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 (Initial):
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 grants.
Funding Opportunity Number: SUBVENTIONS-10
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 89.003
There are two competitions each year in this category. Applicants may apply against either deadline.
First competition:
NHPRC support begins no earlier than July 1, 2009.
Second competition:
NHPRC support begins no earlier than January 1, 2010.
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
Applicants may apply for funding up $10,000 for up to two years. The Commission expects to make approximately 15 grants in this program.
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.
The Commission requires that grant recipients acknowledge NHPRC grant assistance in all publications and other products that result from grant support.
Eligibility
Only non-profit presses that are publishing works by editing projects that have been supported or endorsed by the NHPRC are eligible to apply. Ineligible applications will not be reviewed. Publishers applying to the Commission for subvention grants must do so before actual publication of the volume.
Cost Sharing
Cost sharing is required. Cost sharing is the financial contribution the applicant pledges to the cost of a project. Cost sharing can include the costs of editorial work, composition, design, production materials, printing and binding, marketing, and fulfillment. Subvention awards will not exceed $10,000. The Commission funds only the estimated losses a press expects to incur by publishing a particular volume. These can be calculated with a 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.
The Commission may provide up to $3,000 for reprinting of NHPRC-sponsored or -endorsed volumes, whether in hardcover or paperback. The Commission will normally pay no more than half the costs associated with reprinting a volume.
Application and Submission Information
Applicants must use the Grants.gov application process. See Subvention Grant Application Instructions.
A complete application includes the Application for Federal Assistance (Standard Form 424), Assurances-Non-Construction Programs (Standard Form 424B), and the Subvention budget form.
Before beginning the process, applicants should review the rules and regulations governing NHPRC grants under the Administering an NHPRC Grant section.
Project Description
The application must clearly state the title of the NHPRC-supported volume for which you seek a publication subvention. 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.
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.
Submission Dates and Times
There are two competitions each year in this category. Applicants may apply against either deadline.
First competition:
- Deadline: March 6, 2009
Applications must be submitted electronically by midnight Eastern Time on March 6, 2009.
NHPRC support begins no earlier than July 1, 2009.
Second competition:
- Deadline: September 4, 2009
Applications must be submitted electronically by midnight Eastern Time on September 4, 2009.
NHPRC support begins no earlier than January 1, 2010.
Deadline Policy: Given that technical or administrative difficulties with Grants.gov may periodically delay the timely submission or receipt of applications, the Commission staff will make provisions for the receipt of such applications past the established deadline. Applications that fail to meet deadlines for reasons other than those noted will not be considered for funding.
Application Review Information
The NHPRC staff will acknowledge receipt of the application soon after we receive it. The following evaluation criteria will be used by NHPRC staff to form recommendations:
Qualifying Factors:
- Eligibility, based on previous Commission funding or endorsement of the project that produced the manuscript to be published.
- Conformance to required production standards for paper, inks, bindings, endpapers, fabrics, etc. as specified in the applicant's project description.
- Adherence to production standards and publication time lines in previous subvention awards, if applicable.
Evaluation Criteria:
- The national significance of the documents that will be published using the subvention grants. (35 percent)
- The ability of the project to produce a high quality product and achieve the widest circulation at the least cost. (30 percent)
- The ability to complete publication, judged by the reasonableness of the work plan and budget (including cost share), along with prior experience. (20 percent)
- Evidence for the need for additional resources to publish the documents. (15 percent)
Application Review 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.
Award Administration Information
Notification
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.
Agency Contact
Applicants are encouraged to contact Timothy Connelly, the Director for Publications at the NHPRC, at 202-357-5301, or timothy.connelly@nara.gov, who can respond to questions about the subvention program.
For more information on how to comply with Federal regulations, see our Administering a Grant section.
* Please see our Privacy Statement
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