Publishing Historical Records in Documentary Editions | EDITIONS 201806

Opportunity Information: Apply for EDITIONS 201806

The Publishing Historical Records in Documentary Editions grant is offered by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), part of the National Archives and Records Administration, to support projects that publish documentary editions of historically significant American records. Funded projects can center on the papers of major individuals in U.S. history or document broader themes and movements such as politics, social reform, business, the military, the arts, and other areas that help explain the national experience. A core expectation is that the proposed records have clear historical value and that the finished edition will be genuinely useful to broad audiences, in a way that justifies the project costs. The program is designed to expand public access to key historical documents while also providing the editorial framing that helps readers interpret and use those materials responsibly.

The grant supports the full workflow involved in creating a documentary edition, including collecting and compiling source materials, describing and preserving them, transcribing, annotating, editing, encoding, and publishing the results both online and, when appropriate, in print. Because the emphasis is on primary documentary sources, the program generally does not fund projects that are mainly critical editions of already-published works, unless those published materials represent only a small part of a larger documentary edition. Applicants are expected to show they understand established professional standards for documentary editing, specifically the best practices promoted by the Association for Documentary Editing and/or the Modern Language Association Committee on Scholarly Editions.

A major requirement, especially for first-time applicants, is a serious and workable digital publishing plan. Any new project that has never received NHPRC funding must produce a digital edition that provides online access to a searchable collection of all documents. Simple ebooks or posting scanned or compiled PDFs does not meet the program standard. Print volumes can be included in the plan, but the contents of any print volumes must also be published online within a reasonable period after print release. The NHPRC also encourages free public access to the online edition. Applications will be rejected if they do not have definitive plans for digital dissemination and long-term digital preservation in place at the time of submission, which makes the sustainability and stewardship side of the proposal just as important as the editorial work itself.

For projects that have been funded before (ongoing projects), the application must show concrete progress and accountability. Ongoing applicants are expected to document that they met performance objectives from prior NHPRC awards, provide updated and current project information, describe the new work proposed for the next grant period, explain the specific materials to be edited and why they matter historically, demonstrate forward momentum toward completing the edition, and present a budget that clearly justifies costs for the next phase.

Awards are made for one year, with a maximum federal request of up to $200,000 per grant. The Commission anticipated making up to 25 awards in this category, totaling up to $2.5 million. Grants were expected to start no earlier than January 1, 2019 (based on the posted cycle), and the competition is described as highly competitive. Recipients must acknowledge NHPRC support in publications, publicity, and other outputs produced with grant assistance.

Eligible applicants include U.S. nonprofit organizations (including 501(c)(3) entities), 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 cover no more than 50 percent of total direct project costs in this category. Indirect costs cannot be charged to NHPRC grant funds, but indirect expenses may be counted as part of the applicant’s cost-share contribution. Cost sharing can include direct and indirect expenses, in-kind support, third-party non-federal contributions, and project-generated income, as long as it is properly documented and attributed.

On the administrative side, applicant organizations must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) before applying, keep that registration active throughout the process, and include a valid DUNS number in the application (noting this reflects the requirements stated in the opportunity). A complete application package must include Standard Form 424 (Application for Federal Assistance), Standard Form 424B (Assurances), plus a project narrative, summary, supplementary materials, and a budget. Missing any required component can result in the application not being considered, and proposals made up entirely of ineligible activities will not move forward for review. The opportunity listing identifies it as a discretionary grant in the humanities (CFDA 89.003), with the specific opportunity number EDITIONS 201806 and a closing date of June 13, 2018 for that cycle.

• 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 Nov 29, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 13, 2018. (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 $200,000.00 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 201806

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