Fellowships for Digital Publication Program (United States)

It provides recipients with time to conduct research, prepare publications, and develop and incorporate multimedia or interactive components using existing technologies and platforms. Recipients must publish their products in digital form. Outcomes and outputs include, but are not limited to, monographs, peer-reviewed articles, websites, virtual exhibitions, translations with annotations or a critical apparatus, and critical editions.

To be considered under this opportunity, your plans for digital publication must be integral to your project’s research goals. That is, you must conceive the project as a digital publication because the research topics and methods demand presentation beyond traditional print. Competitive submissions embody exceptional research and rigorous analysis, and clearly articulate a project’s value to humanities scholars, general audiences, or both.

Fellowships for Digital Publication provide recipients with time to conduct research and develop digital publications. Successful projects will likely incorporate images, video, audio, manipulatable elements, datasets, and/or other interactive materials or flexible reading pathways not possible in traditionally published books. Successful projects also typically have an active dissemination plan. Projects may be at any stage of development.

NEH Areas of Interest

• NEH is especially interested in supporting projects that advance humanities-related work in the following areas:
  • American Tapestry: Weaving Together Past, Present, and Future
    • American Tapestry: Weaving Together Past, Present, and Future is a wide-ranging special initiative at NEH that leverages the humanities to tackle some of the most pressing challenges of the time: strengthening the democracy, advancing equity for all, and addressing the changing climate. The initiative encourages humanities projects that elevate the role of civics in schools and public programs, advance knowledge of the country’s history and political institutions, and examine threats to its democratic principles. The initiative also encourages projects that explore the untold stories of historically underrepresented groups and build capacity at cultural and educational institutions to benefit underserved communities.
  • “United We Stand”: Connecting Through Culture
    • In coordination with the White House “United We Stand” Summit in September 2022, NEH launched a new initiative titled United We Stand: Connecting Through Culture that uses the humanities to combat hate-motivated violence and promote civic engagement, social cohesion, and cross-cultural understanding. As a part of this initiative, NEH encourages humanities projects that further the understanding of the nation’s racial, ethnic, gender, and religious diversity; examine the sources of hate and intolerance in the United States; and explore progress towards greater inclusiveness. NEH especially welcomes projects that study the origins, history, and effects of antisemitism and/or Islamophobia in the United States.
  • NEH’s Support for the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative
    • As a part of NEH’s partnership with the Department of the Interior on the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative, NEH encourages projects that further public understanding and knowledge of the Federal Indian boarding school system.
  • Humanities Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence
    • In October 2023, NEH launched a new agency-wide initiative, Humanities Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence, to support research projects that seek to understand and address the ethical, legal, and societal implications of AI. NEH is particularly interested in projects that explore the impacts of AI-related technologies on truth, trust, and democracy; safety and security; and privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties. This grant program is one of eight NEH programs that are part of NEH’s Humanities Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence initiative.

Funding Information

• Successful applicants will receive a stipend of $5000 per month for full-time work. The minimum award is $30,000 for a six-month period of performance. The maximum award is $60,000 for a twelve-month period of performance.
• NEH will award successful applicants outright funds, which are not contingent on additional funding from other sources.
• NEH anticipates awarding approximately $300,000 among an estimated 5 recipients.
• NEH will not determine the amount available until Congress enacts the final FY 2025 budget. This notice is subject to the availability of appropriated funds and is a contingency action taken to ensure that, should funds become available for this purpose, NEH can process applications and issue awards in a timely manner.
• Period of performance:
  • The period of performance is the span of time during which you are committed to working on your NEH-supported project. You should request a period of performance that suits your schedule and the needs of your project. Requesting a shorter period of performance will not improve your chances of receiving an award.
  • You may request a period of performance between six and twelve months with a start date between January 1, 2025, and September 1, 2025.
  • Your period of performance must be continuous and must start on the first day of the month and end on the last day of a month.
  • During the period of performance, you must work full time on your project and forego teaching, administrative assignments, and other major activities.

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligible Applicants
  • You must be one of the following to be eligible:
    • A U.S. citizen residing domestically or abroad
    • A foreign national who has lived in the United States or its jurisdictions for at least the three years prior to the application deadline
  • Foreign nationals who take up permanent residence outside the United States any time between the application deadline and the end of the period of performance will forfeit their eligibility. Leaving the U.S. on a temporary basis is permitted.
  • Currently enrolled students
    • If you have satisfied the requirements for a degree and are awaiting its conferral, you are eligible, but you must include a letter from the dean of the conferring school or your department chair attesting to your status as of the application deadline. All other currently enrolled students are not eligible to apply.
  • Organizations
    • Organizations are not eligible to apply. If you elect to have the stipend paid through your institution, it must remit all NEH funds to you and not take an institutional allowance or claim indirect costs.
• Cost Sharing: Cost sharing is not required in this program.

For more information, visit NEH.