NOFO: Dialogues on the Experience of War Program (United States)

This program supports the study and discussion of important humanities sources about war and military service, in the belief that these sources can help U.S. military veterans and others think deeply and in dialogue about the issues that they raise. Dialogues discussion groups may include exclusively veterans (including a subset of veterans such as students or residents of a group facility); nonveteran students or members of the public; military-affiliated persons; or any mix of these groups.

Objectives

• Your current proposal may involve any of the following objectives:
  • reprise, deepen, or refine thematic approaches, humanities sources, or conceptualization of the programs
  • enhance recruitment, selection, or mentoring practices for the preparatory and discussion programs
  • build capacity for smaller organizations or remote communities to offer Dialogues programs
  • develop or extend a local, regional, or national network of Dialogues programs
  • create and disseminate project resources for preparatory and discussion programs, such as training videos, facilitator resources, reading and resource lists, source materials, and evaluation forms and guidance

Purpose

• This notice solicits applications for the Dialogues on the Experience of War program, which supports in-person, virtual, and hybrid-format projects that build a community (or communities) of inquiry to enhance veterans’ and nonveterans’ understanding of diverse experiences of military service and war, through professional development and guided group discussions of humanities sources.
• Veterans currently comprise close to six percent of the adult population of the United States. Additionally, there are just over two million people currently serving in the military on active duty or as reservists, another .4% of the wider adult population. Their experiences, activities, and influences remain understudied and not widely understood. While the forms and technologies of war and military engagement may change over time, deeper questions and connections persist and often find expression through the humanities. Dialogues projects enable veterans and civilians to consider their own experiences in light of these questions and within the broader context and perspectives such humanities methods and resources provide.
• Dialogues projects create communities of inquiry by building and training a cohort of discussion leaders who will engage participants in recurring, in-depth group discussions of meaningful themes, sources, and issues. Dialogues projects thus offer especially transformative learning experiences for all who participate.

Program Components

• Awards of up to $100,000 support two required components:
  • Discussion programs
    • Discussion programs must allow for deep engagement with the humanities sources. Discussions should engage all participants in shared explorations of open-ended questions about war and military service, such as the nature of service, the place of veterans and the military in society, the meaning of heroism, the ethics of war, or what defines patriotism.
    • Discussion programs must:
      • treat at least two different conflicts comparatively
      • focus on the close study of humanities sources with a diverse range of perspectives (drawn from genres such as oral histories, visual art, memoirs, military biographies, speeches and letters, philosophical writings, documentary films, and fiction)
      • engage participants in deep discussion of the selected humanities sources and the issues that they raise
      • convene participants in person, virtually, or in hybrid formats for three or more linked, sequential sessions, providing enough time in the sessions to build trust and intellectual community and foster sustained and inclusive dialogue
  • Preparatory training programs
    • You must develop and offer a preparatory program to train discussion leaders. The format, length, and methodology of the preparatory program may vary. You must tailor the recruitment, training, selection, and guidance of the discussion leaders to the needs and strengths of the group to be trained and to the goals of the program.
    • Depending on the needs of your group, preparatory programs may include:
      • close study of the humanities sources at the heart of the discussions
      • modeling and practice in leading humanities discussions (e.g., posing questions designed to explore texts and elicit discussion of the texts’ contemporary relevance; articulating rules of civil discourse; encouraging group inquiry; moderating disagreements)
      • development of discussion leaders’ understanding of the diverse backgrounds and perspectives of military veterans and service members
      • criteria for the selection of preparatory program participants and of those who serve as discussion leaders
      • plans to mentor, support, and evaluate discussion leaders throughout the period of performance

Funding Information

• You may request up to $100,000. This includes the sum of direct and indirect costs.
• NEH anticipates awarding approximately $1,000,000 among an estimated 10 recipients.
• NEH will award successful applicants outright funds, which are not contingent on additional funding from other sources.
• NEH will not determine the exact amount available for funding until Congress makes official appropriations for FY 2025. NEH will issue awards subject to the availability of appropriated funds. NEH is publishing this notice as a contingency to ensure that NEH can process applications and issue awards in a timely manner, should sufficient funds become available.
• Duration
  • You may request a period of performance of 12 to 24 months with a start date between May 1, 2025, and September 1, 2025.

Program Outputs 

• The outputs of a successful Dialogues on the Experience of War award may include, but are not limited to:
  • The professional development for and preparation of a cohort of discussion facilitators.
  • The creation of a discussion program that convenes two or more small groups for a series of linked humanities-based dialogues.

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible to apply, your organization must be established in the United States or its jurisdictions as one of the following:
  • a nonprofit organization recognized as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code
  • an accredited institution of higher education (public or nonprofit)
  • a state or local government or one of their agencies
  • a federally recognized Native American Tribal government
• Individuals and other organizations, including foreign and for-profit entities, are ineligible.

For more information, visit NEH.