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 What conditions must a project meet in order to qualify for funding? What are the humanities? Who qualifies as a scholar? What roles may scholars play? What qualifies as "open to the public?" What kinds of projects are funded by the Council? What kinds of projects will the Council not fund? Any project funded by a Council grant must -
The humanities are a group of disciplines that both mirror and interpret what human beings have believed, experienced, and celebrated in our time and throughout the centuries. As branches of learning, the humanities include history, literature, philosophy, ethics, jurisprudence, linguistics, comparative religion, and the history, theory, and criticism of the arts. Social sciences that employ qualitative approaches such as cultural anthropology, archaeology, political science, and interdisciplinary areas such as folklore, women's studies, and American studies also are considered humanities disciplines. A humanities scholar is an individual with particular training or experience qualifying him or her as a professional in one or more of the academic disciplines of the humanities. The typical qualifications are an advanced degree (M.A. or Ph.D.) in a humanities field of study and a regular appointment at a recognized institution of higher learning. However, individuals without an advanced degree or who are not affiliated with a college or university may qualify as humanities scholars because of their methods of research, inquiry, and teaching. The Council also recognizes that scholarship and knowledge gathering are defined differently in different cultures, and respects such diversity of training and preparation as consistent with our understanding of the humanities as fields and as methods of inquiry. Humanities scholars strengthen a project by providing a broad humanistic perspective as well as in-depth knowledge. They play many roles, including but not limited to -
Programs are eligible for funding only if they are intended for and open to a general, lay public. Academic conferences and programs that are available only to a closed group are ineligible for funding. Grants from the Council support projects that are designed to help a public audience learn more about some facet of the humanities. The Council favors applications that display a critical approach to humanities topics. In other words, we encourage projects that pose questions, rather than answer them, and that explore the "why" rather than simply the "how." We also favor projects that will bring scholarship to a new audience. The centrality of humanities scholars and scholarship in Council-funded projects is essential. Appropriate project formats include:
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