URL: https://www.neh.gov/program/rediscovering-our-revolutionary-tradition

Objectives

The Rediscovering Our Revolutionary Tradition program supports activities to preserve and improve access to primary source materials—including archival records; documents and rare publications; art and material culture; and photographs and sound recordings that document either of the following:

  • The history of American independence and establishment and/or expansion of the nation, including the experiences of states, territories, and communities—in the original colonies and beyond—joining the nation
  • The history of American government in federal, state, and local contexts, including the federal Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, state constitutions, governors’ papers, charter documents, court and legislative records, and other foundational documents

Applications may be submitted for projects that address one or more of the following activities:

  • providing conservation treatment for and/or rehousing original items or groups of items
  • cataloging or arranging and describing collections of archival records, documents, and rare publications; art and material culture; and photographs, sound recordings, and other primary sources
  • digitizing collections and making them available for public use through websites, portals, or local, state, or national repositories
  • using advanced imaging and associated data to promote the research value of primary sources
  • transcribing or translating primary source materials, including through crowdsourced means
  • updating previously digitized resources to improve access and preserve digital surrogates or other digital assets
  • developing indexes, databases, or other project-specific digital resources to codify information on a subject or to aggregate selected humanities materials

Additional information can be found in the Notice of Funding Opportunity.

Funding Information

Individual institutions can request up to $350,000 for up to 2 years. A consortium can request up to $750,000 for a consortium for up to 3 years.

Awards must begin between November 1, 2026 and January 1, 2027.

Eligibility

Eligible organizations fit one or more of the following criteria:

  • 501 (c)(3) non-profits
  • accredited institutions of higher education
  • state or local governments or one of their agencies
  • federally recognized Native American Tribal governments

Individuals and other organizations, including foreign and for-profit entities, are not eligible.

Funding may not be used for any of the following purposes:

  • the purchase of collections, including appraisal for acquisition or monetary purposes
  • the preservation, organization, or description of materials that are not or would not be regularly accessible for research, education, or public engagement
  • records management for state and local governments
  • the digitization of United States newspapers
  • the creation of oral history interview collections
  • the restoration, preservation, stabilization or advanced imaging of historic structures, the built environment, or archaeological sites
  • Geographic Information System (GIS) projects for civic planning or resource management
  • costs associated with construction, renovation work, or ground disturbing activities
  • costs for activities performed by federal entities or personnel
  • promotion of a particular political, religious, or ideological point of view
  • promotion of gender ideology
  • promotion of discriminatory equity ideology
  • support for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) or diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) initiatives or activities
  • environmental justice initiatives or activities
  • advocacy of a particular program of social or political action
  • support of specific public policies or legislation
  • lobbying
  • projects that fall outside of the humanities; the creation or performance of art; creative writing, autobiographies, memoirs, and creative nonfiction; policy studies; and social science research that does not address humanistic questions and/or utilize humanistic methods

Internal Selection

BU may forward one application.

Interested applicants should submit the following materials via InfoReady Review by 11/12/2025

  • Project Title
  • Work Plan Statement (1 page) describing the proposed activities and identifying the central team members involved. For proposals involving a consortium, discuss the responsibilities across the different institutions involved. Descriptions should be no more than 1 paragraph for activities and 1-2 sentences for each team member and/or institution involved.
  • Project Narrative Abstract (maximum 1 page) briefly describing the project’s significance, methods and activities, expected outputs, approach to sustaining long-term access to collections and/or digital resources, and any plans for sharing the results with relevant communities
  • CV for the primary applicant

As necessary, a faculty committee will review internal applications and select the institutional proposal.

Deadlines

Internal Materials Due: Wednesday, November 12, 2025 by 11:59 pm ET

Anticipated Notification Date: Tuesday, November 25, 2025

External Deadline: Thursday, January 15, 2026

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