The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency created in 1965 and one of the largest funders of humanities programs and history projects in the United States. The proposed session will give attendees the opportunity to learn from Endowment representatives about the many NEH funding opportunities. We will cover the programs offered by the Divisions of Research Programs, Education Programs, Preservation and Access, Public Programs, and the Office of Digital Humanities.

We also will discuss ways that historians can participate in NEH projects and special initiatives beyond applying for an award directly from NEH. Examples of these opportunities include serving as a peer review panelist, contributing materials to the EDSITEment website of K-12 humanities education resources, advising documentary films, evaluating archival collections as an advisory board member, participating in professional development institutes, conducting research with the support of a fellowship from an independent research institution, or becoming involved in the work of state humanities councils.

This session will provide an opportunity to update participants about the NEH’s role in commemorating the U.S. Semiquincentennial through its A More Perfect Union initiative. And, finally, we will share with you theof our new NEH chair, Shelly Lowe, along with new directions for the agency’s programs.

Five staff members from across the agency will each address two related questions:

1) What opportunities are available to historians?

2) What kinds of strategies can historians employ to take advantage of these opportunities?

Time permitting, NEH staff will be available for short introductory meetings with attendees after the session.