How to Apply for this Grant
- Read this Announcement
- Read the Application Instructions
- Download the Application from Grants.gov
Questions?
- Contact the NHPRC
E-mail:
nhprc@nara.gov* 
Telephone: 202-357-5010 
Fax: 202-357-5914
* Please see our Privacy Statement
Grant Announcement:
Publication Subventions
The National Historical Publications and Records Commission promotes the preservation and use of America's documentary heritage essential to understanding our democracy, history, and culture.
The following grant application information is for Publication Subventions.
- See also Publishing Historical Records and Publishing Historical Records-Founding Era grants.
NHPRC support begins no earlier than December 1, 2008.
See the Application Cycle for additional information.
Grant Program Description
Through its subvention grants, the NHPRC promotes the widest possible distribution and use of Commission-supported documentary editions and encourages the highest archival permanence standards for paper, printing, and binding. The Commission expects vigorous and innovative marketing efforts on the part of grantees to reach scholars, teachers, and all other audiences.
Award Information
The Commission funds only the estimated losses a press expects to incur by publishing a particular volume. These can be calculated with a simple formula provided by the Association of American University Presses: average net price multiplied by estimated first three years' sales, subtracted from the total manufacturing and non-manufacturing costs of the volume. Subvention grants cannot exceed $10,000. The Commission may provide up to $3,000 for reprinting of NHPRC-sponsored or -endorsed volumes, whether in hardcover or paperback.
Type of Awards
Applicants may request a grant period of up to 24 months.
Eligibility
Only those non-profit presses publishing works by Publishing Historical Records projects that have been supported or endorsed by the NHPRC are eligible for support. Publishers applying to the Commission for subvention grants must do so before actual publication of the volume.
How to Prepare an Application
Applicants must use the Grants.gov application process. See Subvention Grant Application Instructions.
Completing the Application
Project Description
The grant application should include specific information about the paper and binding to be used. All volumes for which grants are requested must be produced in accordance with archival permanence standards for paper, printing, and binding:
- Paper should meet the "American National Standard for Permanence of Paper for Publications and Documents in Libraries and Archives" ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (or latest version) available at the National Information Standards Organization (NISO) developed in cooperation with the American National Standards Institute.
- Inks containing acid or chloride should not be used.
- Bindings should be smythe-sewn and casebound, with acid-free endpapers, no synthetic fabrics, and no polyvinyl adhesives. The should meet the appropriate specifications for binding, ANSI/NISO Z36.66-1992 (or latest version).
- The infinity symbol, as well as a statement verifying that the volume meets ANSI/NISO standards, must be printed on the publishing information page of the volume.
The application must clearly state the title of the NHPRC-supported volume for which you seek a publication subvention.
Budget
The budget should include the total anticipated costs, a breakdown of costs to which Commission funds will be applied, and an estimate of the time during which grant funds will be expended. The Commission does not provide grant support for administrative costs.
The grant period should not exceed two years. Any grant funds not expended on producing or distributing the volume must be refunded at the end of the grant period. Grantees may not charge expenses incurred prior to the effective date of the grant or against cost-sharing or matching requirements.
- You must submit a budget on the Subvention Form in the Grants.gov application package.
- Provide specific budget figures, rounding off figures to the nearest dollar.
We strongly suggest that applicants consult the Federal grant administration rules and regulations governing grants from the NHPRC listed in the Administering an NHPRC Grant section. You should also review the appropriate Office of Management and Budget circulars on cost principles.
Application Review
The NHPRC staff will acknowledge receipt of the application soon after we receive it. We then begin the evaluation process:
- Commission Staff
Staff make overall recommendations to the Commission based on eligibilty and conformance with application requirements. - The Commission
After reviewing proposals, Commission members deliberate on proposals and make funding recommendations to the Archivist of the United States who has final statutory authority. Throughout this process, all members of the Commission and its staff follow conflict-of-interest rules to assure fair and equal treatment of every application.
Application Cycle
This is a general guide to the Application Cycle:
- September 2, 2008 – Deadline - Final proposal must be submitted by this date via Grants.gov.
- November 2008 – Commission meets.
- December 1, 2008 – Earliest possible starting date for project.
Notification
In accordance with Federal regulations, the Commission reserves, for Federal Government purposes, a royalty-free, non-exclusive, and irrevocable license to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the work and authorize others to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the work.
Grants are contingent upon available appropriated funds. In some cases, the Commission will adjust grant amounts depending upon the number of recommended proposals and total budget. The Commission may recommend to the Archivist to approve the proposal and extend an offer of a grant with applicable terms and conditions, or it may recommend rejection of the proposal.
- Grant applicants will be notified within 2 weeks after the Archivist's decision.
* Please see our Privacy Statement
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