Public Humanities Projects

The Public Humanities Projects program supports projects that bring the ideas and insights of the humanities to life for general audiences through in-person programming. Projects must engage humanities scholarship to analyze significant themes in disciplines such as history, literature, ethics, and art history. NEH encourages projects that involve members of the public in collaboration with humanities scholars or that invite contributions from the community in the development and delivery of humanities programming. This program supports a variety of forms of audience engagement. Applications should follow the parameters set out below for one of the following three categories: • Community Conversations: This category supports three-month-long to two-year-long series of at least six in-person public programs that are centered on one or more significant humanities resources, such as historic artifacts, artworks, literature, musical compositions, or films. These resources should be chosen to engage a diverse public audience. The programs must be anchored through perspectives drawn from humanities disciplines. Projects may include, but are not limited to, community forums, panel symposiums, lecture series, reading and discussion programs, after-school programs, summer camps, analytical discussions on theater or musical performances, life-long learning programs, or other methods of face-to-face audience engagement or informal education. Applicants proposing programs that include public forums or question-and-answer sessions must demonstrate prior experience conducting public dialogues. • Exhibitions: This category supports the creation of permanent exhibitions (on view for at least three years) and single-site temporary exhibitions (open to the public for a minimum of two months), as well as travelling exhibitions that will be available to public audiences in at least two venues in the United States (including the originating location). • Historic Places: This category supports long-term interpretive programs for historic sites, houses, neighborhoods, and regions that are intended to be presented to the public for at least three years. Such programs might include living history presentations, guided tours, exhibitions, and public programs. NEH encourages projects that explore humanities ideas through multiple formats. Proposed projects may include complementary components: for example, a museum exhibition might be accompanied by a website, mobile app, or discussion programs. Your application must identify one primary format for your project and follow the application instructions for that format.