Institutes for Historical Editing. | EDITING 202212

Opportunity Information: Apply for EDITING 202212

The Institutes for Historical Editing grant opportunity, offered through the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) within the National Archives and Records Administration, supports projects that strengthen and broaden the field of historical editing and the publication of historical records. The program is focused on building inclusive participation, practical training, education, and sustained dialogue across a wide range of people doing this work, not just within academia but also among public historians, community-based practitioners, archivists, digital specialists, and others engaged in documentary editing. It explicitly recognizes that modern historical editing often overlaps with digital scholarly editing, digital ethnic studies, digital history, and the broader digital humanities, and it aims to help the community grow in ways that are collaborative, accessible, and more representative of the public whose histories are being preserved and interpreted.

A central expectation of this opportunity is that applicants design their project around clear values and concrete practices that make participation genuinely inclusive. Project plans, staffing approaches, and programming are expected to show an intentional commitment to a respectful and welcoming environment, while also encouraging collaboration and shared creation rather than siloed or top-down models. The program places emphasis on experimentation and innovation in methods and tools, along with creativity in how historical records are collected, interpreted, and shared. Diversity is treated broadly, extending beyond demographic representation to include diversity of professional roles, institutional types, perspectives, and editorial or technical methods.

Beyond values and programming, the grant is also aimed at strengthening the technical and institutional infrastructure that supports this community. Applicants are expected to create and sustain an open, accessible online platform that can serve as a durable hub for educational materials and engagement. That platform is envisioned as a place to host resources such as training content, courses, discussions, and other shared reference materials that help practitioners develop skills and exchange knowledge. The goal is not a one-time event but a structure that can support ongoing learning and community building.

The opportunity also requires a realistic staffing model and a plan for regular programming. Applicants should be prepared to run a continuing suite of activities that advances conversation across the practitioner community and supports professional development. This can include networking opportunities, workshops, and other training or mentoring formats. Just as important, applicants must show how they will promote the program and conduct outreach in ways that actively engage and listen to a wide range of participants, particularly those who have been historically underrepresented in these editorial and digital scholarship spaces.

Collaboration is a major selection priority. Competitive proposals will bring together a team with the right mix of expertise to address the full workflow of historical documentary work, from collecting and describing records to preserving, compiling, transcribing, contextualizing, annotating, editing, encoding, and ultimately publishing. The solicitation points to roles like scholar-editors, digital archivists, digital scholars, and data curators, along with communications staff and technical support as needed. NHPRC strongly encourages teams that place racially and ethnically diverse faculty and staff in meaningful leadership positions and that include participation from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges, Indigenous and Native American tribal scholars and community members, and members of the Asian American community. Proposals are also encouraged to incorporate community input as well as undergraduate and graduate students, both to strengthen the work and to create pathways for learning and career development. At the same time, applicants must pay attention to NHPRC rules on what it will and will not fund, since applications made up entirely of ineligible activities will be rejected.

In terms of funding, this is a discretionary grant program with a relatively focused award profile. Awards can last from one to three years, with funding up to $150,000 per year, and the Commission anticipated making one award in this category for a maximum total of up to $450,000. The earliest project start date listed is July 1, 2023. Recipients must acknowledge NHPRC support in publications, publicity, and other products that result from the grant.

Eligibility is limited to organizations rather than individuals. Eligible applicants include U.S. nonprofit organizations and institutions (including 501(c)(3) nonprofits), U.S. colleges and universities (public or private), state and local government agencies, and federally recognized or state-recognized Native American tribes or groups. A key restriction is that the program does not fund individuals seeking support for their own training or professional advancement; those types of requests are explicitly ineligible.

Cost sharing is not required for this funding category, and NHPRC may cover up to 100 percent of allowable direct project costs, excluding program revenue. While optional cost sharing can include program income, indirect costs, or additional direct costs contributed by the applicant, there is an important limitation: NHPRC grant funds cannot be used to pay indirect costs, consistent with federal regulations (referenced in the notice as 2 CFR 2600.101). Finally, applicants must meet standard federal award registration requirements by being registered in the System for Award Management (SAM), maintaining that registration throughout the process, and including a valid Unique Entity ID (UEI) with the application.

Key administrative details from the opportunity listing include the title Institutes for Historical Editing, funding opportunity number EDITING 202212, CFDA 89.003, and an original application deadline of December 8, 2022, with the opportunity posted on August 8, 2022. The award ceiling is $150,000, and the expected number of awards is one, reflecting the program's intent to fund a single, well-structured institute or coordinating initiative that can serve as a durable, open, and inclusive center of activity for the historical editing and documentary publishing community.

• The National Archives and Records Administration in the humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Institutes for Historical Editing." 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 Aug 08, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 08, 2022. (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 $150,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 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.

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