How to Apply

NEH-funded institutes are professional development programs that convene K-12 educators or higher education faculty from across the nation to deepen and enrich their understanding of a variety of topics in the humanities and enrich their capacity for effective scholarship and teaching.

Each institute allows 25 to 36 participants to study a humanities topic with a team of experienced scholars. Because this larger format emphasizes the range of perspectives that can be brought to a topic, an institute typically has more and longer meetings per week than a seminar. Project leaders and participants mutually explore connections between scholarship and teaching, and some time is provided for work on individual or collaborative projects.

Each participant will receive a $2,200 stipend. This stipend is intended to help cover travel, housing, meals, and basic academic expenses. Stipends are determined according to the format and duration of the summer program and are taxable as income. Half of the stipend will be paid at the beginning of the program, and half at the end.

Project applicants who accept an offer to participate are expected to remain during the entire period of the program and to participate in its work on a full-time basis. If a participant is obliged through special circumstances to depart before the end of the program, it shall be the recipient institution’s responsibility to see that only a pro rata share of the stipend is received or that the appropriate pro rata share of the stipend is returned if the participant has already received the full stipend. Participants are also required to be prepared for discussions and group presentations, complete a curricular project and submit an evaluation.

• Institutes are designed for a national audience of full- or part-time K-12 educators who teach in public, charter, independent and religiously affiliated schools, or as home schooling educators. Educators who work outside the K-12 classroom and can demonstrate participation will advance institute goals and enhance their own professional work are also eligible.
• At least five spaces are reserved for teachers who are new to the profession (those who have been teaching for five years or fewer).
• Participants must be United States citizens, residents of U.S. jurisdictions, or foreign nationals who have been residing in the United States or its territories for at least the three years immediately preceding the application deadline. U.S. citizens teaching abroad at U.S. chartered institutions are also eligible to participate. Foreign nationals teaching abroad are not eligible to participate.
• Individuals may not apply to participate in an institute whose director is a family member, who is affiliated with the same institution, who has served as an academic advisor to the applicant, or who has led a previous NEH-funded Seminar, Institute or Landmarks workshop attended by the applicant.
• In any given year an individual may apply to a maximum of two projects but may attend only one.
• Participants may not be delinquent in the repayment of federal debt (e.g., taxes, student loans, child support payments, and delinquent payroll taxes for household or other employees).
• Individuals may not apply to participate in an institute if they have been debarred or suspended by any federal department or agency.

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Principles of Civility

NEH Seminars, Institutes, and Landmarks programs are intended to extend and deepen knowledge and understanding of the humanities by focusing on significant topics, texts, and issues; contribute to the intellectual vitality and professional development of participants; and foster a community of inquiry that provides models of excellence in scholarship and teaching.

NEH expects that project directors will take responsibility for encouraging an ethos of openness and respect, upholding the basic norms of civil discourse.

Seminar, Institute, and Landmarks presentations and discussions should be:

1. firmly grounded in rigorous scholarship, and thoughtful analysis;
2. conducted without partisan advocacy;
3. respectful of divergent views;
4. free of ad hominem commentary; and
5. devoid of ethnic, religious, gender, disability, or racial bias.

NEH welcomes comments, concerns, or suggestions on these principles at questions@neh.gov.

Additional Selection Criteria

Special attention will be given to applicants who

• prove their effectiveness and commitment as an educator,
• present research and curricular project ideas that will most contribute to the lasting impact of the “World War I in the Middle East” institute,
• appropriately indicate their participation will have a long-term impact on their teaching and
• are a new participant in NEH summer programs.

The Selection Committee seeks a diverse group of educators from different types of schools with varied student bodies in regions around the country who represent assorted grade levels and academic disciplines. This goal will also impact participation selection.

Participant applications are due on Monday, March 1, 2022, no later than 11:59 p.m. Central Time. This date is required by the NEH of all projects.

The application period has closed.

Participants are selected by a committee, consisting of three or more members, including the project directors and at least one K-12 classroom teacher. They will evaluate all complete applications to select a group of participants and to identify alternates.

Applicant Decision Notifications

All applicants will be notified of their status (whether accepted, wait listed or not accepted) on Friday, March 25, 2022.

Once an applicant has accepted an offer to attend any NEH Summer Program (Seminar, Institute, or Landmark), they may not accept an additional offer or withdraw in order to accept a different offer.

Participant Acceptance Deadline

Successful applicants must accept or decline their offer by Friday, April 8, 2022. This date is required by NEH of all projects.

COVID Disclaimer

Depending on public health guidelines related to COVID-19, plans for a residential offering are subject to change.

Endowment programs do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or age. For further information, write to the Equal Opportunity Officer, National Endowment for the Humanities, 400 7th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024. TDD: 202-606-8282 (this is a special telephone device for the Deaf).