NEH Summer Seminars and Institutes for K-12 Educators and Higher Education provide school teachers and higher education faculty across the nation the opportunity to broaden and deepen their engagement with the humanities. The one- to four-week professional development programs allow participants (NEH Summer Scholars) to explore recent developments in scholarship, teaching, and/or curriculum through study of a variety of humanities topics. Seminars and Institutes focus on the intellectual quality of humanities education and address recent developments in scholarship, teaching, and/or curriculum.
NEH Summer Seminars and Institutes
- focus on the study and teaching of significant texts and other resources;
- provide models of excellent scholarship and teaching;
- contribute to the intellectual growth of the participants; and
- build lasting communities of inquiry.
An NEH Summer Seminar or Institute may be hosted by a college, university, learned society, center for advanced study, library or other repository, cultural or professional organization, or school or school system. The host site must provide facilities for collegial interaction and scholarship. The program may be held only in the United States and its territories.
NEH Summer Seminars and Institutes may now be as short as one week (two weeks was previously the shortest period), and the longest programs are now limited to four weeks (five weeks was previously the longest period). One-week programs may be offered twice during a summer.
NEH encourages proposals for Summer Seminars and Institutes in the following areas:
- projects that promote a deeper understanding of American history and culture, as well as projects that advance civic education and knowledge of America's core principles of government; and
- projects related to the NEH initiative Standing Together: The Humanities and the Experience of War.
Summer Seminars and Institutes awards are made at two levels: Level I and Level II.
- Level I: open only to projects that would take place for the first time, this level supports preparation for and execution of the seminar or institute, as well as moderate follow up and outreach after the summer program. Level I projects are generally not revisions of previously-funded projects. For a project led by previously-funded NEH summer project director(s) to be eligible for a Level I submission, the topic and subject matter must be significantly revised so as to be fundamentally new. Former directors who are unsure about the applicability of this criteria should consult with program staff.
- Level II: required of previously-funded projects and optional for first-time projects, this level includes Level I activities along with a robust program of dissemination beyond the participant audience.