Humanities Open Book Program | 20180926 HZ

Opportunity Information: Apply for 20180926 HZ

The Humanities Open Book Program is a grant opportunity aimed at bringing high-quality, out-of-print humanities books back into public reach by converting them into free, widely accessible ebooks. The basic idea is that many important scholarly and humanistic works, especially those published after 1923, are still under copyright and have disappeared from normal circulation because they no longer sell enough print copies to stay in print. Even though these books often contain decades of valuable research and interpretation, they can be hard for teachers, students, researchers, and general readers to find. This program, jointly supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, tries to unlock that “hidden library” by using modern, relatively low-cost digitization and ebook publishing methods.

The program invites applications from organizations that publish humanities books, including academic presses, scholarly societies, museums, and similar institutions. Rather than funding the creation of new books, the focus is on previously published titles that are no longer available in print. Applicants are expected to propose a curated list of books and briefly explain what each book is about and why it matters intellectually. The program anticipates projects of meaningful scale: depending on subject matter and book length, a proposal might include fewer than 50 titles or more than 100. A key part of the work is securing any needed rights and permissions so the books can be legally republished for broad public use.

Funded projects must produce Creative Commons licensed ebooks that the public can read at no charge. These ebooks are meant to work smoothly across computers, phones, tablets, and dedicated e-readers. To ensure usability and accessibility, the program requires final ebook files to be delivered in EPUB 3.1 (or later). That matters because it helps guarantee the text is searchable, reflowable (so it adapts to different screen sizes), and readable with adjustable fonts, which improves access for a wide range of readers.

Topic-wise, the program is open to any humanities discipline, but it also encourages applicants to consider works connected to notable anniversaries. Specifically, it highlights the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States in 2026, suggesting that projects might include influential books about the nation’s founding era and related themes. It also notes the 100th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment in 2020, encouraging the inclusion of important scholarship on women’s suffrage and the history of voting rights. Collaboration is encouraged where it makes sense, such as multiple presses partnering to assemble thematically connected lists of titles from their different catalogs.

From the posted opportunity details, this is a discretionary grant administered by NEH under CFDA 45.169. Eligible applicants include various levels of government (state, county, city/township, special districts), public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, federally recognized tribal governments, and nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education where specified in that eligibility line). The award ceiling listed is $250,000. The original closing date shown for this specific posting was September 26, 2018, with a creation date of August 1, 2018, which is useful context if someone is looking at the historical notice versus a current cycle.

Overall, the Humanities Open Book Program is essentially a structured way to fund rights clearance and high-quality digitization so that significant, out-of-print humanities scholarship can re-enter public life in modern formats, free to read and easier to discover online, while meeting clear technical standards that support long-term access and usability.

• The National Endowment for the Humanities in the humanities sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Humanities Open Book Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 45.169.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-08-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-09-26. (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 $250,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district 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 20180926 HZ

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