Publishing Historical Records in Documentary Editions | EDITIONS 201706

Opportunity Information: Apply for EDITIONS 201706

The Publishing Historical Records in Documentary Editions grant opportunity, offered by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) within the National Archives and Records Administration, supports projects that publish documentary editions of historically significant American records. Funded editions can center on the papers of major figures in U.S. history or document broader themes and movements across politics, military affairs, business, social reform, the arts, and other parts of the national experience. A core expectation is that the records selected have clear historical value and that the finished edition will be useful to broad audiences, with the project scope and budget justified by that public benefit.

A major emphasis of the program is public access, especially through free, open online publication whenever possible and appropriate. Digital access is not optional in practice: proposals must include definitive plans for digital dissemination and long-term digital preservation at the time of application, or they will not be considered. Print publication can be included as part of a broader dissemination strategy, but if print volumes are produced, the program expects their contents to be made available online within a reasonable time after print release. Applicants are also expected to demonstrate that their editorial approach aligns with recognized best practices, particularly those recommended by the Association for Documentary Editing (ADE) or the Modern Language Association Committee on Scholarly Editions.

The grant can fund a wide range of core documentary editing and publication activities, including collecting and compiling materials; describing and preserving them; transcribing and annotating documents; editing and encoding content for digital publication; and publishing the resulting edition online and, when relevant, in print. Because the program is designed around documentary source materials, it generally does not support critical editions of already-published works, unless those published works make up only a small part of a larger documentary edition project focused on primary source records. The NHPRC also notes that the competition is highly selective, and applications made up entirely of ineligible activities will not move forward for review.

For projects that are already underway and seeking continued support, the NHPRC expects applicants to show concrete progress and accountability. Ongoing projects must demonstrate that they met the performance objectives tied to prior NHPRC awards, provide updated and current project information, clearly identify the specific materials that will be edited during the proposed grant year and explain their historical significance, show progress toward completing the edition, and present a refreshed budget that explains and justifies the new costs.

In terms of funding, awards are made for a one-year project period, with a maximum (award ceiling) of $200,000 per grant. The NHPRC anticipated making up to 25 awards in this category, totaling up to $2.5 million. For this particular cycle, the opportunity was created on December 9, 2016, had an original closing date of June 14, 2017, and indicated grant start dates no earlier than January 1, 2018. Recipients are required to acknowledge NHPRC support in publications, publicity, and other products produced with grant assistance.

Eligibility is limited to U.S.-based entities, including 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: the NHPRC will pay no more than 50 percent of total direct project costs in this category. Applicants must cover the remaining share through their own contributions, which may include direct costs, allowable indirect costs counted as cost share, in-kind support, non-federal third-party contributions, and project-generated income. A key restriction is that NHPRC funds cannot be used for indirect costs, consistent with the applicable federal regulation cited in the notice (2 CFR 2600.101), so any indirect costs must be carried on the applicant side as part of the match.

Administratively, applicant organizations must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) before submitting and must keep that registration active throughout the submission and award process. A valid DUNS number must be included in the application (as referenced in the notice). A complete application package must include the standard federal forms (SF-424 and SF-424B), along with a project narrative, summary, supplementary materials, and a detailed budget. Applications missing required components are not considered, and ineligible applications are not reviewed. The funding opportunity is listed as discretionary, uses a grant instrument, falls under the humanities activity area, and is associated with CFDA number 89.003 under the National Archives and Records Administration.

• 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 09, 2016.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 14, 2017. (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 201706

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