Application Process

APPLICATION INFORMATION

1) Purpose of the Seminar

NEH Summer Seminars allow K-12 faculty an opportunity to enrich and revitalize their teaching through the study of humanities topics that bear on their teaching. Participants will receive a certificate upon completion of the program, but programs are not intended to duplicate graduate-level courses.

Each seminar provides a focused environment in which 16 participants study a humanities topic under the guidance of established scholars. Seminars emphasize close interaction among the participants through discussion of common readings and conversations about scholarship and teaching. 

2) Seminar Participant Provisions & Requirements

1. Participants, or Summer Scholars, are offered a stipend for participation in the project. The stipend is intended to help cover travel, housing, meals, and basic academic expenses. Stipends are determined by the NEH according to the duration of the Seminar.  In this case, the stipend is $2,200 for a two-week Seminar (stipend is taxable).
2. To participate in the seminar applicant must agree to:    

• Attend all meetings and engage fully as professionals in the work of the project. During the project, participants may not undertake teaching assignments or professional activities unrelated to their participation in the project. Those who, for any reason, do not complete the full tenure of the project will receive a reduced stipend.
• Submit an evaluation at the end of the project's residential period.

3) Who is eligible? 

1. As outlined by the NEH, summer seminars are designed primarily for full- or part-time K-12 educators who teach in public, charter, independent, and religiously affiliated schools, or as home schooling parents. See full text of NEH Participant Eligibility Criteria here.  

   • Particpante must be United States citizens, residents of U.S. jurisdictions, or foreign nationals who have been residing in the United States or its territories for at least the three years immediately preceding the application deadline. U.S. citizens teaching abroad at U.S. chartered institutions are also eligible to participate. Foreign nationals teaching abroad are not eligible to participate. 

   • Individuals may not apply to participate in a Summer Seminar or Institute whose director is a family member, who is affiliated with the same institution, who has served as an academic advisor to the applicant, or who has led a previous NEH summer program attended by the applicant. 

   • Participants may not be delinquent in the repayment of federal debt (e.g., taxes, student loans, child support payments, and delinquent payroll taxes for household or other employees).

   • Individuals may not apply to participate in a Summer Seminar or Institute if they have been debarred or suspended by any federal department or agency. 

   • To be considered for selection, applicants must submit a complete application as indicated on the individual seminar or institute’s website. 

2. In any given year, an individual may apply to a maximum of two Seminars, Institutes, or Landmark Workshops, but may attend only one.

4) Selection Criteria

A selection committee, consisting of the directors and two other colleagues, will evaluate all complete applications, identifying a group of Summer Scholars and alternates.  Primary consideration is given to candidates who have not previously attended an NEH Summer Seminar or Institute.  At least three seminar spaces are reserved for teachers who have been teaching for less than five years.  General selection criteria include:        

1. Effectiveness and commitment as an   educator;
2. Intellectual background and interests as they relate to the topic of the seminar;
3. Evidence that participation will have a long-term impact on the applicant’s teaching.

5) How to Apply

Click on the link below and complete the application form by Mar. 1, 2021.