Publishing Historical Records in Collaborative Digital Editions | EDITIONS 202206

Opportunity Information: Apply for EDITIONS 202206

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), part of the National Archives and Records Administration, is offering the "Publishing Historical Records in Collaborative Digital Editions" grant program to support projects that publish online editions of historical records. The program is geared toward making primary sources easier to discover and use by building digital editions that are not just scanned images, but carefully edited resources with full text, search functionality, and strong historical and editorial context. Eligible source materials are broad and can include traditional documents and photographs as well as born-digital materials and analog audio recordings, as long as the end product is an accessible documentary edition that helps tell the American story.

In terms of subject matter, the opportunity is intentionally wide. Projects can focus on major movements and themes in U.S. history, including (but not limited to) law and legal culture, politics, reform movements, business, military history, and the arts. NHPRC explicitly encourages proposals that center the voices and experiences of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, and welcomes work documenting African American, Asian American, Hispanic American, and Native American history. There is also a timely thematic invitation tied to the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence: the Commission is interested in projects that open up collections exploring the ideals behind the founding of the United States and the ongoing debates over those ideals from the eighteenth century to the present.

A key expectation is that applicants follow established scholarly editing standards, specifically best practices promoted by the Association for Documentary Editing (ADE) and/or the Modern Language Association (MLA) Committee on Scholarly Editions. The grant is meant for documentary source editions, so it generally does not fund critical editions of already-published literary works, except in cases where those published works are a small component of a larger documentary project. It also does not support creating film or video documentaries, and proposals made up entirely of ineligible activities are not reviewed.

For new applicants (defined as projects that have never received NHPRC funding), the requirements are particularly clear: they must present definitive plans to publish and preserve a digital edition that provides online access to a searchable, fully transcribed, and annotated body of documents. Print publication can be included, but any material published in print must also appear in a fully searchable digital edition within a reasonable time after the print release. NHPRC also encourages, though does not strictly require, free public access to the online edition. Importantly, proposals without credible digital dissemination and long-term preservation plans in place at the application stage will not be considered.

As the title suggests, collaboration is central to this program. Awards are intended for collaborative teams that include at least two scholar-editors and also involve the additional expertise needed to produce high-quality digital editions, such as archivists, digital scholarship specialists, data curators, and technical staff. NHPRC strongly encourages teams that place BIPOC faculty and staff in key roles and that partner with institutions and communities such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), Tribal Colleges, and other Indigenous or Native American tribal scholars and community members, as well as members of the Asian American community. The Commission also encourages projects to incorporate community participants and undergraduate or graduate students throughout the workflow, so the work builds skills and broadens participation in the documentary editing field.

On funding structure, the award is for a one-year project period, with a maximum request of up to $160,000 per year. NHPRC anticipated making up to 25 awards, with total program funding up to $3,000,000, and projects could begin no earlier than January 1, 2023 (per the notice details). Recipients must acknowledge NHPRC support in publications, publicity, and other products produced with grant assistance.

Eligibility includes U.S. nonprofit organizations and institutions, colleges and universities (public or private), state or local government agencies, and federally acknowledged or state-recognized Native American tribes or groups. Applicants are expected to review and follow NHPRC grant rules under the guidance for administering an NHPRC grant. The opportunity also has a required cost-sharing component: NHPRC will provide no more than 75 percent of total project costs, meaning the applicant must cover at least 25 percent through a mix of allowable contributions such as direct costs, in-kind support, third-party non-federal contributions, project income, and indirect costs. A notable restriction is that NHPRC funds cannot be used to pay indirect costs; if indirect costs are included, they must be counted under the applicant's cost share (consistent with 2 CFR 2600.101).

For returning projects seeking renewed support, NHPRC has placed a firm cap on how long it will fund work in this category: up to 10 total years of NHPRC support beginning with FY 2022 awards (and those years do not need to be consecutive). Renewal applications must show they met prior performance objectives, explain the new work to be completed during the next grant period, identify and justify the historical significance of the specific materials to be edited, demonstrate progress toward completion of the edition, and provide a refreshed budget that supports the new phase of work.

Administratively, applicants must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) before applying, keep that registration active throughout the process, and include a valid DUNS number in the application (as stated in the opportunity). The published listing identifies the opportunity number as EDITIONS 202206 under CFDA 89.003, categorized under humanities/cultural affairs, with the original closing date shown as June 8, 2022.

• The National Archives and Records Administration in the humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Publishing Historical Records in Collaborative Digital Editions" 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 Nov 19, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 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 $160,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 25 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.

Apply for EDITIONS 202206

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