NEH Grants Supporting Public Philosophy


At the recent Eastern Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association (APA), in a session organized by theĀ APA’s Committee on Public Philosophy, Peter Fristedt and Mark Silver of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) described various grant programs available to philosophers interested in obtaining support for work in public philosophy. Mr. Fristedt kindly summarized their presentation and sent it here to post for the benefit of those unable to attend the session.


NEH GRANTS SUPPORTING PUBLIC PHILOSOPHY

1. Division of Research Programs

The Division of Research Programs supports scholarly research that advances knowledge and understanding of the humanities, including philosophy. Awards are made to scholars working on research projects of significance to specific humanities fields and to the humanities as a whole.

PUBLIC SCHOLAR PROGRAM
The Public Scholar Program supports well-researched books in the humanities intended to reach a broad readership. Books supported by this program must be grounded in humanities research and scholarship, must address significant humanities themes likely to be of broad interest, and must be written in a readily accessible style. The program supports work at any stage of development, and is open to both individuals affiliated with scholarly institutions and independent scholars. Awards are $4,200 per full-time month for periods of six to twelve months.
http://www.neh.gov/grants/research/public-scholar-program or write [email protected]
Deadline: February 2, 2016

FELLOWSHIPS
Fellowships support individuals pursuing advanced research in the humanities that contributes to scholarly knowledge or to the general public’s understanding of the humanities. Applicants may be faculty or staff members of colleges or universities, or of primary or secondary schools, or independent scholars or writers. Support is provided for projects that can be completed during the tenure of the award as well as for work that is part of a long-term endeavor. Recipients usually produce scholarly articles, monographs on specialized subjects, books on broad topics, archaeological site reports, translations, editions, or other scholarly tools. Awards are $4,200 per month for periods of six to twelve months.
http://www.neh.gov/grants/research/fellowships or write [email protected]
Deadline: April 28, 2016

AWARDS FOR FACULTY at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and Tribal Colleges and Universities
Awards to Faculty support individual faculty and staff members at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and Tribal Colleges and Universities. Awards allow for a range research-related endeavors, including conducting research in primary and secondary materials, writing books and articles based on such research, undertaking research in response to institutional or community needs and aims, and incorporating new research into existing classes. Awards are designed to be flexible. Grants provide time-flexible support for projects that can be completed during the tenure of the award, as well as for work that is part of a long-term endeavor. Awards are $4,200 per month for periods of two to twelve monthsā€™ tenure (or its equivalent).
http://www.neh.gov/grants/research/awardsfaculty-historically-black-colleges-and-universities or write [email protected]
Deadline: April 13, 2016

SUMMER STIPENDS
Summer Stipends provide individuals with an opportunity to pursue research that contributes to scholarly knowledge or to the public’s understanding of the humanities. Projects may be completed during the tenure of an award or they may represent part of a long-term endeavor. Recipients usually produce scholarly articles, a monograph on a specialized subject, a book on a broad topic, an archaeological site report, a translation, an edition, a database, or other scholarly tools. The award is $6,000 for two consecutive months of full-time research and writing. Summer Stipends require institutional nomination. Individuals affiliated with institutions of higher education who are interested in Summer Stipends should check with their sponsored research offices for details.
http://www.neh.gov/grants/research/summerstipends or write [email protected]
Deadline: September 29, 2016

2. Division of Public Programs

The Division of Public Programs supports a wide range of programs that promote active exploration and engagement for broad public audiences in history, philosophy, literature, archaeology, art history, comparative religion, and other fields of the humanities.

MUSEUMS, LIBRARIES, AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS
Museums, Libraries, and Cultural Organizations grants support interpretive exhibitions and programs at museums, libraries, historic sites and historical and cultural organizations.

  • Planning Grants (up to $75,000) support the development of the content, the interpretive approach, and the exploration of potential formats.
  • Implementation Grants (up to $400,000) support the final interpretation, design, and production of the project.
  • Chairmanā€™s Special Awards (up to $1,000,000) are implementation grants that support large-scale projects of national visibility that have exceptional potential for attracting large audiences. These projects should show unusual promise in terms of disseminating important ideas in the humanities.

