NEH Public Humanities Projects Grants

 Deadline: December 16, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern

Funder: National Endowment for the Humanities

Purpose: Support exhibitions, interpretation at historic places, public lectures, and discussion forums that bring humanities ideas to life for general audiences. Awards support projects intended to reach broad and varied public audiences in non-classroom settings in the United States. Projects should engage with ideas that are accessible to the general public and employ appealing interpretive formats. Formats may include reading-and-discussion programs, panels, symposia, and facilitated conversations using humanities texts, documents, artifacts, or other resources. NEH especially encourages applications exploring the following topics: Western civilization and America's place in it; great works of literature, history, philosophy, and theology and their relevance to contemporary questions; the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution; and civic education; civil discourse; cultural literacy; and the practice of close reading

Award: Up to $75,000 for planning; $100,000 for implementing a single-site temporary exhibition; and $500,000 for other implementation projects. Exceptional Chairman’s Special Awards may reach $2 million. NEH anticipates approximately 20 awards totaling $6 million. No match is required. Expected notification date: July 30, 2027.  Project start date: October 1, 2027-March 1, 2028.

Eligibility: U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofits, public or nonprofit colleges and universities, state and local governments and their agencies, and federally recognized Tribal governments. Public, nonprofit, academic, and Tribal libraries that meet these categories may apply. Accounts with SAM.gov and Grants.gov are required.

To learn more and apply: NEH Public Humanities Projects