ClosedOpportunity 20260422-FZ

Public Scholars

At a glance

Public Scholars is a closed federal grant opportunity from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The application deadline was April 22, 2026. Individual awards are listed as $30K – $60K, with about 15 awards expected and $900K in total estimated funding. Applicant types listed as eligible include individuals. Cost sharing is not required. It is funded under Assistance Listing 45.160 (Promotion of the Humanities Fellowships and Stipends).

Summary assembled from the official notice's fields. The official notice governs.

Key facts

Mar 2, 2026Posted
Apr 22, 2026Application deadline

Posted: Mar 2, 2026
Close date: Apr 22, 2026
Award floor: $30,000
Award ceiling: $60,000
Est. total funding: $900,000
Expected awards: 15
Cost sharing: Not required
Funding instrument: Grant
Opportunity category: Discretionary

Who can apply

Individuals

Can your organization apply?

A quick check against the listed applicant types — other requirements in the notice still apply.

Based on the published notice. Review the official notice for complete eligibility requirements.

What it funds

Official synopsis as published by the agency, formatted for readability.

The Public Scholars program encourages non-academic writers to deepen their engagement with the humanities by strengthening the research underlying their books, and it encourages academic writers in the humanities to communicate the significance of their research to the broadest possible range of readers. NEH encourages submissions from independent scholars and junior scholars. Projects are eligible at any stage in their development.

The 2026 Public Scholars competition will accept only projects for research in American history and culture and Western civilization. Competitive applications must focus on topics in the history, culture, and government of the United States in any period from the Colonial Era to the present, or topics in Western civilization from antiquity to the present.

Additional information from the agency ↗

Full announcement & documents

The full announcement has the complete rules — page limits, required attachments, evaluation criteria and any letter-of-intent dates. Files download directly from Grants.gov.

Assistance Listing

What is an ALN?

45.160Promotion of the Humanities Fellowships and StipendsProgram →

Reported obligations under ALN 45.160

Historical data · not a prediction

FY24

$4.96M

FY25

$6.21M

FY26

$1.91M est.

Source: SAM.gov Assistance Listing 45.160. Program-wide totals, not awards from this specific opportunity.

Agency contact (as published)

National Endowment for the Humanities
publicscholar@neh.gov
202-606-8204

Quick answers

Who is eligible to apply for “Public Scholars”?

The official notice lists these applicant types as eligible: Individuals. Additional restrictions may apply; review the full notice.

How much funding is available through “Public Scholars”?

Per the notice, individual awards are listed as $30k – $60k, total estimated program funding is $900,000 and the agency expects to make about 15 awards.

How do I apply for “Public Scholars”?

Applications are submitted through the official source, not through GrantsJunction. Open the official notice on Grants.gov (opportunity 20260422-FZ), and review the full announcement and application package. Organizations applying through Grants.gov generally need an active SAM.gov registration and a Grants.gov account, which can take several weeks to set up.

Matched on shared Assistance Listings, agency, categories and eligible applicant types.

OpenDeadline extendedALN 45.037