The Humanities Connections grant program seeks to expand the role of the humanities in undergraduate education at two- and four-year institutions. Grants will support innovative curricular approaches that foster productive partnerships among humanities faculty and their counterparts in the social and natural sciences and in pre-service or professional programs (such as business, engineering, health sciences, law, computer science, and other technology-driven fields).

Competitive applications will demonstrate

• that the proposed curricular projects address significant and compelling topics or issues in undergraduate education at the applicant institution(s);
• that these projects engage the intellectual skills and habits of mind cultivated by the humanities; and
• that faculty and students will benefit from meaningful collaborations in teaching and learning across disciplines as a result of the project.

Humanities Connections projects have four core features:

1. integration of the subject matter, perspectives, and goals of two or more disciplines (with a minimum of one in and one outside of the humanities);
2. collaboration between faculty from two or more separate departments or schools at one or more institutions;
3. experiential learning as an intrinsic part of the curricular plan; and
4. long-term institutional support for the proposed curriculum innovation(s).

Humanities Connections grants are funded at two levels: Planning and Implementation.

Planning Grants (up to twelve months) support the interdisciplinary collaboration of faculty from two or more separate departments or schools (a minimum of one in and one outside of the humanities), with the goal of designing a new, coherent curricular program or initiative. The grant gives the institution(s) the opportunity to create a firm foundation for implementing the program. Planning goals will include identifying the members of a planning committee and organizing the planning process; defining the rationale, design, and structure that would undergird a comprehensive and institutionally sustainable effort; and establishing potential scenarios for curriculum development. Institutions may draw on current short-term initiatives or curricular programs run by individual departments in this effort. The outcome of a successful planning phase should be a project in, or ready for, the implementation stage.

You can find information about the Humanities Connections Implementation Grants program here.

Program Statistics

In its initial competition the Humanities Connections program (which was not yet divided into Planning and Implementation programs) received 189 applications and made eighteen awards, for a funding ratio of 11 percent.

Questions?

Contact the staff of NEH’s Division of Education Programs at 202-606-8337 or humanitiesconnections@neh.gov. Applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing can contact NEH via Federal Relay (TTY users) at 800-877-8399.