Deadline: 11-Aug-21
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Division of Public Programs is accepting applications for the Media Projects program.
The Media Projects program supports the development, production, and distribution of radio, podcast, long-form documentary films, and documentary film series that engage general audiences with humanities ideas in creative and appealing ways.
Projects must be grounded in humanities scholarship and demonstrate an approach that is thoughtful, balanced, and analytical; proposals must demonstrate the potential to attract a broad general audience.
The Division of Public Programs encourages media projects that promote a deeper understanding of American history and culture and advance civic education, as well as those that examine international themes and subjects in the humanities.
Film and television projects may be single “stand-alone” films or programs or a series. Films must be longer than thirty minutes.
Radio and podcast projects may be single programs, series, or segments within an ongoing program.
All Media Projects proposals must:
- build on sound humanities scholarship
- deepen public understanding of significant humanities questions
- approach a subject analytically, presenting a variety of perspectives
- involve humanities scholars in all phases of development and production
- involve appropriate media professionals
- employ appealing and accessible program formats that will actively engage the general public in learning
Funding Levels
Media Projects offers two levels of funding:
- Development: Development awards (up to $75,000) enable media producers to collaborate with scholars to develop humanities content along with other program elements. Awards should result in a script (for documentary films and television programs) or detailed treatment(s) (for radio programs and podcasts). Awards may also be used to plan for outreach and public engagement in collaboration with a partner organization or organizations.
- To be ready to apply for a Development award, you must already have settled on a subject, an approach, and a project team. In particular, you should have:
- assessed the major humanities scholarship related to the subject
- assembled a group of humanities advisers including scholars and other experts
- consulted with the humanities advisers to clarify the project’s interpretive ideas
- formed a media team to see the project through its development period
- considered how your content will appeal to public audiences and will convey what they should learn from the project
- chosen the format(s) identified resources (such as archival materials and potential interviewees)
- Development awards may support activities such as:
- meetings with scholars
- research and preliminary interviews (including scholarly research and development of humanities themes)
- preparation of program treatments and/or scripts
- production of a work-in-progress or trailer
- creation of partnerships for outreach activities and public engagement
- To be ready to apply for a Development award, you must already have settled on a subject, an approach, and a project team. In particular, you should have:
- Production: Production awards (up to $700,000) should result in the production and distribution of radio, podcast, television, and long-form documentary film projects.
- To be ready to apply for a Production award, you should have:
- conducted extensive research on your subject, including archival work, preliminary interviews
- identified humanities themes
- involved humanities scholars in creating and interpreting the project’s content
- drafted the script (for film or television projects) or detailed treatment(s) (for radio or podcast projects)
- designed your plans for distribution, outreach, and partnerships
- Production awards may support activities such as:
- archival research and rights clearances
- meetings with scholars
- script refinement
- production and distribution of films, television programs, radio programs, and podcasts
- development of resources related to the proposed media project, such as websites, that explore the humanities content and themes central to the project
- outreach and public engagement
- To be ready to apply for a Production award, you should have:
Funding Information
- You may request up to $75,000 for Development projects and up to $700,000 for Production projects.
- NEH expects to have approximately $3,500,000 to fund an estimated 12-15 recipients.
- The period of performance is six to twelve months for Development projects and one to three years for Production projects.
- The earliest period of performance start date is May 1, 2022 and the latest is September 1, 2022.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible applicants include U.S. nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, public and 501(c)(3) accredited institutions of higher education, state and local governmental agencies, and federally recognized Native American tribal governments.
- Individuals, foreign and for-profit entities are not eligible to apply.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=333090