Eligibility and Application
The Souls of Black Folk and the Foundations of African American Studies is a two-week residential institute from June 22-July 3, 2025, for 25 high school teachers. It is designed to support teachers of grades 9-12 with an expressed interest in preparing to offer the new Advanced Placement African American Studies course or expanding their content knowledge and pedagogy in African American Studies more generally. Participants will receive a taxable stipend of $2,200 over the course of the two-week institute.
You are eligible to apply if you are a:
- United States citizen, including those teaching abroad at U.S. chartered institutions and schools operated by the federal government;
- resident of S. jurisdictions; or
- foreign national who has been residing in the United States or its jurisdictions for at least the three years immediately preceding the application deadline.
You are not eligible to apply if you:
- are a foreign national teaching abroad
- are related to the project director(s)
- are affiliated with the applicant institution (employees, currently enrolled students, )
- have been taught or advised in an academic capacity by the project director(s)
- are delinquent in the repayment of federal debt (taxes, student loans, child support payments, and delinquent payroll taxes for household or other employees)
- have been debarred or suspended by any federal department or agency
- have attended a previous NEH professional development project (Seminars, Landmarks, or Institutes) led by the project director(s)
NEH does not require participants to have earned an advanced degree.
In any given year, an individual may attend only one Institute or Landmarks workshop.
J1 and F1 visa holders should confer with their sponsoring institution regarding their eligibility to receive a stipend from another institution.
To be considered for selection, applicants must submit a complete application as indicated on the individual project’s website. Any questions about applications should be directed to the individual project team.
Eligibility and Applying
To be considered, you must submit a complete application as indicated on the individual project’s website. Prospective participants must follow the stated application and acceptance deadlines. In general, application extensions will not be granted. Any questions about applying should be directed to the individual project team. Participant eligibility criteria are determined by NEH. Application review and offer decisions are determined by individual project teams in accordance with NEH eligibility requirements.
Participant Acceptance
In any given year, an individual may attend only one Institute or Landmarks workshop. Participants may not accept an additional offer or withdraw in order to accept a different offer once they have accepted an offer to attend an NEH Institutes or Landmarks program. Endowment programs do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or age.
Principles of Civility
Project teams and program participants must adhere to the Principles of Civility for NEH Professional Development Programs.
Participant Stipends and Attendance
Stipends provide compensation to participants for their time commitment and help to defray participation costs, such as travel, program activities, lodging, and meals (for residential programs), and technical support (for virtual programs). For residential programs, participants cover their own costs for travel to/from a program, lodging, and meals. Stipends are taxable as income.
Project teams must not reduce participant stipends for project-related activities, lodging, or meal costs without prior approval. Project teams must not place contingencies (completing a lesson plan, completing a program evaluation, etc.) on the receipt of participant stipends.
Applicants who accept an offer to participate are expected to remain during the entire period of the program and to participate in its work on a full-time basis. If a participant is obliged through special circumstances to arrive after the beginning or depart before the end of the Institutes or Landmarks program, it shall be the recipient institution's responsibility to see that only a pro rata share of the stipend is received or that the appropriate pro rata share of the stipend is returned if the participant has already received the full stipend.
Program Format | 1 Week | 2 Weeks | 3 Weeks | 4 Weeks |
---|---|---|---|---|
Residential & Combined | $1,300 | $2,200 | $2,850 | $3,450 |
Virtual | $650 | $1,100 | $1,425 | $1,725 |
Participant Evaluations
The NEH requires project directors to collect anonymous participant evaluations at the conclusion of their programs. Unedited participant evaluation responses will be included in the project’s final report to the NEH and any future Institutes or Landmarks applications.
Continuing Education, In-Service, and Graduate Credits for K-12 Programs
Project teams may opt to offer continuing education, in-service, or graduate credit. These opportunities sometimes require additional work by participants beyond the program, such as writing a research paper, and participants are responsible for associated costs or fees unless otherwise noted. See individual project websites for additional information.