Public Scholars

Background
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Division of Research Programs is accepting applications for the Public Scholars program. The program offers grants to individual authors for research, writing, travel, and other activities leading to the creation and publication of well-researched nonfiction books in the humanities written for the broad public. It encourages non-academic writers to deepen their engagement with the humanities by strengthening the research underlying their books, and it encourages academic writers in the humanities to communicate the significance of their research to the broadest possible range of readers.

Grant Details
The Public Scholars program offers grants to individual authors for research, writing, travel, and other activities leading to the creation and publication of well-researched nonfiction books in the humanities written for the broad public. The program welcomes projects in all areas of the humanities, regardless of geographic or chronological focus. The resulting books might present a narrative history, tell the stories of important individuals, analyze significant texts, provide a synthesis of ideas, revive interest in a neglected subject, or examine the latest thinking on a topic. Books supported by this program must be written in an accessible style and must clearly explain specialized terms and concepts while being authoritative, carefully researched, and appropriately documented.

Eligibility Requirements
The Public Scholars program accepts applications from individuals, whether they have an affiliation with a scholarly institution or not. Applicants must be U.S. citizens residing domestically or abroad or foreign nationals who have lived in the United States or its jurisdictions for at least three years prior to the application deadline. Applicants must have written and published a nonfiction book with a university press or trade press or written and published at least three nonfiction articles or essays in general-interest publications that reach a large national or international audience.

Period of Performance
Projects must start between June 1, 2025, and October 1, 2026 for the 2024 deadline and between June 1, 2026, and October 1, 2027 for the 2025 deadline. The period of performance is six months to one year.

Grant Value
Approximately $1,500,000 per deadline will fund approximately 25 recipients per deadline. Successful applicants will receive a stipend of $5,000 per full-time month; the maximum award is $60,000 for a twelve-month period.