Humanities Research Centers on Artificial Intelligence

Maximum award amount

Up to $750,000 ($500,000 in outright funds plus $250,000 in Federal Matching Funds)

Expected Output

The creation of a humanities research center, and two or more of the following: lecture series; workshops; colloquia; digital infrastructure; curriculum development; digital resource or publication; themed issue of peer-reviewed journal, articles for the general public

Period of performance

Up to three years

About the Program
Application Instructions

For organizations in areas affected by Hurricane Helene in FL, GA, SC, NC, VA and TN, optional prospectuses will be accepted until Oct 16th. The prospectus must use the Prospectus Template.

The Humanities Research Centers on Artificial Intelligence program aims to support a more holistic understanding of artificial intelligence (AI) in the modern world through the creation of new humanities research centers on artificial intelligence at eligible institutions. Centers must focus their scholarly activities on exploring the ethical, legal, or societal implications of AI.

A Center supports collaboration among scholars to explore a specific topic through research, as well as spreading knowledge about that research through educational or outreach activities. Centers may include scholars from diverse disciplines, but must be focused on asking humanities questions and should be led by humanists. Scholars may come from one or more institutions. NEH welcomes international collaboration, but scholars at U.S. institutions must contribute significantly to the project. This program is for establishing new Centers; existing Centers and Institutes are not eligible in this competition. Only one application per institution is permitted in this competition. For the purposes of this limitation, branch campuses are considered separately and each may submit one application.

Successful applicants will work to establish a sustainable Center and engage in at least two activities that support research into the ethical, legal, or societal implications of AI. Appropriate activities may include but are not limited to: collaborative research and writing efforts; workshops or lecture series; education and mentoring; and the creation of digital tools to increase or advance scholarly discourse about AI.

You may submit an optional prospectus. You must use the prospectus template found under Application Instructions, Step 1 Review your application package, “Program Resources.” To receive feedback, you must submit the prospectus by Oct 2, 2024 to @email. Put “AI Center Prospectus” in the subject line of the message. NEH staff will only comment on one prospectus per institution per competition deadline.

Note about Humanities Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence

This grant program is one of ten NEH programs that are part of NEH’s Humanities Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence initiative, which is encouraging research on the ethical, legal, and societal implications of AI. To learn more about the initiative, please see our page about the AI initiative.

Applicants to NEH for awards with expected issuance dates on or after October 1, 2024, should be aware of revisions to the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (2 CFR Part 200) effective from that date. All NEH awards issued on or after October 1, 2024, will be subject to the revised regulations. You may incorporate these changes into your applications now.

Additional information is available at NEH Update on the 2024 Revisions to 2 CFR 200

View the Humanities Research Centers on Artificial Intelligence Pre-Application Webinar here:

Application Instructions

Step 1 Review your application package

Read the Notice of Funding Opportunity and application to ensure you understand all the expectations and restrictions for projects funded in this program and are prepared to write the most effective application.

Application Materials

Notice of Funding Opportunity 2025 (PDF)

Grants.gov application package

Program Resources

Prospectus Template

Federal Matching Funds Guidelines

Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence for NEH Grant Proposals

Step 2 Register for a SAM number and an account on Grants.gov

Confirm that your SAM registration is current and verify your access to Grants.gov. If you have not already done so, you must create a Login.gov user account to register and log in to SAM and Grants.gov. Login.gov is a secure sign in service used by the public to sign in to participating government agencies. Create and link your account now.

Step 3 Complete your application package

Follow the instructions outlined in the Notice of Funding Opportunity.

Step 4 Submit your application package on Grants.gov

You will receive a confirmation from Grants.gov when you've successfully submitted your application.

Step 5 Verify you have received email messages from Grants.gov

After you submit your application, Grants.gov will send you up to five e-mail messages confirming receipt of your application. These messages represent different stages in the application acceptance process. You should verify that you have received all confirmation messages. Please note that email filters may send these messages to your spam or junk folder.