Public Humanities Projects

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), through its Division of Public Programs, has announced the 2025 cycle of its Public Humanities Projects grant. This funding opportunity, listed under number 20250813-BP-BR-GE-GG-GI, supports projects that bring the ideas and insights of the humanities to the American public via in-person exhibitions and interpretive programs at historic sites. NEH’s mission is to promote excellence in the humanities and convey the lessons of history, literature, and culture to diverse public audiences. This specific grant focuses on four themes central to American history and civic identity: American Military History and Valor, the American Dream and Economic Freedom, American Exceptionalism in World Affairs, and the Semiquincentennial (250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence). Eligible projects must interpret topics through sound humanities scholarship and include participation from humanities scholars external to the applicant organization. Funded activities may include exhibition development, historical interpretation, scholar meetings, design, research, educational outreach, media development, and related documentation and evaluation. NEH encourages applications from small to mid-sized organizations and supports projects tailored to audiences such as families, veterans, youth, and local communities, provided the interpretation connects with broader national or regional themes. Funding is available at two levels: Planning and Implementation. Planning grants offer up to $75,000 for a performance period of up to 24 months and are suitable for applicants in the early stages of project development. Implementation grants range from $100,000 to $750,000 with a performance window of 12 to 48 months. The award ceiling depends on an organization’s annual operating budget: those under $1 million may apply for up to $250,000; between $1 million and $10 million may request up to $500,000; and those above $10 million may seek the maximum $750,000. Approximately $6 million is available for FY 2026, with an estimated 30 awards to be distributed. Matching is not required. Applications are due by September 10, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, and projects must start between May 1 and November 1, 2026. All required documents, including the narrative, work plan, resumes, and, depending on the funding level, a walkthrough or object list, must be submitted through Grants.gov. Applicants must be registered with both SAM.gov and Grants.gov, and NEH does not grant deadline extensions for registration issues. Applications will be evaluated on criteria such as intellectual content, public relevance, humanities scholarship, audience engagement strategy, project feasibility, and team qualifications. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status, accredited public or nonprofit institutions of higher education, state and local governments, and federally recognized Native American tribal governments. NEH does not accept applications from individuals, foreign organizations, or federal entities, and the recipient organization must have substantive involvement in the project. Applications that fall outside the scope of humanities interpretation, involve non-allowable costs, or fail to adhere to submission requirements may be deemed nonresponsive. For further inquiries, applicants may contact the Division of Public Programs at publicpgms@neh.gov. This Notice of Funding Opportunity was published on July 16, 2025, and applicants are advised to submit proposals well ahead of the deadline to avoid technical issues. Award announcements are expected in April 2026. Full program details, instructions, and application components are available in the official NOFO document.

NEH encourages early submission and strict formatting adherence.