National Digital Newspaper Program

The National Digital Newspaper Program is administered by the National Endowment for the Humanities through its Division of Preservation and Access in partnership with the Library of Congress. The program’s central goal is to create a national digital resource of historically significant newspapers published between 1690 and 1963. These resources are permanently maintained by the Library of Congress and made freely accessible through the Chronicling America database. The program not only creates a searchable online repository of digitized newspapers but also maintains a national directory of bibliographic and holdings information to guide users to newspaper titles in various formats. Since its inception, the program has served as a cornerstone in preserving cultural and historical records and ensuring public access to primary sources that reflect the nation’s political, economic, and cultural history. Applications to this program are invited from eligible institutions that are positioned to digitize newspaper content and contribute approximately 100,000 pages per award period, usually working from master microfilm copies. The scope of the program emphasizes digitizing newspapers published within current state and jurisdictional boundaries, though exceptions may be justified when the newspapers in question hold significant cultural or historical value outside of those boundaries. Applicants are required to establish advisory boards to guide newspaper selection and dissemination. Advisory boards may include scholars, librarians, archivists, teachers, and traditional knowledge keepers. Selection priorities vary depending on whether a state or jurisdiction is applying for its first three awards, or subsequent ones, with the latter encouraging greater diversity of content and perspectives, such as early American newspapers or underrepresented voices in historical records. The program funds activities that include technical digitization according to Library of Congress guidelines, the creation of metadata and title essays, and outreach activities that promote use of the digitized materials. However, restrictions prohibit the digitization of materials outside the 1690 to 1963 period, copyrighted works, or materials not fitting the Library’s definition of newspapers. Additional funding restrictions include unallowable costs such as advocacy, lobbying, or unrelated diversity and environmental initiatives. Awards are structured as cooperative agreements, which allow NEH and the Library of Congress to play an active role in oversight, consultation, and technical compliance. Awardees must also attend required workshops and program meetings, provide quarterly data deliveries, and submit materials for review by the Library of Congress. Funding for fiscal year 2026 is anticipated at approximately $2,500,000 with an estimated ten awards to be made. The maximum award for individual applicants is $325,000, and the period of performance is up to two years, beginning September 1, 2026. These are outright funds, meaning they are not contingent upon additional funding sources, and no cost sharing or matching funds are required. The number of awards to a given state or jurisdiction may also influence selection decisions, as the program seeks to distribute resources equitably while rewarding demonstrated capacity and performance. While voluntary cost sharing is allowed, it will not be factored into the evaluation of applications. Eligibility is open to nonprofit organizations recognized as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, accredited public and nonprofit institutions of higher education, state and local governments and their agencies, and federally recognized Native American Tribal governments. Individuals, foreign institutions, and for-profit entities are not eligible. Applicants may apply on behalf of consortia, but the primary applicant must take on full legal, fiscal, and programmatic responsibility for the award. Only one application per organization will be accepted under this notice. Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov using the Workspace system. Required components include a narrative, work plan, résumés, advisory board member list, budget, and supplementary forms. The narrative is limited to 15 single-spaced pages and must address history and scope, methodology and standards, dissemination, and staffing. Applications that are incomplete, ineligible, exceed page limits, or include unallowable costs will not be considered. Applicants must be registered in SAM.gov and Grants.gov with an active Unique Entity Identifier. NEH strongly recommends early submission to correct potential technical issues before the deadline. The deadline for full applications is January 15, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. NEH anticipates announcing awards in August 2026, with projects beginning September 1, 2026. Applications will be evaluated by peer reviewers according to the applicant’s knowledge of newspaper collections, capacity to meet technical standards, dissemination plans, qualifications of staff, and reasonableness of budget. Following peer review, NEH staff and the National Council on the Humanities will make recommendations to the NEH Chair, who has final decision-making authority. Award notices will be issued through NEH’s grant management system, eGMS Reach. For programmatic questions, applicants may contact the Division of Preservation and Access at preservation@neh.gov or by phone at 202-606-8570. Questions related to grants administration may be directed to grantmanagement@neh.gov or 202-606-8494. Technical support for Grants.gov and SAM.gov is available through their respective service desks. Published on August 20, 2025, this notice represents the official funding opportunity announcement for the 2026 cycle of the National Digital Newspaper Program.