National Historical Publications & Records Commission

Publication Subvention Grant Announcement

Grant Announcement (Initial):

Publication Subventions

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), a part of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), supports projects that promote the preservation and use of America's documentary heritage essential to understanding our democracy, history, and culture.

The following grant application information is for Publication Subventions.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 89.003

Funding Opportunity Number: SUBVENTIONS-201103

  • Deadline:   March 3, 2011

NHPRC support begins no earlier than July 1, 2011.


Grant Program Description

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission seeks proposals from non-profit presses for subventions to publish volumes of NHPRC-sponsored or endorsed historical documentary editions.

Through its subvention grants, the NHPRC promotes the widest possible distribution and use of Commission-supported documentary editions and encourages the highest archival permanence standards for paper, printing, and binding. The Commission expects vigorous and innovative marketing efforts on the part of grantees to reach scholars, teachers, and all other audiences.

Award Information

Applicants may request funding up to $10,000 for a grant period of from 12 to 24 months. The grant period cannot begin until the publisher has received the manuscript. The Commission expects to make approximately 11 grants in this program, for a total of up to $110,000.

In accordance with Federal regulations, the Commission reserves, for Federal Government purposes, a royalty-free, non-exclusive, and irrevocable license to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the work and authorize others to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the work.

The Commission requires that grant recipients include specific written acknowledgment of its support in all publications and products assisted through grant support. The Commission also requires similar acknowledgment on web sites and in all information releases to the media. Grantees must provide 15 complimentary copies of each subvened volume. Five of these should be sent to the Commission. The other 10 should be sent to the project that edited the volume; these 10 copies should be in addition to any copies owed to the project under any other agreement.

Eligibility

Only U.S. non-profit presses that are publishing works by editing projects that have been supported or endorsed by the NHPRC are eligible to apply. Ineligible applications will not be reviewed. Publishers applying to the Commission for subvention grants must do so before actual publication of the volume.

Applicant organizations must be registered in Central Contractor Registration (CCR) prior to submitting an application, maintain CCR registration throughout the application and award process, and include a valid DUNS number in their application. Details on CCR registration and requesting a DUNS number can be found at the Central Contractor Registration website.

Cost Sharing

Cost sharing is required. Cost sharing is the financial contribution the applicant pledges to the cost of a project. Cost sharing can include the costs of editorial work, composition, design, production materials, printing and binding, marketing, and fulfillment. Subvention awards will not exceed $10,000. The Commission funds only the estimated losses a press expects to incur by publishing a particular volume. These can be calculated with a formula provided by the Association of American University Presses: average net price multiplied by estimated first three years' sales, subtracted from the total manufacturing and non-manufacturing costs of the volume.

The Commission may provide up to $3,000 for reprinting of NHPRC-sponsored or -endorsed volumes, whether in hardcover or paperback. The Commission will normally pay no more than half the costs associated with reprinting a volume.

 


Application and Submission Information

Applicants should follow the instructions on how to fill out the online forms and apply electronically using the Subvention Grant Application Instructions.

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) generally requires that grant applications be submitted via Grants.gov. In the event that Grants.gov is experiencing technical difficulties that prevent submission, applicants must first attempt to resolve the issue with the Grants.gov Contact Center (800-518-4726). If Grants.gov cannot solve the problem, applicants may request an alternative. To make use of the NHPRC backup system, applicants must contact Jeff de la Concepcion (202-357-5022) no later than 3:00 PM Eastern Time on the day of the deadline with their valid Grants.gov Contact Center trouble-ticket number.

A complete application includes the Application for Federal Assistance (Standard Form 424), Assurances-Non-Construction Programs (Standard Form 424B), a Project Summary, and the Subvention Application form.

In order to ensure eligibility, applicants should first review the rules and regulations governing NHPRC grants under the Administering an NHPRC Grant section.

Charges to the project for items such as salaries, fringe benefits, travel, and contractual services must conform to the written policies and established practices of the applicant organization. In addition, successful applicants will be required to certify that they have adequate accounting and timekeeping procedures to meet the Federal requirements.

Project Summary

The application should include a narrative statement of no more than two pages outlining the following:

  1. The schedule for production of the volume including the major milestones in the production process.
  2. The estimated losses a press expects to incur by publishing a particular volume. These can be calculated with a formula provided by the Association of American University Presses: average net price multiplied by estimated first three years' sales, subtracted from the total manufacturing and non-manufacturing costs of the volume. In the case of reprints, please provide comparable information, including the total cost of publishing.
  3. Plans to acknowledge the Commission's support in the volume, in press releases, and on the publisher's website.
  4. The names, email, phone number, and address for the project director and other key staff members.

