National Endowment for the Humanities
Promotion of the Humanities Division of Preservation and Access
Key facts
- Open now
- None right now
- Type of help
- Project grant
- Typical award
- Award amounts vary by program; for example the Preservation Assistance Grants program makes awards up to $10,000 while Humanities Collections and Reference Resources makes awards up to $350,000. In FY2022, the...
- Deadlines
- Varies by program; see https://www.neh.gov/divisions/preservation.
What it pays for
This program supports enhanced free, public access to historical U.S. newspapers. Recipients will digitize newspapers published in U.S. states or jurisdictions for ingest into Chronicling America, produce title essays to accompany digitized newspapers, and create educational materials and/or other digital initiatives to increase the use of Chronicling America.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants include U.S. nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, public and 501(c)(3) accredited institutions of higher education, state and local governmental agencies, and federally recognized Native American Tribal governments.
How applications are judged
NEH uses the following criteria to determine funding priorities: the significance and potential impact of the project, either for preserving and establishing intellectual access to important humanities resources or for improving the infrastructure for preservation and access activities in the country's academic and 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. NEH gives preference to projects that provide free, online access to digital materials produced with grant funds. See E1. Review Criteria of the relevant Notice of Funding Opportunity for detailed criteria.
Match
None required (federal program listing).
Examples of funded projects
Fiscal year 2023: You can find past recipients of Preservation & Access awards using the NEH's Funded Projects Query Form, available online at https://securegrants.neh.gov/publicquery/main.aspx.
Fiscal year 2025: The Oregon Digital Newspaper Program (ODNP) will digitize 100,000 pages of historic Oregon newspaper content for inclusion in NDNP�s Chronicling America website, focusing on titles related to four interconnected themes: (1) labor movements, (2) faith communities, (3) racial, ethnic, and linguistic minorities, and (4) enhanced geographical and chronological coverage.
Who in Tennessee has won this program
3 awards to Tennessee groups since 2018 · 1 in Davidson County. Largest shown:
| Past winner | Where | Amount | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | $50K spent that year | 2024 |
| Friends of the Knox County Public Library | Knoxville, Knox County | $6,115 | 2020 |
| Nashville Public Library Foundation | Nashville, Davidson County | $6,000 | 2018 |
Source: Federal Audit Clearinghouse, USAspending.gov.
Tennessee groups that got this money through a state agency or another organization
This federal money also reaches local groups as pass-through grants. 3 pass-through grants on file · 1 in Davidson County. Largest shown:
| Past winner | Where | Through | Amount | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | Texas a & M University, College Station | $68K | 2023 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville | Texas a & M University | $25K spent that year | 2025 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | Wake Forest University | $13K spent that year | 2024 |
Source: USAspending.gov pass-through reports (the first recipient reports each one of $30,000 or more).