NEH Summer Stipend Competition

Subject:         NEH SummerStipends

Sponsor:        National Endowment for the Humanities

Intent to Submit:                    September 6, 2017

Internal UMD deadline:         September 15, 2017

Sponsor Deadline:                 September 27, 2017

Summer Stipends support individuals pursuing advanced research that is of value to humanities scholars, general audiences, or both. Eligible projects usually result in articles, monographs, books, digital materials and publications, archaeological site reports, translations, or editions. Summer Stipends support continuous full-time work on a humanities project for a period of two consecutive months. Summer Stipends support projects at any stage of development.

NEH invites projects related to its initiative, The Common Good: The Humanities in the Public Square. This initiative seeks to connect the study of the humanities to the current conditions of national life. Many of today’s challenges require more than ever the forms of understanding and knowledge represented by the humanities. They require the broadest possible engagement of scholars and the public with the resources of the humanities, including but not limited to the study of language, literature, history, philosophy, comparative religion, and ethics. The study of the humanities can help illuminate the complexity of many contemporary challenges while enriching our understanding of the common good. Note that the Common Good initiative incorporates the Standing Together initiative, which encourages projects related to war and military service.

In response to the destruction of cultural heritage materials worldwide, NEH encourages applications for projects that study, document, or create digital representations of lost or imperiled cultural heritage materials. Proposed projects should be based on scholarly work and follow standards and best practices. Projects must demonstrate the capacity to be sustained and must be widely accessible to the public. For more information click here.

The Summer Stipends program will give equal consideration to all applications in accordance with the program’s evaluation criteria, whether or not they respond to the Common Good initiative or the Standing Together initiative or focus on lost or imperiled cultural heritage materials.

Award Information: Summer Stipends provide $6,000 for two consecutive months of full-time research and writing. Recipients must work full-time on their projects for these two months and may hold other research grants supporting the same project during this time. Summer Stipends normally support work carried out during the summer months, but arrangements can be made for other times of the year.

Further information about the program and the submission process is available on the National Endowment for the Humanities site at: http://www.neh.gov/grants/research/summer-stipends.

Campus Nomination Process

The NEH Summer Stipends program allows two (2) nominees per institution. Faculty who wish to submit a proposal for consideration for a nomination, should send an “intent to submit” notice to Dr. Daryle Williams, Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, no later than close of business on Wednesday, September 6, 2017. A three-page, single-spaced narrative and a two-page resume are due to Associate Dean Williams no later than close of business on Friday, September 15, 2017. Campus nominees will be notified no later than Monday, September 25, 2017. The final submission deadline is Wednesday, September 27, 2017.

All materials submitted for consideration for a campus nomination must follow the NEH guidelines found at the link noted above. Materials that do not conform to the published guidelines will not be considered.

Questions may be directed to Daryle Williams <daryle@umd.edu>. TEL: 301-405-2091

Information Session

All applicants who submit an “intent to submit” notice by September 6, 2017 are invited to an information session on Tuesday, September 7, 2017, from 11:30am-12:30pm in 1102J Francis Scott Key Hall. This session will provide applicants with information and guidance on their proposals and the review process, as well as sample successful applications.

Note

Despite the budget uncertainties inherent in the FY18 federal budget, the NEH has circulated communication to campus nominating officials to encourage submissions as usual. Given how much more of the federal budget process remains to be completed, the NEH believes it is wise to continue accepting and reviewing applications for all NEH programs.