Deadline for application: December 6, 2017
Division of Research Programs
Receipt Deadline December 6, 2017 for Projects Beginning October 2018
Brief Summary: Scholarly Editions and Translations grants support the preparation of editions and translations of pre-existing texts of value to the humanities that are currently inaccessible or available only in inadequate editions or transcriptions. Typically, the texts and documents are significant literary, philosophical, and historical materials; but other types of work, such as musical notation, are also eligible.
Projects must be undertaken by at least one editor or translator and one other collaborating scholar. These grants support full-time or part-time activities for periods of one to three years.
Applicants should demonstrate familiarity with the best practices recommended by the Association for Documentary Editing or the Modern Language Association Committee on Scholarly Editions. Translation projects should also explain the theory and method adopted for the particular work to be translated. Editions and translations produced with NEH support contain scholarly and critical apparatus appropriate to their subject matter and format. This usually means introductions and annotations that provide essential information about a text’s form, transmission, and historical and intellectual context.
Proposals for editions of foreign language materials in the original language are eligible for funding, as well as proposals for editions of translated materials.
Information about Preliminary Draft Proposals
Prospective applicants may submit a draft of their proposal for staff review (submission of draft proposals is optional) no later than October 15.
What’s New for 2017
At least 50 percent of grant funds must support U.S.-based institutions and U.S. citizens or residents.
Previous applicants submitting a draft must explain how they have responded to recommendations made by reviewers.
No new materials may be added to an application after the deadline.
Only Times New Roman eleven-point or twelve-point font is allowed in the narrative.
Applications submitted for projects that will not be completed during the proposed grant period must address succession in editorial leadership.
The primary budget form should include only amounts requested from NEH.
All cost-shared non-NEH funds that will support a project must be detailed on a separate budget form.
All such sources must also be included in the statement of funding received and requested, including pending sources of support.
All subcontracts must be included on a separate budget form.
Program Statistics
In the last five competitions the Scholarly Editions and Translations program received an average of 111 applications per year. The program made an average of 24 awards per year, for a funding ratio of 22 percent.
The potential applicant pool for Scholarly Editions and Translations is limited, since applicants must assemble project teams with demonstrated expertise in the content of the materials to be edited, the editorial process, and (when applicable) the translation process. On the one hand, this results in a somewhat small number of applications each year. On the other hand, the quality of the applications tends to be high, so that about one-third of all applicants have historically received funding.
The number of applications to an NEH grant program can vary widely from year to year, as can the success ratio. Information about the average number of applications and awards in recent competitions is meant only to provide historical context for the current competition. Information on the number of applications and awards in individual competitions is available from editions@neh.gov.
Questions?
Contact NEH’s Division of Research Programs at 202-606-8200 and editions@neh.gov. Applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing can contact NEH via Federal Relay (TTY users) at 800-877-8399.