Subvention Application Form

The Subvention Application form must clearly state the title of the NHPRC-supported volume for which you seek a publication subvention. The form requires specific information about the volume specifications, manufacturing and non-manufacturing costs, and the archival permanence standards for paper and binding to be used.

Budget

You must submit budget information on the Subvention Application Form in the Grants.gov application package. Please use specific budget figures, rounding off figures to the nearest dollar.

The grant period must be between 12 and 24 months. Any grant funds not expended on producing or distributing the volume must be refunded at the end of the grant period. Costs incurred prior to the grant period may not be paid with grant funds or applied against the Commission's cost-sharing requirements.

Applicants should review the appropriate Office of Management and Budget circulars on cost principles.

Charges to the project for items such as salaries, fringe benefits, travel, and contractual services must conform to the written policies and established practices of the applicant organization. In addition, successful applicants will be required to certify that they have adequate accounting and timekeeping procedures to meet the federal requirements.

All volumes for which grants are requested must be produced in accordance with archival permanence standards for paper, printing, and binding:

  • Paper should meet the "American National Standard for Permanence of Paper for Publications and Documents in Libraries and Archives" ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (or latest version) available at the National Information Standards Organization (NISO) developed in cooperation with the American National Standards Institute.
  • Inks containing acid or chloride should not be used.
  • Bindings should be smythe-sewn and casebound, with acid-free endpapers, no synthetic fabrics, and no polyvinyl adhesives. The should meet the appropriate specifications for binding, ANSI/NISO Z36.66-1992 (or latest version).
  • The infinity symbol, as well as a statement verifying that the volume meets ANSI/NISO standards, must be printed on the publishing information page of the volume.

Submission Dates and Times

  • Deadline: March 3, 2011

Applications must be submitted electronically by midnight Eastern Time.

NHPRC support begins no earlier than July 1, 2011.

Deadline Policy: Given that technical or administrative difficulties with Grants.gov may periodically delay the timely submission or receipt of applications, the Commission staff will make provisions for the receipt of such applications past the established deadline. Under these circumstances, applicants with technical or administrative issues related to Grants.gov must contact NHPRC staff as soon as possible, but no later than by 3:00 PM Eastern Time on the published application deadline. Applications that fail to meet deadlines for reasons other than those noted will not be considered for funding.

 


Application Review Information

The NHPRC staff will acknowledge receipt of the application soon after we receive it. The following evaluation criteria will be used by NHPRC staff to form recommendations:

Qualifying Factors:

  1. Eligibility, based on previous Commission funding or endorsement of the project that produced the manuscript to be published.
  2. Conformance to required production standards for paper, inks, bindings, endpapers, fabrics, etc. as specified in the applicant's project description.
  3. Adherence to production standards and publication time lines in previous subvention awards, if applicable.

Evaluation Criteria:

  1. The national significance of the documents that will be published using the subvention grants. (35 percent)
  2. The ability of the project to produce a high quality product and achieve the widest circulation at the least cost. (30 percent)
  3. The ability to complete publication, judged by the reasonableness of the work plan and budget (including cost share), along with prior experience. (20 percent)
  4. Evidence for the need for additional resources to publish the documents. (15 percent)

Application Review Process

After submitting a proposal, do not discuss the pending application to the NHPRC with any Member of the Commission. Commission members must ensure fair and equitable treatment of all applications and do not discuss proposals with individual applicants.

  • Commission Staff
    Staff make overall recommendations to the Commission based on eligibility and conformance with application requirements.
  • The Commission
    After reviewing proposals, Commission members deliberate on proposals and make funding recommendations to the Archivist of the United States who, as Commission Chairman, has final statutory authority and selects award recipients. Throughout this process, all members of the Commission and its staff follow conflict-of-interest rules to assure fair and equal treatment of every application.

Award Administration Information

Notification

Grants are contingent upon available appropriated funds. In some cases, the Commission will adjust grant amounts depending upon the number of recommended proposals and total budget. The Commission may recommend to the Archivist to approve the proposal and extend an offer of a grant with applicable terms and conditions, or it may recommend rejection of the proposal.

  • Grant applicants will be notified within 2 weeks after the Archivist's decision.

Agency Contact

Applicants are encouraged to contact Timothy Connelly, the Director for Publications at the NHPRC, at 202-357-5301, or timothy.connelly@nara.gov, who can respond to questions about the subvention program.

For more information on how to comply with Federal regulations, see our Administering a Grant section.

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