Publishing Historical Records in Collaborative Digital Editions

Overview

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission seeks proposals to publish online editions of historical records. All types of historical records are eligible, including documents, photographs, born-digital records, and analog audio. Projects may focus on broad historical movements in U.S. history, including any aspect of African American, Asian American, Hispanic American, and Native American history, such as law (including the social and cultural history of the law), politics, social reform, business, military, the arts, and other aspects of the national experience. Projects that center the voices and document the history of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color are especially welcome.

The goal of this program is to provide access to, and editorial context for, the historical documents and records that tell the American story. Because of the focus on historical documentary sources, grants do not support preparation of critical editions of published works unless such works are just a small portion of the larger project.

New Projects
All new projects (those which have never received NHPRC funding) must have definitive plans for publishing and preserving a digital edition which provides online access to a searchable, fully-transcribed and annotated collection of documents. New projects may also prepare print editions as part of their overall publishing plan, but the contents of those volumes must be published in a fully-searchable digital edition within a reasonable period of time following print publication. 

Collaboration
Grants are awarded to collaborative teams (including at least two scholar-editors, in addition to one or more archivists, digital scholars, data curators, and/or other support and technical staff, as necessary) for collecting, describing, preserving, compiling, transcribing, annotating, editing, encoding, and publishing documentary source materials online.  We strongly encourage applications from collaborative teams that include BIPOC faculty and staff in key positions, and that include editorial, archival, and technical staff at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges, and/or other Indigenous and Native American tribal scholars and community members, and members of the Asian American community. We also encourage projects to seek out community members as well as undergraduate and graduate students to contribute to (and benefit from) participation in all phases of the project.

Applicants seeking renewed funding in this grant category must demonstrate that they have successfully achieved the performance objectives associated with previous NHPRC awards; provide updated, current information, including a description of the new activities; describe the content and historical significance of the specific materials to be edited during the proposed grant period; show progress towards completing the edition; and justify costs in a new budget. All projects seeking renewed funding are limited to a maximum of up to 10 years total funding support, beginning with and including any funds awarded for FY 2022.

Cost sharing is required. The applicant's financial contribution may include both direct and indirect expenses, in-kind contributions, non-Federal third-party contributions, and any income earned directly by the project. NHPRC grant recipients are not permitted to use grant funds for indirect costs (as indicated in 2 CFR 2600.101). Indirect costs must be listed under the applicant's cost sharing contribution if they are included in the budget. 

The Commission provides no more than 75 percent of total project costs in the Publishing Historical Records in Collaborative Digital Editions category. For example, a request of $75,000 in NHPRC grant funds means the applicant institution must provide at least $25,000 in cost share.

• A grant is for one year and for up to $125,000 per year.
• The Commission expects to make up to 32 grants in this category. 
• Grants begin no earlier than January 1, 2024.