NEH Seeking HCRR Grant Applications

The Division of Preservation and Access of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) will be accepting applications for grants from its Humanities Collections and Reference Resources (HCRR) program.

These grants support projects to preserve and create intellectual access to such collections as books, journals, manuscript and archival materials, maps, still and moving images, sound recordings, art, and objects of material culture. Awards also support the creation of reference works, online resources, and research tools of major importance to the humanities.

HCRR offers two kinds of awards:

HCRR Foundations Grants - $40,000 maximum for up to two years. To help in the formative stages of initiatives to preserve and create access to humanities collections or to produce reference resources, Foundations grants will support planning, assessment, and pilot activities that incorporate expertise from a mix of professional domains.

Drawing upon the cooperation of humanities scholars and technical specialists, these projects might encompass efforts to prepare for establishing intellectual control of collections, to develop plans and priorities for digitizing collections, to solidify collaborative frameworks and strategic plans for complex digital reference resources, or to produce preliminary versions of online collections or resources.

Implementation Grants - $350,000 maximum for up to three years.

Eligible activities include:

• arranging and describing archival and manuscript collections
• cataloging collections of printed works, photographs, recorded sound, moving images, art, and material culture
• providing conservation treatment (including deacidification) for collections, leading to enhanced access
• digitizing collections
• preserving and improving access to born-digital sources
• developing databases, virtual collections, or other electronic resources to codify information on a subject or to provide integrated access to selected humanities materials
• creating encyclopedias
• preparing linguistic tools, such as historical and etymological dictionaries, corpora, and reference grammars
• developing tools for spatial analysis and representation of humanities data, such as atlases and geographic information systems (GIS)
• designing digital tools to facilitate use of humanities resources

New guidelines for HCRR have now been posted, along with sample proposal narratives, FAQs, and other resources. The application deadline is July 18, 2013, with projects beginning May 2014. All applications to NEH must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov. See guidelines for details.

Prospective applicants seeking further information are encouraged to contact the Division at 202-606-8570 or preservation@neh.gov. Program staff will read draft proposals submitted six weeks before the deadline.

If you intend to apply and need help with your grant proposal, contact Amigos Imaging & Preservation Service Manager Gina Minks, minks@amigos.org or 800-843-8482, ext. 2825.