National Digital Newspaper Program

The National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP) is a cooperative initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Library of Congress (LOC) designed to preserve and provide free public access to historically significant American newspapers published between 1690 and 1963. Through this partnership, the program builds and maintains a comprehensive, searchable national digital resource of newspapers from all U.S. states and jurisdictions, permanently hosted by the Library of Congress on its Chronicling America website. NEH supports this effort through competitive awards that fund state and jurisdictional projects responsible for digitizing approximately 100,000 newspaper pages over a two-year period following the LOC’s technical specifications. The program contributes to the preservation of American history, culture, and community identity by expanding access to primary sources that illuminate diverse social, political, and regional perspectives. Administered by NEH’s Division of Preservation and Access, the NDNP seeks proposals from eligible organizations that can identify and prepare historically valuable newspapers for digitization. Applicants are encouraged to form collaborations among state libraries, universities, archives, and other cultural heritage institutions to manage production workflows, ensure quality control, and facilitate public engagement with digitized content. Projects must include an advisory board comprising scholars, librarians, archivists, and educators who guide title selection and dissemination strategies. NEH emphasizes digitization from master microfilm negatives, adherence to LOC’s file standards (TIFF, JP2, OCR, metadata), and the inclusion of diverse and underrepresented voices in historical documentation. Funding under this opportunity is provided through cooperative agreements in which NEH maintains substantial programmatic involvement in collaboration with LOC. Approximately $2.5 million is expected to be available in fiscal year 2026 for an estimated ten awards, each up to $325,000 for a two-year period beginning September 1, 2026. The award supports costs related to newspaper selection, digitization, metadata creation, copyright analysis, advisory meetings, and public outreach. Cost sharing is not required, though voluntary in-kind contributions may be included. NEH will not fund activities outside the program’s humanities scope, including non-newspaper serials, materials outside the 1690–1963 range, or projects with political or ideological advocacy components. Eligible applicants include U.S. nonprofit organizations recognized as tax-exempt under § 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, accredited public and private institutions of higher education, state and local government agencies, and federally recognized Native American Tribal governments. Individuals and for-profit entities are not eligible to apply. Each organization may submit only one application under this announcement. Projects must comply with NEH’s administrative and reporting requirements as detailed in 2 CFR Part 200 and NEH’s General Terms and Conditions for Awards to Organizations. Applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov (funding opportunity ID 20260109-PJ) no later than January 15, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. The application package includes the SF-424 form, Supplementary Cover Sheet for NEH Grant Programs, Project/Performance Site Location Form, Research and Related Budget with justification, and several required attachments such as narrative.pdf (max 15 pages), workplan.pdf, resumes.pdf, and consultants.pdf. Applicants should allow ample time for registration and validation in SAM.gov and Grants.gov. NEH will notify successful applicants by email in August 2026; the project period begins September 1, 2026 and may last up to two years. Proposals are evaluated by peer reviewers using five criteria: understanding of newspaper history and collections; technical and managerial capacity for digitization; dissemination and outreach plans; qualifications of key staff and advisors; and the reasonableness of the proposed budget. Awards are contingent upon federal appropriations and successful completion of the NEH risk-assessment process. Recipients must provide quarterly data deliveries, attend orientation workshops, and submit annual and final performance and financial reports through NEH’s eGMS Reach system. Program inquiries should be directed to the Division of Collections & Infrastructure at preservation@neh.gov or (202) 606-8570. This program is expected to recur annually with the next competition opening in August 2026.