NEH Preservation and Access Research and Development Grants CFDA 45.149

Preservation and Access Research and Development grants support projects that address major challenges in preserving or providing access to humanities collections and resources. These challenges include the need to find better ways to preserve materials of critical importance to the nation’s cultural heritage—from fragile artifacts and manuscripts to analog recordings and digital assets subject to technological obsolescence—and to develop advanced modes of searching, discovering, and using such materials. Applicants should define a specific problem, devise procedures and potential solutions, and explain how they would evaluate their projects and disseminate their findings. Project results must serve the needs of a significant number of humanists.
Applications are due by May 16, 2012.

Applicants should define a specific problem, devise procedures and potential solutions, and explain how they would evaluate their projects and disseminate their findings. Project results must serve the needs of a significant number of humanists.

Eligible Projects Include

• the development of technical standards, best practices, and tools for preserving and creating access to humanities collections;
• the exploration of more effective scientific and technical methods of preserving humanities collections;
• the development of automated procedures and computational tools to integrate, analyze, and repurpose humanities data in disparate online resources; and
• the investigation and testing of new ways of providing digital access to humanities materials that are not easily digitized using current methods.

NEH especially encourages applications that address the following topics:

• Digital Preservation: how to preserve digital humanities materials, including born-digital materials;
• Recorded Sound and Moving Image Collections: how to preserve and increase access to the record of the twentieth century contained in these formats; and
• Preventive Conservation: how to protect humanities collections and slow their deterioration through the use of sustainable preservation strategies.

Collaboration is a hallmark of research and development projects. Projects that present advanced models of collaboration, especially among humanities professionals, research scientists, and other technical experts, are welcome. Projects to develop standards or best practices should be guided by advisers representative of the profession.

Successful applicants must create a white paper that describes the lessons learned during the conduct of the project (both positive and negative). The white paper should also document any software or techniques resulting from the project. White papers will be posted on the NEH website so that others may benefit from the research.

 

Types of projects not supported

Preservation and Access Research and Development grants cannot be used for projects whose primary activity involves the digitization of materials or the creation of a database. Applicants may, however, undertake such activities insofar as they further research and development—for example, by creating a testbed. Applicants proposing to focus strictly on digitizing humanities collections or creating reference resources should apply to the Humanities Collections and Reference Resources program.

Previously funded projectsAn institution whose project has received NEH support may apply for a grant for a new or subsequent stage of that project. These proposals receive no special consideration and will be judged by the same criteria as others in the grant competition. In addition, these proposals must include a description of the new activities and a justification of the new budget. The applicant must also describe how the previously funded project met its goals.

Providing access to grant productsAs a taxpayer-supported federal agency, NEH endeavors to make the products of its grants available to the broadest possible audience. Our goal is for scholars, educators, students, and the American public to have ready and easy access to the wide range of NEH grant products. For the Preservation and Access Research and Development program, such products may include digital tools, software, and websites. For projects that lead to the development of such products, all other considerations being equal, NEH gives preference to those that provide free access to the public. Detailed guidance on access and dissemination matters can be found below, in the Dissemination section.

 

Award InformationThe maximum award is $350,000 for up to three years. Applicants whose projects focus on at least one of the three areas of special interest noted above may request up to $400,000. Successful applicants will be awarded a grant in outright funds, federal matching funds, or a combination of the two, depending on the applicant’s preference and the availability of NEH funds. Matching funds are released when a grantee secures gift funds from eligible third parties.

(Learn more about different types of grant funding.)

Cost sharing

Cost sharing consists of the cash contributions made to a project by the applicant, third parties, and other federal agencies, as well as third party in-kind contributions, such as donated services and goods. Cost sharing also includes gift money raised to release federal matching funds. Although cost sharing is not required, NEH is rarely able to support the full costs of projects approved for funding. In most cases, NEH Preservation and Access Research and Development grants cover no more than 80 percent of project costs.

Document Type: Grants Notice
Funding Opportunity Number: 20120516-PR 
Opportunity Category: Discretionary
Posted Date: Mar 07, 2012 
Creation Date: Mar 01, 2012 
Original Closing Date for Applications: May 16, 2012    
Current Closing Date for Applications: May 16, 2012    
Archive Date: Jun 15, 2012 
Funding Instrument Type: Grant
Category of Funding Activity: Humanities (see "Cultural Affairs" in CFDA)
Category Explanation:
Expected Number of Awards:
Estimated Total Program Funding:
Award Ceiling: $350,000
Award Floor: $0
CFDA Number(s): 45.149 -- Promotion of the Humanities_Division of Preservation and Access
Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement: No

http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/PARD.html