Through NEH-Mellon Fellowships for Digital Publication, the National Endowment for the Humanities and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation jointly support individual scholars pursuing interpretive research projects that require digital expression and digital publication. To be eligible for this special opportunity, an applicant’s plans for digital publication must be essential to the project’s research goals. That is, the project must be conceived as digital because the nature of the research and the topics being addressed demand presentation beyond traditional print publication. Successful projects will likely incorporate visual, audio, and/or other multimedia materials or flexible reading pathways that could not be included in traditionally published books, as well as an active distribution plan.

All projects must be interpretive. That is, projects must advance a scholarly argument through digital means and tools. Stand-alone databases and other projects that lack an interpretive argument are not eligible.

Applications submitted for this special opportunity will be evaluated separately from other NEH Fellowships applications, but, like applications submitted to the NEH Fellowships program, will be held to the highest standards of scholarship.

Applicants interested in conducting research and writing leading to traditional print or e-reader publications should apply to the NEH Fellowships program.

What’s New for 2018

NEH has increased the Fellowships monthly stipend from $4,200 to $5,000. As a result, the minimum award is now $30,000 (for six months of full-time work). The maximum award is now $60,000 (for twelve months of full-time work).

Program Statistics

In its first two competitions the NEH-Mellon Fellowships for Digital Publications program received an average of 86 applications per year. The program made an average of eight awards per year, for a funding ratio of 9 percent.

The number of applications to an NEH grant program can vary widely from year to year, as can the funding 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 fellowships@neh.gov.

Visit the National Endowment for the Humanities Mellon Fellowships for Digital Publication page for full details including FAQs, samples of funded projects and more.

Questions?

Contact NEH’s Division of Research Programs at 202-606-8200 or fellowships@neh.gov. Applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing can contact NEH via Federal Relay (TTY users) at 800-877-8399.