Publishing Historical Records in Documentary Editions | EDITIONS 202110

Opportunity Information: Apply for EDITIONS 202110

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), part of the National Archives and Records Administration, is soliciting grant proposals to publish documentary editions of historical records that help the public and researchers better understand U.S. history through primary sources. The program is geared toward projects that assemble, edit, and publish curated sets of historical documents with strong scholarly framing so readers can interpret the materials in context. NHPRC is particularly interested in editions that illuminate broad movements and themes in the American experience, including law (and the social and cultural history of law), politics, social reform, business, the military, the arts, and related topics. It also welcomes projects centered on the papers of major historical figures, and it explicitly encourages work that deepens coverage of African American, Asian American, Hispanic American, and Native American history.

A major emphasis in this opportunity is supporting projects that connect to the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. NHPRC encourages applicants to use historical collections to examine the ideals associated with the nation’s founding and how those ideals have been interpreted, contested, and debated over the past 250 years. Projects that are designed to engage public audiences, strengthen civic education, and promote understanding of U.S. democracy and culture from the founding era to the present are strongly aligned with the program’s goals.

The core purpose of the program is access plus editorial context. Funded projects are expected to do the work needed to make documentary sources usable: collecting and compiling relevant materials, describing and preserving them as needed, transcribing and annotating texts, performing scholarly editing, and (when applicable) encoding the materials for digital publication. NHPRC expects applicants to follow recognized professional standards, specifically pointing to best practices from the Association for Documentary Editing (ADE) and the Modern Language Association (MLA) Committee on Scholarly Editions.

Digital publication is not optional for new applicants. Any project that has never received NHPRC funding must present clear, definitive plans to publish and preserve a digital edition that provides online access to a searchable, fully transcribed, and annotated set of documents. Print products can be part of the plan (including ebooks or searchable PDFs), but if print volumes are produced, the content must also appear in a fully searchable digital edition within a reasonable timeframe after print publication. NHPRC also encourages free public access to online editions, and it makes clear that applications without solid plans for digital dissemination and long-term preservation will not be considered.

The grants are designed for collaborative teams rather than solo efforts. A typical team is expected to include at least two scholar-editors, plus additional roles as appropriate, such as archivists, digital scholarship staff, data curators, and other technical or support personnel. The materials edited are generally original manuscript or typewritten documents, though the program can include other formats such as analog audio or born-digital records. At the same time, NHPRC draws firm boundaries around what it will not fund: it generally does not support critical editions of already-published works unless those items are a minor part of a larger documentary project, and it does not support producing film or video documentaries. Applications made up entirely of ineligible activities are rejected without review.

For ongoing projects that have previously received NHPRC support, the application must do more than restate the overall mission. Returning applicants are expected to show they met performance objectives from earlier awards, provide updated and current project information, specify exactly which materials will be edited during the new grant period and why they matter historically, demonstrate concrete progress toward completing the edition, and justify the requested costs with a refreshed budget. Across both new and continuing projects, competitive proposals will clearly explain the historical significance of the records for intended audiences, demonstrate that the workflow and staffing align with documentary editing best practices, present a cost-effective budget, and describe outreach or engagement activities that will bring researchers and the public to the published edition.

Funding is offered as a one-year grant with an award ceiling of up to $175,000 per year. NHPRC anticipated making up to 25 awards in this category, totaling up to $3,000,000. Grants were scheduled to begin no earlier than January 1, 2022, and recipients must acknowledge NHPRC support in any resulting publications, publicity, and other products.

Eligible applicants include U.S. nonprofit organizations and institutions, U.S. colleges and universities (public or private), state and local government agencies, and federally acknowledged or state-recognized Native American tribes or groups. The program requires cost sharing: NHPRC will provide no more than 50 percent of total project costs, meaning the applicant must match the federal request at least dollar-for-dollar through allowable cash and in-kind contributions, third-party non-federal support, and eligible direct or indirect expenses. Importantly, indirect costs cannot be charged to NHPRC funds under this program; if indirect costs are part of the project budget, they must be counted as part of the applicant’s cost share.

Finally, there are basic administrative requirements that affect eligibility. Applicant organizations must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) before applying, maintain an active SAM registration throughout the process, and include a valid DUNS number in the application. Without meeting these requirements, an application can be deemed ineligible and will not move forward for review.

• The National Archives and Records Administration in the humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Publishing Historical Records in Documentary Editions" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 89.003.
• This funding opportunity was created on Dec 01, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 07, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $175,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 25 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for EDITIONS 202110

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