Humanities Collections and Reference Resources (HCRR)

HCRR advances scholarship, education, and public programming in the humanities by helping libraries, archives, museums, and historical organizations across the country steward important collections of books and manuscripts, photographs, sound recordings and moving images, archaeological and ethnographic artifacts, art and material culture, and digital objects. The program strengthens efforts to extend the reach of such materials and make their intellectual content widely accessible. Awards also support the creation of reference resources that facilitate the use of cultural materials, from works that provide basic information quickly to tools that synthesize and codify knowledge of a subject for in-depth investigation.

Projects may address the holdings or activities of a single institution or may involve partnerships between organizations. Collaboration between humanities experts and information professionals is essential to broaden the scope of, and audiences for, proposed collections or reference resources. You should design a project that facilitates sharing, exchange, and the interoperability of humanities information and products, as well as ensures their long-term availability. Projects should expand participation in cultural heritage and promote engagement with primary sources.

The HCRR program includes two funding categories:

• Foundations: Foundations awards support planning, assessment, and pilot activities that incorporate cross-disciplinary expertise in the formative stages of preserving and creating access to humanities collections or producing reference resources. Drawing upon the cooperation of humanities scholars and technical specialists, these projects might include efforts to initiate intellectual control of collections, to solidify collaborative frameworks and strategic plans for complex digital reference resources, or to produce preliminary versions of online collections or resources. Experts may be humanities scholars, archivists, curators, librarians, preservation specialists, and other information professionals, depending on your goals.
• Implementation: Applications may be submitted for projects that address one or more specific humanities activities.

For more information on funding categories, see https://www.neh.gov/sites/default/files/inline-files/Humanities%20Collections%20and%20Reference%20Resources%20notice%20of%20funding%20opportunity%202023%2020230718-PW.pdf#page=4

• City or township governments
• County governments
• 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
• Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
• Others (see text field entitled "Additional Eligibility Criteria" for clarification)
• Special district governments
• State governments

Estimated Total Program Funding: