Publishing Historical Records in Collaborative Digital Editions | EDITIONS 202311

Opportunity Information: Apply for EDITIONS 202311

The Publishing Historical Records in Collaborative Digital Editions grant is a National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), National Archives and Records Administration opportunity that funds projects to publish online editions of historical records that help people discover, search, and understand primary sources related to the American experience. The program is intentionally broad about what counts as an eligible historical record, covering traditional paper documents as well as photographs, born-digital materials, and even analog audio, as long as the end result is an edited digital publication that provides meaningful access and context rather than simply putting files online.

In terms of subject matter, the Commission is looking for documentary editing projects that illuminate major themes and movements in U.S. history, with explicit encouragement for projects that center and elevate the voices and lived experiences of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. Topics can range widely across fields like law (including social and cultural legal history), politics, social reform, business, the military, and the arts. The announcement also ties the program to the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, inviting projects that help the public engage with the ideals associated with the nation’s founding and the ongoing arguments, conflicts, and reinterpretations of those ideals up to the present day. The core purpose is access plus interpretation: making documents available while also supplying the editorial framework, annotation, and scholarly apparatus that helps users read them accurately and responsibly.

A major requirement is that projects follow established scholarly editing standards. Applicants are expected to show familiarity with best practices recommended by the Association for Documentary Editing (ADE) and/or the Modern Language Association (MLA) Committee on Scholarly Editions. This signals that NHPRC is not just funding digitization; it is funding documentary editing work, which typically includes careful selection and description of materials, transcription, annotation, encoding, and publication in a way that supports citation, transparency, and long-term usability. The grant explicitly does not support film or video documentary production, and applications made up entirely of ineligible activities are not considered.

The program is structured as a collaboration grant, meaning proposals should be built around a team rather than a single editor. Teams must include at least two scholar-editors and should also include the additional expertise needed to carry out a modern digital edition, such as archivists, digital scholars, data curators, and technical staff. NHPRC strongly encourages teams to be diverse and to include key participation from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic- and Minority-Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges, Indigenous and Native American scholars and community members, and institutions serving Asian American communities. There is also a clear push toward community-engaged and educational models, with encouragement to involve community participants along with undergraduate and graduate students across the project lifecycle, so the work builds capacity and shares benefits beyond the core research team.

For new projects (defined as projects that have never received NHPRC funding), the bar is especially clear: applicants must come in with definitive plans to publish and preserve a digital edition that provides online access to a searchable, fully transcribed, and annotated body of documents. Print publication can be included as part of the broader plan, but NHPRC expects the content of any printed volumes to also appear in a fully searchable digital edition within a reasonable timeframe. The program encourages free public access to the online edition, and it will not consider applications that lack credible plans for digital dissemination and long-term preservation at the time of submission.

For returning projects seeking renewed support, NHPRC now limits how long a project can stay in this funding stream. Total support is capped at up to 10 years beginning with (and including) any funds awarded for FY 2022, even if funding years are not consecutive. Renewal applicants must show they met prior performance objectives, provide updated project information and a clear description of new activities, explain the historical significance of the materials to be edited during the proposed period, demonstrate progress toward completion of the edition, and justify the requested costs with a fresh budget.

On funding, awards are for one year at a time, with a maximum of $125,000 per year. NHPRC anticipated making up to 35 awards totaling up to $4,000,000, depending on appropriations. Funded projects could start no earlier than January 1, 2024. Recipients must acknowledge NHPRC support in publications, publicity, and any other products that result from the grant.

Eligibility is limited to U.S.-based organizations, including nonprofits, colleges and universities (public or private), state and local government agencies, and federally acknowledged or state-recognized Native American tribes or groups. Applicants are advised to review the NHPRC rules under the “Administering an NHPRC Grant” guidance to confirm eligibility and compliance expectations.

Cost sharing is required, and the Commission will cover no more than 75 percent of total project costs in this category. That means applicants must bring at least 25 percent of the total budget from non-NHPRC sources, which can include direct and indirect expenses, in-kind support, third-party contributions, and project-generated income. A key budgeting constraint is that NHPRC funds cannot be used for indirect costs under the cited federal rule (2 CFR 2600.101); if indirect costs are part of the project’s real costs, they must be shown on the cost-share side rather than charged to the grant.

Finally, the opportunity has standard federal registration requirements that can affect timelines. Applicants must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM), maintain active registration throughout the process, and include a valid Unique Entity ID in the application. The notice warns that SAM.gov and Grants.gov registrations can take up to a month to establish or reactivate, and NHPRC will not extend deadlines because an applicant failed to complete registration in time. The opportunity is listed as a discretionary grant in the humanities/cultural affairs area (CFDA 89.003), under Funding Opportunity Number EDITIONS 202311, created November 29, 2022, with an original closing date of November 2, 2023, and an award ceiling of $125,000.

• The National Archives and Records Administration in the humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Publishing 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 Nov 02, 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 202311

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