Organizations applying for a MLCO grant at the Implementation level may request additional funding of up to $60,000 to support a two-year, full-time Position in Public Humanities for recent graduates with an advanced degree in humanities disciplines.
http://www.neh.gov/grants/public/museums-libraries-and-cultural-organizations-planning-grants
http://www.neh.gov/grants/public/museums-libraries-and-cultural-organizations-implementationgrants
Deadlines: August 2016 and January 2017

MEDIA PROJECTS
he Media Projects program supports film, television and radio programs that explore significant events, figures, or subjects in the humanities. Three levels of support are offered:

  • Development Grants (up to $75,000) fund the exploratory stages of a media project, having begun scholarly consultation and collaboration, refinement of the humanities themes, script development and pre-production work.
  • Production Grants (up to $650,000) support the end-stage work of a media project: the filming, recording, editing and outreach activities that turn a great humanities idea into a publically-engaging film, television or radio project.
  • Chairmanā€™s Special Awards (up to $1,000,000), offered at the Production level only, support large-scale projects of national visibility that have exceptional potential for attracting large audiences. These projects should show unusual promise in terms of disseminating important ideas in the humanities.

http://www.neh.gov/grants/public/media-projects-development-grants
http://www.neh.gov/grants/public/media-projects-production-grants
Deadlines: August 2016 and January 2017

DIGITAL PROJECTS FOR THE PUBLIC
Digital Projects for the Public welcomes applications projects that explore the humanities exclusively through digital and experiential platforms such as games, websites, mobile applications, curated online exhibits, site-specific/augmented-reality engagements, virtual reality environments and transmedia story experiences. Three levels of funding are available in the Digital Projects for the Public program:

  • Discovery Grants (up to $30,000) support the exploratory stages of a digital project, including consultation, refinement of the humanities themes, analysis of potential platforms and the creation of a design document.
  • Prototyping Grants (up to $100,000) support the creation of a proof-of-concept prototype and other activities including: the further refinement of humanities content, consultation with scholars and digital media experts, scripting, user interface and backend development, audience evaluation and testing.
  • Production Grants (up to $400,000) support the final stages of a digital project, including: prototype refinement and beta testing, audience outreach, project distribution and public programming.

http://www.neh.gov/grants/public/digital-projects-the-public
Deadline: June 8, 2016

HUMANITIES IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE
Humanities in the Public Square (up to $300,000) is a new grant program based on NEHā€™s Common Good initiative that is designed to demonstrate the vital role that the humanities can play in our public life. The program welcomes projects that draw on humanities scholarship to engage the public in some of todayā€™s most challenging issues and pressing concerns. Organizations are encouraged to think creatively about what discussion topics would resonate and be most meaningful to their communities.

Deadline: TBD, possibly as early as August 2016 N.B. The requirements and title of this grant program will change as it undergoes a revision. See www.neh.gov for developments

MORE INFORMATION:

PROCESS
Program officers from Research Programs and Public Programs will answer questions about the application and review process, and (depending on the grant program) will work with applicants to hone their proposal prior to submission. After review, every application submitted is eligible to receive further feedback from an NEH program officer and a panel of content experts and/or professionals in museums, media or digital fields.

CONTACT
Have an idea for a project? Wondering if youā€™re eligible to apply? Want some clarification on the application process? Contact Public Programs staff via email at [email protected] or call 202.606.8269; Research Programs staff can be reached at [email protected] or 202-606-8200. Other grant-making divisions and offices at the agency can be found at www.neh.gov/divisions.

FOLLOW
Stay up-to-date on Public Programs grant resources and announcements by following us on Twitter, @NEH_PubPrograms, or by visiting www.neh.gov/divisions/publicprograms; follow Research Programs at @NEH_Research or visit www.neh.gov/divisions/research.

NEH logo 2

Disputed Moral Issues - Mark Timmons - Oxford University Press
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

1 Comment
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Eddy Nahmias
Eddy Nahmias
8 years ago

Awesome! Thanks for this set of projects, NEH. I hope philosophers will produce some good public works.