The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Division of Public Programs is accepting applications for the Media Projects program.
Donor Name: National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 08/10/2022
Size of the Grant: Up to $1,000,000
Grant Duration: 3 years
Details:
The purpose of this program is to support collaboration between media producers and scholars to develop humanities content and to prepare documentary films, radio, and podcasts that engage public audiences with humanities ideas in creative and appealing ways. All projects must be grounded in humanities scholarship.
Funding levels
Media Projects offers two levels of funding: Development and Production.
Development
Development awards (up to $75,000) enable media producers to collaborate with scholars to develop humanities content along with other program elements. Awards must result in a script or detailed treatment(s). You may also use a Development award to plan for outreach and public engagement.
Prior to applying for a Development award, you should have:
- assessed the major humanities scholarship related to the subject
- identified humanities themes assembled a group of humanities scholars to serve as advisers, and other experts if applicable
- consulted with the humanities scholars to clarify the project’s interpretive ideas
- formed a media team to see the project through its development period
- identified resources (such as archival materials and potential interviewees)
Development awards may support activities such as:
- meetings with scholars
- research and preliminary interviews (including scholarly research and development of humanities themes)
- preparation of program treatments or scripts
- production of a work-in-progress or trailer
- creation of partnerships for outreach activities and public engagement
Production
Production awards (up to $700,000) must result in the production and distribution of radio, podcast, television, and long- or short-form documentary film projects.
Prior to applying for a Production award, you should have:
- conducted extensive research on your subject, including archival work and preliminary interviews
- identified humanities themes
- involved humanities scholars in creating and interpreting the project’s content
- drafted the script or detailed treatment(s)
- designed your plans for distribution, outreach, and partnerships
Production awards may support activities such as:
- archival research and rights clearances
- meetings with scholars
- additional script development
- production (including filming, recording, and editing) and distribution
- development of related resources, such as websites, that explore the humanities content and themes central to the project
- outreach and public engagement
Chair’s Special Awards
Within the Production level, NEH will occasionally make Chair’s Special Awards (up to $1,000,000) for projects of exceptional significance, audience reach, and complexity. A Chair’s Special Award should examine important humanities ideas in new ways and demonstrate the potential to reach especially large audiences. These goals can often be accomplished by combining a variety of program formats, forming creative collaborations among diverse institutions, and significantly expanding the scope and reach of the project. Chair’s Special Awards are rare; NEH typically awards no more than one per year
Funding Information
- Development: Up to $75,000
- Production: Up to $700,000 (up to $1,000,000 for Chair’s Special Awards)
- Development: six to twelve months
- Production: one to three years
- Projects submitted to the August 2022 deadline must start between May 1, 2023 and November 1, 2023.
- Projects submitted to the January 2023 deadline must start between October 1, 2023 and April 1, 2024
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible to apply, you must be established in the United States or its jurisdictions as one of the following organization types:
- a nonprofit organization recognized as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code
- an accredited institution of higher education (public or nonprofit)
- a state or local government or one of their agencies
- a federally recognized Native American tribal government
Eligible organizations are encouraged to partner with independent producers and other skilled professionals to carry out programmatic activities. Under this arrangement, the lead applicant submits the application on behalf of the partnership(s). Lead applicants must not function solely as fiscal agents or fiscal sponsors, but should make substantive contributions to the success of the project. If the application is funded, the applicant is considered the recipient of record and assumes all programmatic, financial, and legal responsibilities associated with the award, including adherence to, and compliance with, federal regulations and the terms and conditions of the award
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
