National Endowment for the Humanities announces new grant program for two-year institutions

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) today announced its latest commitment to ensuring that the more than 7 million students enrolled in two-year institutions have access to high-quality humanities resources through the creation of a new NEH grant program for community colleges.

The new Humanities Initiatives at Community Colleges grant program is intended to strengthen the teaching and study of the humanities in subjects such as history, philosophy, and literature within two-year institutions.

“Community colleges are forging citizens, many from disadvantaged backgrounds and communities in this country and beyond,” said NEH Chairman William Adams in a recent op-ed. “These institutions must be supported in their efforts to produce citizens as well as technicians. This means ensuring that they have the resources to support strong course offerings in American history, in the philosophical underpinnings of the Republic, in our political institutions and processes, and in the important social and political challenges of contemporary life.”

The grant program offers up to $100,000 to community colleges and post-secondary two-year institutions for projects focused around a core topic or set of themes in the humanities. Eligible projects include the creation of new humanities minors and capstone courses, the development of humanities-based bridge programs for at-risk and nontraditional students, or initiatives to incorporate humanities education within professional training programs.

Applicants are encouraged to draw on the knowledge of outside scholars who would contribute fresh insights to the project.

Humanities Initiatives at Community Colleges is the latest NEH effort to expand the humanities resources and educational opportunities available to historically underserved student populations. In the past ten years, NEH has awarded more than $17.8 million in grants to support humanities programs at community colleges, historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and tribal colleges.

This new grant program is part of the National Endowment for the Humanities’ agency-wide initiative The Common Good: The Humanities in the Public Square, which seeks to demonstrate and enhance the role and significance of the humanities and humanities scholarship in public life.

Application guidelines and a list of FAQs for the Humanities Initiatives at Community Colleges program are available at www.neh.gov. The application deadline for the initial cycle of Humanities Initiatives at Community Colleges grants is August 24, 2015.

Through NEH’s Standing Together initiative, which emphasizes the innovative ways in which the humanities can foster engagement with military veterans and their communities, the Humanities Initiatives at Community Colleges grant program encourages projects related to war and military service.

NEH program staff from the Division of Education will conduct a webinar for interested applicants on Thursday, June 18 at 2 p.m. (EST).

NEH Humanities Initiatives at Community Colleges grants webinar information: 
June 18 at 2-3 PM (EST)
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/9127869923184561665