The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) offers the Digital Projects for the Public grant program to support projects that present humanities content through digital platforms. These platforms can include websites, mobile applications, games, virtual/augmented reality, and interactive experiences such as kiosks and touchscreens. The goal is to deepen public understanding of important humanities topics while utilizing creative and engaging digital formats.
Applicants can choose from three different funding levels based on the scope of their projects. Discovery grants provide up to $30,000 and support the early stages of project development, such as research and concept planning. Prototyping grants offer up to $100,000 to build and test project prototypes. Production grants, which can fund up to $400,000, support the full implementation and launch of digital projects. The grant performance period can last from one to three years, depending on the type and scale of the project.
Projects must be built on strong humanities scholarship and should involve humanities scholars throughout the project’s development. They should also involve digital media professionals to ensure the production quality is high and the format appeals to the general public. Projects should include a plan for marketing and distributing the finished product to reach a broad and diverse audience. In addition to general public appeal, applicants can tailor their projects to engage specific communities or groups, such as students or local audiences, but must demonstrate how the project will have a lasting impact and sustainability.
The next application cycle is anticipated to begin on March 11, 2025, with a submission deadline of June 11, 2025, and notifications expected by December 20, 2025. Project start dates will be either February 1, 2026 or September 1, 2026. On average, the program receives 95 applications annually, with a funding success rate of 14%, resulting in about 13 awards per year.
