Climate Smart Humanities Organizations - FY 2024
| Agency: | U.S. National Endowment for the Humanities |
|---|---|
| CFDA: | 45.130 |
| Federal FON: | 20240912-CLI |
| Office: | Office of Challenge Programs |
| Multipart Grant: | No |
| Next Due: | 09/17/2025 (Multiple) |
|---|---|
| Solicitation Date: | 05/29/2024 |
| Match Required: | Yes |
| Match Type: | Cash |
| Actual Funds: | Unspecified |
| Award Range: | $300,000 (Max) |
Summary:
The purpose of this program is to strengthen the institutional base of the humanities by supporting operational assessments and strategic planning efforts to sustain and protect historical, cultural, educational, intellectual, and physical assets from the risks of climate change. All projects must result in physical or digital planning documents that outline specific mitigation and/or adaptation actions the applicant organization will implement over time. This program is intended to support strategic planning activities for climate change that will increase the resilience of eligible organizations and support their work in the humanities over the long term.
Examples of eligible climate-smart projects include:
- A university museum seeking to measure and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to meet campus-wide net-zero targets through assessments that include energy audits of the museum building and off-site storage, evaluation of mechanical systems, and calculation of the carbon footprint of daily operations
- An archive located adjacent to a river seeking to analyze through assessment activities the costs, risks, and benefits of adapting its current building to meet increasing flood hazards; renovating or relocating an existing building farther inland; or building a new, purpose-built structure outside of the local community
- Historic homes in the same town establishing a consortium to coordinate resilience efforts through individual and joint strategic planning
All projects must include mitigation, adaptation, or a combination of both types of assessments and planning activities, as follows:
- Mitigation planning activities that focus on reducing the institution’s environmental impact and energy costs
- Adaptation planning activities that will support the preparation for, and adjustment to, actual and expected climate change scenarios to protect humanities-focused institutional assets and facilities
Projects that address both mitigation and adaptation planning activities are encouraged; however, the proposed project may focus on one type of assessment and planning activities. Refer to pages 6-7 of the NOFA file for additional information regarding mitigation and adaptation planning activities, including examples of eligible planning activities.
In addition to assessments, projects may include other activities that will inform the final planning document, including:
- Hiring a sustainability officer or consultant to evaluate current operations and coordinate assessment efforts for the final climate-smart strategic plan
- Training to encourage climate-smart behavior of staff and visitors/users to reduce institutional environmental impact and raise awareness of climate-smart efforts
- Forming internal and external working groups, including consultants and community forums
- Collecting and analyzing data, writing reports, and working with outside experts
- Developing educational materials, signs, equipment, and training activities directly associated with humanities-centered and climate-smart strategic planning
- Disseminating the completed strategic plans through online posting, publication, presentations, and other methods
All projects must result in one or more detailed and data-informed climate-smart strategic planning documents with specific goals, targets, and associated actions that the organization intends to undertake after the project period. The plans may exist in digital or hard copy and may include information regarding the planning process, operational assessments, impact on the humanities, results of energy or building audits, conceptual design documents, educational materials, future targets, and evaluation metrics.
Eligible costs include personnel costs, equipment, travel, participant/trainee support costs, other direct costs, and indirect costs.
An optional webinar is scheduled for this program. Refer to the Application section for details.
Last Updated: February 18, 2025
Eligibility Notes:
Eligible applicants are:
- 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations
- Public or nonprofit accredited institutions of higher education
- State or local governments or one of their agencies
- Federally recognized Native American tribal governments
All applicants must clearly demonstrate how the organization engages with humanities themes through collections, sites, and/or programming. Eligible applicants that do not work primarily in the humanities must clearly articulate how the proposed project will enhance and preserve humanities collections, sites, and/or programing. Examples of eligible applicants include such humanities organizations as museums, libraries, archives, historic houses, and humanities-centered subunits of colleges and universities.
Institutions of higher education, municipalities, and local and tribal governments may apply to develop a climate action plan for one or more humanities-based subunits, such as a library, archive, or museum.
Institution-specific foundations specifically created for the purpose of raising money for a single, humanities-based entity, such as a university or a museum, may serve as the legal award recipient.
