The Collaborative Research program aims to advance humanistic knowledge by supporting teams of scholars working on a joint endeavor leading to a manuscript for print publication or to a digital product. Teams may propose research in a single field of study or interdisciplinary work. 

Collaborators may come from one or more institutions. NEH encourages partnerships with researchers in the natural and social sciences, but projects must focus on humanistic content and employ humanistic methods. International collaboration is welcome, but scholars at U.S. institutions must contribute significantly to the project.

Proposed projects must aim to result in tangible and sustainable outcomes, such as a co-authored or multi-authored book; a themed issue of a peer-reviewed journal; a series of peer-reviewed articles; a born-digital publication; or an open-access website or other digital resource. All project outcomes must incorporate collaboration and interpretation to address significant humanities research questions.

The program includes four project categories: Planning International Collaboration, Convening, Manuscript Preparation, and Scholarly Digital Projects.

To be eligible to apply, your organization must be established in the United States or its jurisdictions as one of the following:

• a nonprofit organization recognized as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code
• an accredited institution of higher education (public or nonprofit)
• a state or local government or one of their agencies
• a federally recognized Native American Tribal government

If your organization is eligible, you may apply on behalf of a consortium of collaborating organizations. 

For this application period, the project start date is October 1, 2025–September 1, 2026.