Application Process

Institute Participant Provisions & Requirements

Participants, or Summer Scholars, are offered a stipend for participation in the project. The stipend is intended to off-set travel, housing, meals, and basic academic expenses. Stipends are determined by the NEH according to the duration of the Institute.  In this case, the stipend is $2,200 for a two-week Institute (stipend is taxable).

To participate in the institute applicant must agree to:

• Attend all meetings and engage fully as professionals in the work of the project. 
• Submit an evaluation at the end of the project's residential period.

Please note:  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.

Who is eligible? 

As outlined by the NEH, summer institutes 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.

• Participant 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 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. 
• In any given year an individual may apply to a maximum of two NEH Division of Education professional development projects but may attend only one.

Selection Criteria

A selection committee, consisting of the program directors will evaluate all complete applications, identifying a group of Summer Scholars and alternates.  Consideration is given to candidates who have not previously attended an NEH Summer Seminar or Institute.  At least three institute 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 institute;
3. Evidence that participation will have a long-term impact on the applicant’s teaching.

In any given year an individual may apply to a maximum of two NEH Division of Education professional development projects but may attend only one.

How to Apply

The application window closed in March 2023.