FIRST CALL FOR PRELIMINARY PROPOSALS

National Endowment for the Humanities
2009 Summer Stipends

The National Endowment for the Humanities has announced the annual competition for 2009 Summer Stipends. These awards of $6,000 support two consecutive months of research. NEH invites institutions to nominate two proposals from faculty.

The Center for the Humanities invites interested faculty to submit preliminary proposals by August 1, 2008. A panel of faculty will meet to recommend two nominees.  The deadline for submitting final proposals to NEH is October 1, 2008.

According to the NEH website:

Summer Stipends support individuals pursuing advanced research that contributes to scholarly knowledge or to the public's understanding of the humanities.  Recipients usually produce scholarly articles, monographs on specialized subjects, books on broad topics, archaeological site reports, translations, editions, or other scholarly tools.

Summer Stipends support full time work on a humanities project for a period of two months.  They are outright awards of $6,000 to faculty or staff members of colleges, universities, or K-12 schools.  They may also be independent scholars or writers.
Summer Stipends may not be used for:

• research for doctoral dissertations or theses by students enrolled in a degree program;
• specific policy studies or educational or technical impact assessments;
• the preparation or publication of textbooks;
• studies of teaching methods or theories, surveys of courses and programs, or curriculum development;
• inventories of collections;
• works in the creative or performing arts (e.g., painting, writing fiction or poetry, dance performance, etc.);
• projects that seek to promote a particular political, philosophical, religious, or ideological point of view; or
• projects that advocate a particular program of social action.

Faculty or staff members of institutions of higher education must be nominated by the institution.  The Center for the Humanities at UNH administers that nomination process. Please submit a preliminary application via email to humanities.center@unh.edu  or mail to Mary Jo Alibrio, Program Coordinator, Center for the Humanities, Huddleston Hall – 305, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH  03824. 

Deadline for preliminary proposals is August 1, 2008.

Guidelines for Preliminary Proposals

The following summary of NEH Summer Stipend guidelines are based on the full description of the program found at: http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/stipends.html

The UNH Office of Sponsored Research will assist UNH nominees with the NEH and grants.gov final application process.

Cover Sheet – Please include the following information
Applicant Name
Applicant Field of Study
Project Field of Study
Address (either home or work)
Institution
Brief Summary of Project (150 words maximum)

Project Narrative – Must not exceed three single-spaced pages.

The narrative should convey the ideas, objectives, and methods of the project. It should also communicate the project's substance and potential contribution to the humanities. A simple statement of need or intent is insufficient. Because some evaluators will not possess specialized knowledge of the proposed field of study, the description should be free of jargon.
There is no formula for writing a successful narrative. However, past applicants have typically addressed the following questions:

• What are the basic ideas, problems, or questions examined by the study? Explain the planned approach or line of thought. If the area is a new area of research, explain the reasons for working in it.
• For what part or stage of your project are you seeking support? Provide an overview of the project and describe what part of the study you will undertake during the award period.
• What will be accomplished during the award period? Supply a brief work plan.
• How will the project complement, challenge, or expand relevant studies in the field? Explain what makes the study distinctive.
• What contribution will the project make to the humanities?
• What is your competence in the languages needed for the study?
• Where will you conduct the study and what materials will you use?
• Do you have access to archives, collections, or institutions with the necessary resources?
• Who is the intended audience for the results of the study?
• What are the intended results of the project?

For book projects, how will the final product be organized? If possible, provide a brief chapter outline.

Curriculum Vita

Project Bibliography

Optional Appendix for Visual Materials

Reference Letters - Please be prepared to supply two letters of reference to NEH by mid-October.  You will be asked to provide the email addresses of your referees and NEH will contact them.  However, you should discuss your request with your references prior to submission.  References letters should provide important information about you and your project Referees should discuss the project's significance to the field, the intended audience, the likely outcome, the general quality of your work, and your ability to carry out the project successfully.  Ideally, no more that one referee should be from your home institution.  There is no length restriction on reference letters. 

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