Two or more eligible humanities organizations may undertake planning efforts as a consortium. One organization must submit the application on behalf of all consortium members and will be solely responsible for all award management activities. Consortium participants receiving project funds must be identified in the in the application as subrecipients. Refer to pages 8-9 of the NOFA file for additional information regarding consortium applications.
Non-humanities organizations, such as performing arts venues and arts centers dedicated to the creation or performance of art, are not eligible to serve as subrecipients. Such organizations may participate as a consortium member but may not receive award funds.
Projects that include Native American organizations and communities as applicants and project partners are encouraged.
Applicants that are current award recipients under the Office of Challenge Programs may are eligible to apply if they meet the following criteria:
- Have completely met the required match requirement and had all gifts certified and processed by the funding agency
- Have met all the requirements of the award offer and/or award letters, including submission of timely performance and financial reports
No more than one application will be accepted per organization.
Foreign institutions or organizations are not eligible for funding through this program. Collaborative projects that involve foreign organizations are allowable, provided that funds are not used to issue subawards to any foreign organization. Applicants for projects that involve international collaboration must contact the funding agency via email at [email protected] prior to submitting an application.
The following entities are not eligible to apply:
- For-profit entities
- Entities functioning solely as a fiscal agent
- Federal entities
Previous award recipients include:
- K C Rural Library District
- Anchorage Museum
- Historic New England
Refer to the Award file for additional information on previous award recipients.
Eligible Applicants:
Local GovernmentAcademic Institutions
Consortia
Native American Tribe
Non Profits
State Government
Application Notes:
Prior to submitting an application, applicants for projects that involve international collaboration must contact the funding agency via email at [email protected].
Applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. ET on one of the following dates:
- September 18, 2024
- September 17, 2025
Applications must be submitted online at www.ecivis.com/grants.gov.
Applications must include:
- SF 424 short organizational
- Supplementary cover sheet
- Project/performance site(s) location form
- Research and related budget and budget justification
- Certification regarding lobbying (if applicable)
- SF LLL (if applicable)
- Attachments:
- Narrative (10 pages max)
- Work plan (2 pages max recommended)
- Fundraising chart (1 page max recommended)
- Institutional profile (2 pages max recommended)
- Consortium participants (if applicable; 1 page max per organization recommended)
- Resumes of project team members (2 pages max per person recommended)
- Letters of commitment and support
- Subrecipient budgets (if applicable)
- Other supporting documentation (optional; 5 pages max recommended)
- Certification of gifts (if available)
- Federally negotiated indirect cost rate agreement (if applicable)
- Explanation of delinquent federal debt (if applicable)
Applications must be formatted on no larger than standard-sized pages with at least one-inch margins using at least an 11-point font. Applications formatted on single-spaced pages using a readable font, such as Arial, Georgia, Helvetica, or Times New Roman, and any standard citation style are encouraged. Each attachment must be submitted as a single .pdf file with a file name formatted according to the instructions detailed on pages 16-17 of the NOFA file. Attachments submitted as security-enhanced .pdf files will not be accepted.
The following are required in order to submit an application:
- Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number
- SAM (System for Award Management) registration
Applicants may obtain a UEI number and verify or renew SAM registration status at www.ecivis.com/sam.
Prior to submitting an application, applicants may submit optional draft applications to the appropriate address provided in the Contact section by 11:59 p.m. ET on one of the following dates:
- August 9, 2024, for applications received by September 18, 2024
- August 8, 2025, for applications received by September 17, 2025
An optional webinar for this program is scheduled as follows:
June 24, 2024
2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
Registration: events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com
Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
- Humanities significance and impact
- Institutional commitment
- Climate action planning
- Work plan and budget
- Project team
- Plan assessment, dissemination, and next steps
Refer to the NOFA, FAQ, and AppUpdate files for additional application information.
| Match Required: | Yes |
|---|---|
| Match Type: | Cash |
| Actual Funds: | Unspecified |
| Award Range: | $300,000 (Max) |
|---|
Match Notes:
Applicants must provide a one-to-one match of the award amount by raising third-party and nonfederal gifts that consist of cash contributions. Matching funds may come from individual donors, private foundations, corporations, state or local grants, and other sources.
