Call for Applicants: NEH Division of Preservation and Access Humanities Collections and Reference Resources Grants. Due July 20

The Division of Preservation and Access of the National Endowment for the Humanities will be accepting applications for grants in its Humanities Collections and Reference Resources program. These grants support projects to preserve and create intellectual access to such collections as books, journals, manuscript and archival materials, maps, still and moving images, sound recordings, art, and objects of material culture. Awards also support the creation of reference materials, online resources, and research tools of major importance to the humanities. Maximum awards are $350,000 for up to three years. Eligible activities include: • arranging and describing archival and manuscript collections; • cataloging collections of printed works, photographs, recorded sound, moving images, art, and material culture; • providing conservation treatment (including deacidification) for collections, leading to enhanced access; • digitizing collections; • preserving and improving access to born-digital sources; • developing databases, virtual collections, or other electronic resources to codify information on a subject or to provide integrated access to selected humanities materials; • creating encyclopedias; • preparing linguistic tools, such as historical and etymological dictionaries, corpora, and reference grammars • developing tools for spatial analysis and representation of humanities data, such as atlases and geographic information systems (GIS); and • designing digital tools to facilitate use of humanities resources. In response to recent studies noting the deeply hidden, often perilous condition of audio-visual sources in cultural heritage institutions, this program encourages applications that address the preservation and access needs of humanities collections of sound recordings and moving images. Applicants may request funds to establish intellectual and physical control of such materials as well as to digitize them. The new guidelines, which include sample proposal narratives, can be found at: http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/HCRR.html. The application receipt deadline of July 20, 2011 is for projects beginning May 2012. All applications to NEH must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov; see guidelines for details. Prospective applicants seeking further information are encouraged to contact the Division at 202-606-8570 or preservation@neh.gov. Program staff will read draft proposals submitted six weeks before the deadline. Please note that the Division is also accepting applications for two other grant categories, with upcoming deadlines: “Research and Development” (May 19) and “Education & Training” (June 30). Details on these programs, as well as on the full slate of funding opportunities in Preservation and Access, can be found at: http://www.neh.gov/grants/grantsbydivision.html#preservation _____________________________________________________________The National Endowment for the Humanities is a grant-making agency of the United States (U.S.) federal government that supports projects in the humanities. U.S. nonprofit associations, institutions, and organizations are eligible applicants. NEH's Division of Preservation and Access supports projects that will create, preserve, and make available cultural resources of importance for research, education, and lifelong learning. To learn more about NEH, please visit www.neh.gov.