Fellowships

Read the Notice of Funding Opportunity and the Program Announcement for Fellowships to ensure you understand all the expectations and restrictions for projects delivered under this program and are prepared to write an effective application.

Application Materials

Notice of Funding Opportunity, 2025 (PDF)

Grants.gov application package

Program Resources

Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence for NEH Grant Proposals

Sample Application Narratives

The narrative samples below are not intended to serve as models, but to give applicants a sense of how a successful application might be crafted. Note that the format might have been changed since these applications were submitted. Follow the guidelines in the currently posted Notice of Funding Opportunity to ensure that your application is complete and eligible.

Architecture, Materialized: The Global Life of Steel

British Literature, Paper Art and Craft: Victorian Writers and Their Materials

Classics, Ovid’s Homer: Tradition, Authority, and Epic Reception

German Studies (includes new work plan format), Disinformation and the Illustrierter Beobachter, 1926–1945

Italian Literature (Translation Project), 'The First Novel Specially Written for Women'- Jacopo Caviceo's Peregrino (1508)

Legal History (includes new work plan format), Ordering Property- A Global History of Maritime Prize Law, 1498-1916

Medieval Studies, Secrecy and Divinity in Early English Literature

Music History and Criticism, The Comedians of the King

Religious Studies, Temples of Humanity: A Religious History of American Secularism

Russian History, Europe's Russian Colonies: Tsarist Subjects Abroad and the Quest for Freedom in the 19th Century

U.S. History, Choctaw Confederates: The American Civil War in Indian Country

U.S. History (work plan only), Old Age in the Wake of the American Revolution

When you are ready to apply, register for a Grants.gov account. If you already have registered, make sure the account is current. After registering, you must add an “individual applicant” profile. Click on the “My Account” link, then on “Manage Profiles” and “Add Profile.” Refer to Grants.gov’s instructions for adding a profile.

• Register with Grants.gov
• Grants.gov Applicant Registration Guidance
• Download Adobe Reader
• Tips for making PDFs

Follow the instructions outlined in the Notice of Funding Opportunity and Grants.gov.

You will receive a confirmation from Grants.gov when you’ve successfully submitted your application. Subsequently, you will receive up to five more notices confirming different stages in the application process. Verify that you have received all confirmations. Note that email filters may send these messages to your spam or junk folder.

NEH will request letters of reference from your recommenders approximately seven to ten days after the application deadline. You will be notified by email when each of your letters of reference has been received. Once you receive final confirmation of receipt from Grants.gov, you may check the status of your letters by logging in to the secure area of NEH’s website. Enter your NEH application number and your Grants.gov tracking number. You will be able to see the names and e-mail addresses of your letter writers and whether their letters have arrived. If necessary, you may send reminders to your letter writers (including the upload link) from this site. You are responsible for ensuring that your letter writers have received the solicitations from NEH and submitted their letters.