groups; quasi-public nonprofit institutions.
Credentials/Documentation
Costs will be determined in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-87 for State and local governments. OMB Circular No. A-21 for educational institutions and OMB Circular No. A- 122 for commercial and nonprofit organizations.
Application and Award Process
Preapplication Coordination
After reading program guidelines, potential applicants should submit brief descriptions of proposed projects prior to formal application to determine eligibility. Telephone and e-mail inquiries are encouraged. The standard application forms as furnished by the Federal agency and required by OMB Circular No. A-102 must be used for this program. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.
Application Procedure
Direct application to Division of Preservation and Access, Room 411. Guidelines and application instructions are available online at http://www.neh.gov/grants/grants.html or are provided upon receipt of initial inquiry outlining eligible project. This program is subject to the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-110.
Award Procedure
Applications are evaluated by scholars in the humanities, museum curators, professionals with expert knowledge of preservation and access methodologies and administrators of libraries, archives, and museums. Awards are made by the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities after recommendation by the National Council on the Humanities.
Deadlines
July 1 for Education and Training applications, for Research and Development applications, and for United States Newspaper Program applications; July 15 for Preserving and Creating Access to Humanities Collections applications and for Reference Materials applications; October 1 for Research and Development applications and for Stabilization of Humanities Collections applications. Write to the Division of Preservation and Access for specific information.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
Appeals
None, but applicant may reapply with a revised proposal.
Renewals
Renewal grants are processed and awarded in competition with and in the same manner as new applications.
Assistance Considerations
Formula and Matching Requirements
Cost-sharing at 33 percent for brittle books and other consortial projects; 50 percent for projects involving the preservation of, or access to archives and other special collections; 50 percent for National Heritage Preservation Program projects (stabilization of material culture collections); and 20 percent for projects for education and training, regional field service programs, research and demonstration projects. Projects to produce bibliographies, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other research tools and reference works require 33 percent cost-sharing.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
Up to 36 months, with the exception of the National Heritage Preservation Program Grants, which may encompass up to 5 years. Funds must be expended during the grant period. Funds are released as required.
Post Assistance Requirements
Reports
Progress reports are required semiannually or annually. Cash reports are required quarterly. Final progress and expenditures reports are due within 90 days after completion or termination of project support by NEH.
Audits
In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A- 133 (Revised, June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133. For nongovernmental recipients, audits are to be carried out in accordance with the provisions set forth in OMB Circular No. A-110, "Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other Nonprofit Organizations Uniform Administrative Requirements" and with OMB Circular No. A-133. In addition, grants are subject to inspection and audits by NEH and other Federal officials.
Records
Documentation of expenditures and other fiscal records must be retained for 3 years following the submission of the final expenditure report.
Program Accomplishments
In fiscal year 2002, 207 applications were received and 73 grants were made. In fiscal year 2003, 212 applications and 70 awards are anticipated. In fiscal year 2004, 210 applications and 70 awards are anticipated.
Financial Information
Account Identification
59-0200-0-1-503.
Obligations
(Grants) FY 02 $17,164,350; and FY 03 est $17,389,055; not available.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
FY 02 from $52,802 to $700,000; average $235,783.
Regulations, Guidelines and Literature
45 CFR 1100 and 1105. Guidelines are available online at http://www.neh.gov/grants.html or upon request from National Endowment for the Humanities, Washington, DC 20506. It is also available from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402, is the Endowment's official publication, "Humanities" by subscription (6 issues annually, $24.00 domestic, $30.00 foreign).
Related Programs
45.164, Promotion of the Humanities_Public Programs.
Information Contacts
Regional or Local Office
Not applicable.
Headquarters Office
Division of Preservation and Access, National Endowment for the Humanities, Room 411, Washington, DC 20506. Telephone: (202) 606-8570. Use the same number for FTS. FAX (202) 606-8639. E-mail: PRESERVATION@NEH.GOV.
Web Site Address
Examples of Funded Projects
(1) An award to support the microfilming of 7,700 volumes on American history, literature, religion, higher education and economic development published between 1800 and 1970 and held by 16 members of a regional library consortium; (2) an award to an urban historical society to locate and catalog approximately 2,000 newspaper titles in the city's surrounding counties; (3) an award to a college to conduct a training program in basic archival practices and policies for staffs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities; (4) an award to a conservation center to provide preservation consultation and information services to regional institutions; (5) an award to an art museum to purchase storage furniture for the rehousing of the museum's collection of Asian art; (6) an award to a university for the creation of a multi-volume dictionary of an ancient Near Eastern language; (7) an award to a State archives to create internet accessible finding aids for collections on environmental history; (8) an award to a museum to create digital images of 5,900 objects from the museum's textile and costume collections for incorporation into a database accessible via the World Wide Web.
Criteria for Selecting Proposals
The criteria used to determine funding priorities include the national significance and potential impact of the project, either for creating, preserving, and establishing intellectual access to important humanities resources or for improving the infrastructure for preservation and access activities in the country's cultural institutions; the soundness of the project's methodology, including its adherence to accepted professional and technical standards or practice; the viability, efficiency, and productivity of the project's plan of work; the professional training and experience of the project's staff in relation to the activity for which support is requested; and the appropriateness of the project's budget.