Award recipients must certify that they have raised eligible contributions from third-party nonfederal gifts before the funding agency will releases award funds. Award recipients must certify at least 25 percent of total required match prior to the approved project period. Award recipients must certify all remaining gifts by one of the following dates:
- March 31, 2026, for applications received by September 18, 2024
- March 31, 2027, for applications received by September 17, 2025
Applicants may use funds from, or sites and materials controlled by, other federal entities in the project; however, such funds, sites, or materials may not be used as a match.
The following may not be used as a match:
- In-kind gifts
- Funds derived from the award recipient, subrecipient organizations, and institution-specific foundations
- Internal funds shifted or reallocated for matching purposes
Funding Notes:
An estimated total of $2.5 million is expected to be available per application round to support approximately 10 to 20 awards of up to $300,000 each per application round through this program. The total project budget may not exceed $600,000.
The full award amount may not be available for release in the first year of a multiyear project period. The funding agency will typically distribute award funds on an annual basis over the project period. Funding beyond the first year of the project period will be dependent on the availability of appropriated funds, satisfactory performance, and a decision that continued funding is in the best interest of the federal government.
Award announcements are anticipated to be made by one of the following dates:
- April 2025 for applications received by September 18, 2024
- April 2026 for applications received by September 17, 2025
The project period will last up to 24 months. Projects must start within the following time frames:
- Between May 1, 2025, and September 1, 2025, for applications received by September 18, 2024
- Between May 1, 2026, and September 1, 2026, for applications received by September 17, 2025
The project period must start on the first day of a month and end on the last day of a month.
Income generated through project activities must be used for additional approved project-related activities.
In general, funds may not be used for the construction of permanent improvements to lands or facilities that belong to another federal agency.
Funds may not be used for:
- Implementation costs, including construction or renovation activities
- Projects that result in advanced schematic design and construction documents, including those intended to be used for procurement and/or financing
- Planning activities solely intended to inform future construction or renovation
- Project costs that are already included in another application for federal funding or an approved federal award budget
- Projects that are so closely intertwined with a federal entity that the project takes on characteristics of the federal entity’s own authorized activities
- General operating support costs
- Obtaining sources of project financing other than fundraising
- Ground-disturbing activities
- Projects that do not focus on, or result in, strategic planning documents for humanities-based institutions or humanities-based subunits
- Costs associated with scientific research or commercial opportunities
Refer to pages 37-38 of the NOFA file for additional information regarding unallowable costs.
In 2024, two applicants received awards of $100,000 and $133,252 through this program. In 2023, one applicant received an award of $48,029. Refer to the Award file for details.
Contacts:
Primary Contact:
Program Staff
(202) 606-8309
challenge@neh.gov
Administrative Requirements or Allowable Costs Contact:
Program Staff
(202) 606-8494
grantmanagement@neh.gov
Agency Address
National Endowment for the Humanities
400 7th Street, SW
Washington, D.C. 20506
Contact Notes:
Questions should be directed to the appropriate program contact.
Applications must be submitted online at www.ecivis.com/grants.gov.
Optional draft applications must be emailed to [email protected].
The agency address provided is for reference purposes only.
Files:
Other Pre-Award File: US17785_FAQ_FY2024.pdf (259.6 Kb)Other Pre-Award File: US17785_CertificationOfGifts_FY2024.pdf (38.8 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US17785_SampleNarratives_FY2024.zip (854.5 Kb)
Award File: US17785_Award_FY2024.pdf (235.6 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US17785_AppUpdate_FY2024.pdf (56.1 Kb)
NOFA File: US17785_NOFA_FY2024.pdf (664.3 Kb)
File Notes:
The NOFA file contains the revised solicitation for this program. The FAQ file contains a list of answers to frequently asked questions regarding this program. The CertificationOfGifts file contains the required certification of gifts form for the application. The SampleNarratives folder contains sample application narratives and should be used for reference purposes only. The AppUpdate file contains information regarding how upcoming changes to Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards may impact applications for this program. The Award file contains information on previous award recipients. Additional program resources can be found online at www.neh.gov/program.
February 18, 2025
A revised solicitation containing updated funding restrictions for this program has been released and attached as the NOFA file. The Summary section has been updated accordingly.
July 5, 2024
Information regarding how upcoming changes to Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards may impact applications for this program has been released and attached as the AppUpdate file.
Grant Keywords
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Arts & CultureCommunity Development
Disaster Preparedness
Energy
Environment/Natural Resources