Scholarly Editions and Translations

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), through its Division of Research Programs, offers the Scholarly Editions and Translations program to support collaborative projects that make foundational humanities texts accessible. Established in 1966, this program provides resources for editing, annotating, and translating materials that are vital to new scholarship but otherwise unavailable or only accessible through inadequate editions or translations. The program reflects NEH’s mission to broaden access to key historical, literary, philosophical, and cultural works while ensuring scholarly rigor and public benefit. The funding opportunity is structured around three levels: Planning, Implementation, and Implementation Chairman’s Special Awards. Planning awards provide up to $65,000 over one to two years for preliminary activities such as establishing editorial and translation policies, collecting documents, identifying collaborators, and preparing sustainability and access plans. Implementation awards support projects for one to three years with up to $100,000 per year in outright funding plus $50,000 per year in matching funds, allowing for a maximum of $450,000. Chairman’s Special Awards in American History and Culture offer up to $1,000,000 over five years for projects of exceptional significance focused on major figures in U.S. history. Eligible uses of funds include salaries for project staff, travel to collections, consultant fees, transcription, annotation, digital encoding, and dissemination. Applicants must be nonprofit organizations recognized under section 501(c)(3), accredited institutions of higher education, state or local governments, or federally recognized Native American tribal governments. Individuals and foreign or for-profit entities are not eligible. Projects must involve at least two scholars working collaboratively, and all proposed editions or translations must include introductions, annotations, and scholarly apparatus. Translation projects must bring works into English, and projects must comply with best practices outlined by the Association for Documentary Editing or the Modern Language Association. NEH strongly encourages projects that provide free public digital access when possible. Certain activities are prohibited, such as preparing textbooks, anthologies, or translations of texts by living authors. Applications are submitted through Grants.gov using opportunity number 20241127-RQ. Required materials include a narrative of up to twelve pages, a detailed work plan, list of key personnel, résumés, bibliography, and samples of original and final edited materials. Appendices may include copyright permissions, publisher interest, and letters of support. Reviewers evaluate proposals based on significance, methods and execution, collaborators’ qualifications, feasibility of the work plan, and dissemination goals. Applications undergo NEH staff review, peer review, and final selection by the National Council on the Humanities and the NEH Chair. The program accepts optional draft proposals for feedback by September 30, 2024, or September 29, 2025. Final applications are due December 4, 2024, or December 3, 2025. Applicants will be notified of awards in August of the following year, with projects beginning between October 1 and September 1 of the relevant cycle. Approximately $5,000,000 is expected to be available per deadline, with around 20 awards anticipated. Performance periods vary from one to three years for most projects and five years for Chairman’s Special Awards. Throughout the award, recipients must comply with federal grant regulations, reporting requirements, and NEH’s policies on access, accessibility, and use of funds. Annual financial and performance reports are required, along with a final report within 120 days of the performance end date. Program officers encourage prospective applicants to review previously funded projects for guidance, and additional related funding may be available through agencies such as the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. The NEH provides direct assistance through its Division of Research at editions@neh.gov or 202-606-8200.