When is the application deadline?

The deadline to submit your application is December 7, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST).

When will the awardees be announced?

Awardees will be notified and announced in March 2022.

What is the maximum amount of funding that can be requested?

Applicants may request no more than $100,000 in support, including any overhead (also known as indirect costs).

What is the total number of awards that will be granted?

We will give approximately 20 awards.

Can university departments apply directly for funding, or do universities apply on their behalf?

Individual departments can apply directly, but you will need to check that your university has not already received American Rescue Plan funding from NEH. If your university has received ARP NEH funding, your department is not eligible to apply.

If my organization received ARP NEH funding, but my institution within that organization did not receive funding and uses a different DUNS number, is my institution eligible to apply?

If an institution uses a different DUNS number than an existing ARP-O award recipient, representing a different part of the institution, and there’s no overlap between projects, they should be eligible to apply to the subrecipient award program considering all other eligibility requirements have been met.

Can more than one department within an institution apply?

Multiple departments within an institution may apply, however the proposed activities must be substantially different.

Are there time constraints on when the proposed project should begin and end?

Projects may begin as early as April 1, 2022, and must begin no later than June 1, 2022. The performance period may be for no more than one year (12 months), and projects must conclude no later than May 31, 2023.

What kind of institutions qualify for this grant?

The SSRC encourages applications from colleges, universities, and nonprofit humanities research or educational organizations (with 501(c)(3) status) located in the United States.

What sort of projects qualify for this grant?

Projects that emphasize topics, themes, and approaches related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as applications from minority-serving institutions (MSIs) are welcome to apply for this grant. This can take the form of programming, teaching, or research focused on issues of inequality and the role the humanities can play in understanding and addressing large shifts in culture, society, and the nation. Applicants may also propose activities that help mitigate the financial and social impact that the pandemic had on diverse and inclusive staffing, programming, sustaining crucial humanities resources, and building and/or retaining audiences.

Can this grant provide support for staffing, including students and research assistants?

Yes, staffing can be supported, such as at a humanities center or other humanities institution where the positions are under threat due to funding restrictions related to the pandemic.

Can this grant be used to help sustain critical humanities projects that are used widely by researchers or teachers?

Yes! Particularly those that address inequality or reach underserved populations.

Is my institution eligible if we received NEH CARES funding in 2020?

Yes, past recipients of NEH CARES funding are eligible to apply.

Is my institution eligible if we received NEH American Rescue Plan funding in 2021?

No, past recipients of NEH American Rescue Plan funding are not eligible to apply. If you have a question about this, please ask by contacting us at nehrescue@ssrc.org.

What are the components of the application form?

• Application Form – Project Information
• Institution or Organization
• Contact Information of Institutional Representative (responsible for grant management, and SHIP narrative and financial reporting requirements)
• Name of Program/Center/Unit/ Department within Institution
• Tax Exempt Status and EIN Number
• DUNS Number
• Prior Funding
• Certificate of Federal Negotiated Overhead Rate (if requesting overhead)
• Contact Information of Lead PI
• Title of Project
• Brief Description of Project (250 words)
• Start and End Date of Proposed Grant
• List of Participants (note: the list of participants may include additional PIs)

Are there limits or exclusions to what we can request in our budget?

Yes, due to federal restrictions, organizations can not use funds for the following purposes:

(1) overlapping project costs with any other pending or approved application(s) for federal funding and/or approved federal awards
(2) competitive regranting
(3) cancellation costs
(4) pre-award costs incurred more than 90 days before the subrecipient’s period of performance
(5) equipment costs in excess of 20% of total project costs
(6) travel (both foreign and domestic)
(6) construction, purchase of real property, major alteration and renovation
(7) collections acquisition
(8) the preservation, organization, or description of materials that are not regularly accessible for research, education, or public programming
(9) promotion of a particular political, religious, or ideological point of view
(10) advocacy of a particular program of social or political action
(11) support of specific public policies or legislation
(12) lobbying
(13) projects that fall outside of the humanities and the humanistic social sciences (including the creation or performance of art; creative writing, autobiographies, memoirs, and creative nonfiction; and quantitative social science research or policy studies) (14) for any eligible American organization located overseas, support of non-US citizens
(15) Program costs must meet the following general criteria in order to be allowable under Federal awards:
(a) Be necessary and reasonable for the performance of the award and be allocable thereto under these principles.
(b) Conform to any limitations or exclusions set forth in these principles or in the Federal award as to types or amount of cost items.
(c) Be consistent with policies and procedures that apply uniformly to both federally-financed and other activities of the non-Federal entity.
(d) Be accorded consistent treatment. A cost may not be assigned to a Federal award as a direct cost if any other cost incurred for the same purpose in like circumstances has been allocated to the Federal award as an indirect cost.
(e) Be determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), except, for state and local governments and Indian tribes only, as otherwise provided for in this part.
(f) Not be included as a cost or used to meet cost sharing or matching requirements of any other federally-financed program in either the current or a prior period.
(g) Be adequately documented.
(h) Cost must be incurred during the approved budget period.

Can I pay for travel costs with this award?

In light of the coronavirus pandemic and as a matter of programmatic policy, travel (both foreign and domestic) is disallowed in this program.

Will additional documentation be necessary if our organization is offered an award through this program?

Maybe. For example, US nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status may be asked to submit additional documentation such as their Certification of Incorporation, last available Audited Financial Statement, and/or List of Board Members.