Digital Projects for the Public

The Digital Projects for the Public program supports projects that interpret and analyze humanities content in primarily digital platforms and formats, such as websites, mobile applications and tours, interactive touch screens and kiosks, games, and virtual environments. The projects must be designed to attract broad public audiences.

All Digital Projects for the Public projects should

• present analysis that deepens public understanding of significant humanities ideas;
• incorporate sound humanities scholarship;
• involve humanities scholars in all phases of development and production;
• include appropriate digital media professionals;
• reach a broad public through a realistic plan for development, marketing, and distribution;
• create appealing digital formats for the general public; and
• demonstrate the capacity to sustain themselves.

All projects should demonstrate the potential to attract a broad, general, nonspecialist audience, either online or in person at venues such as museums, libraries, or other cultural institutions. Applicants may also choose to identify particular communities and groups, including students, to whom a project may have particular appeal.

NEH also welcomes applications for non-promotional digital components of a larger project. For these projects, you should explain how the digital platform will enrich the users’ learning experience and engagement. For instance, if your request is for a mobile experience that would operate within a museum or would work in conjunction with a film, you should explain how this project element will substantially add to the audience’s learning experience.