How to Apply

How to Apply

Deadline for complete applications is Monday, March 2, 2015 at 5:00 p.m. EST.

Who is eligible

Landmarks of American History and Culture Workshops welcome K-12 educators who wish to make history relevant to learners by integrating historic scholarship, primary source research, and material culture study into their classroom.  Please review the NEH eligibility criteria for participation in Landmarks workshops. 

An individual may apply to up to two NEH summer projects (NEH Landmarks Workshops, NEH Summer Seminars, or NEH Summer Institutes), but may participate in only one.

The workshop is a serious learning experience. While there will be some field trips as part of the curriculum, any sight-seeing in Philadelphia and its environs should be scheduled for before or after the scheduled workshop.

How to Apply

A completed application consists of three items.  

  • the online application NEH cover sheet
  • a résumé or short biography with contact information for a professional reference
  • an application essay (no longer than two double-spaced pages) as outlined below

All three items should be emailed as attachments (PDFs or Word documents) to Project Director Beth Twiss Houting (btwisshouting@hsp.org) by 5:00 p.m. EST Monday, March 2, 2015

If you cannot apply online, please contact Beth to discuss alternate ways of submitting your application. Application materials sent to the NEH will not be reviewed.

1) The Application Cover Sheet must be filled out online at this address: (https://securegrants.neh.gov/education/participants/).

Please follow the prompts; be sure to indicate your first and second choices of workshop dates. Before you click the “submit” button, print out the cover sheet and add it to your application package. Then click “submit.” At this point you will be asked if you want to fill out a cover sheet for another project. If you do, follow the prompts to select the other project and repeat the process.

Note that filling out a cover sheet is not the same as applying. A full application consists of all of the items listed above submitted to Project Director Beth Twiss Houting.

2) Résumé and Reference

Please include a résumé or brief biography detailing your educational qualifications and professional experience. Be sure the résumé provides the name, title, phone number, and e-mail address of one professional reference.

3) Application Essay

The application essay should be no more than two double-spaced pages. Please address the following questions:

Describe a landmark in your community. How does it function as an icon? Tell us if you discuss this landmark in your curriculum now or, if not, how you wish to integrate it into your curriculum.  How do you envision transferring what you learn in Cultures of Independence into your teaching?

While not required, an image of the landmark may be attached.  (It may be cut-and-pasted from an online source, photocopied from a print source, or an original photograph - with citation noting source.)

Submission of Applications and Notification Procedure

All three items should be emailed as attachments (PDFs or Word documents) to Project Director Beth Twiss Houting (btwisshouting@hsp.org) by 5:00 p.m. EST Monday, March 2, 2015. If you cannot apply online, please contact Beth to discuss alternate ways of submitting your application. Application materials sent to the NEH will not be reviewed.

Successful applicants will be notified of their selection on March 30, 2015, and they will have until April 3, 2015 to accept or decline the offer.

Once you have accepted an offer to attend any NEH Summer Program (NEH Landmarks Workshop, NEH Summer Seminar, or NEH Summer Institute), you may not withdraw in order to accept an offer from another program.

Selection Criteria

A selection committee formed of  the co-directors (one of whom is the project scholar), the lead master teacher, and the site coordinator will read and evaluate all properly completed applications.

Special consideration is given to the likelihood that an applicant will benefit professionally and personally from the workshop experience. It is important, therefore, to address this factor in the application essay while discussing your local landmark.

While recent participants in NEH-supported workshops are eligible to apply, selection committees are charged to give first consideration to applicants who have not participated in an NEH-supported seminar, institute, or workshop within the last three years. Additionally, preference is given to applicants who would significantly contribute to the diversity of the workshop.

Stipend, Tenure, and Conditions of Award

Teachers selected to participate as NEH Summer Scholars will receive a stipend of $1,200 at the end of the residential workshop session. Stipends are intended to help cover travel expenses to and from the project location, books, and ordinary living expenses. Stipends are taxable.

NEH Summer Scholars are required to attend all scheduled meetings and to engage fully as professionals in all project activities. Participants who do not complete the full tenure of the project will receive a reduced stipend.

At the end of the project’s residential period, NEH Summer Scholars will be asked to provide an assessment of their workshop experience, especially in terms of its value to their personal and professional development. These confidential online evaluations will become a part of the project’s grant file.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Endowment programs do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age. For further information, write to NEH Equal Opportunity Officer, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20506. TDD: 202/606 8282 (for the hearing impaired only).