National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminars and Institutes

• 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;

• build a community of inquiry and provide models of civility and excellent scholarship and teaching; and

• promote effective links between teaching and research in the humanities.

Program formats

• Seminar for school teachers—sixteen participants (NEH Summer Scholars):
  A seminar enables sixteen participants (of whom two may be full-time graduate students who intend to pursue a K-12 teaching career) to examine an important text, study works of well-known authors, or review significant scholarship on an important historical period or event. The principal goals are to engage teachers in the humanities; deepen their understanding through reading, discussion, reflection, and writing; and sustain their intellectual commitment to teaching. The director, an expert in the field, guides discussion of common readings and provides mentoring for individual study and projects.

• Institute for school teachers—twenty-five to thirty participants (NEH Summer Scholars):
  An institute, which is typically guided by a team of core faculty and visiting scholars, presents the best available scholarship on important humanities issues and works taught in the nation’s schools. Participants (of whom three may be full-time graduate students who intend to pursue a K-12 teaching career) compare and synthesize the various perspectives offered by the faculty and make connections between the institute content and classroom teaching. The emphasis throughout is on teaching the specific humanities subject matter and not on pedagogical theory and approaches.

• Seminar for college and university teachers—sixteen participants (NEH Summer Scholars): A seminar enables participants (including two full-time graduate students in the humanities) to conduct scholarly research or focused study under the direction of a scholarly expert. The director designs a program of study to articulate key issues and focus discussion in seminar meetings. The director also advises participants on individual research and teaching projects.

• Institute for college and university teachers—twenty-five participants (NEH Summer Scholars): An institute focuses on a topic of major importance in undergraduate curricula. Guided by a team of scholars, participants (including three full-time graduate students in the humanities) explore a challenging and complex subject. The primary goal is to deepen understanding of a subject in order to advance humanities teaching.

NEH encourages Summer Seminars and Institutes in the following areas:

Any U.S. nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status is eligible, as are state and local governmental agencies and federally recognized Indian tribal governments. Individuals are not eligible to apply.

A director who submitted his or her first successful NEH seminar or institute application in 2010 is not eligible to reapply in 2011. First-time directors must instead complete their seminar or institute, and receive evaluations from the NEH Summer Scholars, before they can submit proposals to direct future summer programs.

NEH generally does not award grants to other federal entities or to applicants whose projects are so closely intertwined with a federal entity that the project takes on characteristics of the federal entity’s own authorized activities. This does not preclude applicants from using grant funds from, or sites and materials controlled by, other federal entities in their projects.

Late, incomplete, and ineligible applications will not be reviewed.