ublishing Historical Records in Collaborative Digital Editions | EDITIONS 202305

Opportunity Information: Apply for EDITIONS 202305

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), part of the National Archives and Records Administration, is offering a discretionary grant opportunity called Publishing Historical Records in Collaborative Digital Editions (Funding Opportunity Number: EDITIONS 202305; CFDA: 89.003). The program funds projects that publish online editions of historical records and provide strong editorial framing so the public can more easily discover, search, and understand primary sources that help tell the American story. A wide range of formats are eligible, including traditional paper documents, photographs, born-digital materials, and analog audio recordings, as long as the project results in an accessible, well-edited digital documentary edition rather than a film or video production.

In terms of subject matter, the program is open to projects that address broad movements and themes in U.S. history, including (but not limited to) law and legal culture, politics, social reform, business, military history, and the arts. The NHPRC signals a strong interest in projects that center the voices and document the experiences of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, and it explicitly welcomes work focused on African American, Asian American, Hispanic/Latino American, and Native American history. It is also encouraging proposals tied to the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, especially projects that expand access to collections exploring the founding ideals and the ongoing debates over those ideals from the nation’s beginnings to the present.

A core expectation is that funded work follows recognized scholarly editing standards and methods. Applicants are expected to show familiarity with best practices associated with the Association for Documentary Editing (ADE) and/or the Modern Language Association (MLA) Committee on Scholarly Editions. Practically, that means proposals should reflect credible editorial decision-making, transparent annotation practices, accurate transcription, careful description, and a thoughtful approach to digital presentation and preservation. The emphasis is not just on putting images online, but on building usable editions that include transcription, annotation, and the contextual information users need to interpret the records.

For new projects that have never received NHPRC funding, the requirements are especially specific. A new project must present definitive plans to publish and preserve a digital edition that provides online access to a searchable, fully transcribed, and annotated body of documents. Print volumes are allowed as part of a broader publication plan, but the contents of those print volumes must also appear in a fully searchable digital edition within a reasonable time after print publication. The NHPRC also encourages (though does not absolutely require) free public access to the online edition. Importantly, projects that cannot demonstrate viable digital dissemination and long-term preservation plans at the application stage will not be considered.

The grants are designed for collaborative teams rather than lone editors. At a minimum, the team is expected to include at least two scholar-editors, and also typically includes archivists, digital scholarship staff, data curators, and other technical or support personnel as needed to carry out the work. Supported activities can include collecting and compiling documentary materials, describing and preserving them, transcribing, annotating, editing, encoding (for example, using structured text markup approaches common in digital editions), and publishing the materials online in a coherent edition. The NHPRC strongly encourages inclusive collaboration, particularly proposals that place diverse faculty and staff in key roles and that incorporate partners and contributors from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic- and Minority-Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges, Indigenous and Native American tribal scholars and community members, and institutions serving Asian American communities. The program also encourages community participation and meaningful roles for undergraduate and graduate students across the project lifecycle, both to strengthen the work and to build skills and capacity.

For projects seeking renewed support, there is a significant funding limitation: NHPRC now caps total support in this category at up to 10 years beginning with (and including) any funds awarded for FY 2022, whether or not those funded years are consecutive. Renewal applicants must demonstrate successful progress against prior NHPRC-funded objectives, provide updated and current project information, describe the historical content and significance of the materials proposed for the new grant period, show concrete progress toward completion of the edition, and submit a newly justified budget aligned to the next phase of work.

Award size and timing are clearly defined. Each award covers one year, with a maximum request of up to $125,000 per year. NHPRC anticipated making up to 35 awards, totaling up to $4,000,000 overall, depending on appropriations. For this cycle, grants were expected to begin no earlier than January 1, 2024. Recipients must acknowledge NHPRC support in publications, publicity, and other products created with grant assistance.

Eligibility is broad across U.S. public-service and educational entities. Eligible applicants include U.S. nonprofit organizations (including 501(c)(3)s), colleges and universities (public or private), state and local government agencies, and federally recognized or state-recognized Native American tribes or groups. Applicants are also directed to review the NHPRC’s rules for administering awards and its list of what it does and does not fund; proposals made up entirely of ineligible activities will not move forward, and film/video documentary production is specifically excluded from support.

Cost sharing is mandatory and structured. NHPRC will cover no more than 75 percent of total project costs, meaning the applicant must provide at least 25 percent through matching support. The cost share can include direct and indirect expenses, in-kind contributions, eligible third-party non-federal contributions, and project-generated income. However, there is a major budgeting constraint: NHPRC grant funds cannot be used for indirect costs under 2 CFR 2600.101, so any indirect costs must be counted on the applicant side as part of the cost share if they are included at all.

Finally, applicants must meet federal registration requirements in order to apply. The applying organization must be actively registered in the System for Award Management (SAM), maintain that registration throughout the process, and include a valid Unique Entity ID in the application. Because SAM.gov and Grants.gov registration or reactivation can take up to a month, the opportunity warns that deadline extensions will not be granted due to incomplete or lapsed registration. The original closing date for the listed opportunity was May 3, 2023, and the opportunity is administered through the National Archives and Records Administration.

• The National Archives and Records Administration in the humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "ublishing Historical Records in Collaborative Digital Editions" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 89.003.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 29, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 03, 2023. (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 $125,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 35 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township 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 EDITIONS 202305

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