We are pleased to announce the launch of the NEH CARES: Cultural Organizations Limited Submission competition. View full competition information here.
Sponsor Program Announcement: Notice of Funding Opportunity
Number of Internal Nominees: 1 (proposals may be combined in one institutional application)
Internal Submission Due Date: April 28, 2020, 5:00 PM
Selection Notifications: May 1, 2020
Sponsor Deadline: May 11, 2020
Important Submission Note
Syracuse University may submit one proposal to the NEH CARES: Cultural Organizations funding opportunity. However, multiple projects may be combined in one institutional application. University-affiliated organizations with 501(c)3 designation, distinct advisory boards, and separate operating budgets may apply directly as individual organizations to this funding opportunity.
Synopsis of the NEH CARES: Cultural Organizations Program
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act recognizes that the nonprofit humanities sector is an essential component of America’s economic and civic life. The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has received supplemental funding to provide emergency relief to institutions and organizations working in the humanities that have been affected by the coronavirus. In keeping with Congress’s intent in enacting the CARES Act, proposed short-term projects should emphasize retaining or hiring humanities staff.
NEH invites applications from eligible organizations seeking support for at-risk humanities positions and projects that have been impacted by the coronavirus. Through this funding opportunity, NEH will award grants to museums, libraries and archives, historic sites, independent research institutions, professional organizations, colleges and universities, and other cultural organizations across the country to help these entities continue to advance their mission during the interruption of their operations due to the coronavirus pandemic.
While not comprehensive, the following examples are provided to illustrate the types of activities that could be proposed in this program:
- a university requests support to assist adjunct or contingent faculty members and staff converting to online teaching
- a museum requests support to train staff to engage with visitors virtually, including developing online virtual tours or transcribing digital collections to make the collections more broadly available to the general public
- an archive requests support for staff who would have been furloughed to prepare or initiate their disaster plans, online archives, and/or procedures for re-opening after forced closure
- a liberal arts college requests support for staff to develop documentation and outreach plans to broaden the use of open-access digital resources in research and teaching
- an institution working on humanities research requiring technical equipment that cannot be accessed remotely requests support for staff to refocus on data cleaning and software documentation
- a public radio station requests support for the development of a podcast to contextualize the global impact of the coronavirus in relation to historical events such as plagues, natural disasters, and world wars that significantly altered human society.
Allowable costs include, but are not limited to:
- personnel costs (salaries and fringe benefits) for individuals employed by the applicant and dedicated to the proposed activities
- fees for humanities scholars retained as consultants and contractors • supplies and materials necessary to carry out the proposed activities
- equipment necessary to carry out the proposed activities (not to exceed 20 percent to the total funds requested)
- general operating support (typically recovered through indirect costs)
See the full Notice of Funding Opportunity for more details. Please also consult the NEH CARES FAQs and the recording of the webinar for potential applicants.
Funding Amounts and Period of Performance
Maximum budget amount: Up to $300,000.
The period of performance may begin as early as June 15, 2020 and must end on or before December 31.
Cost Sharing/Matching
Cost sharing/matching is not required in this program.
Application Materials
Applicants to the Syracuse University internal competition must submit a project summary briefly describing:
- Proposed activities and audience, including the degree to which the proposed project would retain humanities jobs threatened by the coronavirus pandemic or create new jobs, and the qualifications and level of involvement of the relevant personnel dedicated to the proposed activities. [Limit 500 words]
- The importance of the proposed humanities activities to the applicant’s mission, to the cultural sector, and/or to the general public; and the feasibility of successfully completing the proposed activities within the 6 month period of performance. [Limit 200 words]
- Brief synopsis of anticipated costs [Limit 200 words].
Limited Submission Selection Process
Applications will be reviewed by the interim Vice President for Research and other senior University administration. Applications may be merged based on competitiveness of submissions, as assessed by responsiveness to review criteria.
The PIs of projects selected to move forward with the nomination to the funder will be notified by email on or before May 1, 2020. Full applications are due to NEH on May 11, 2020.
Questions: Email LimitedSubmissions@syr.edu