Closed · 20180809-CHA · CFDA 45.130 · Discretionary
Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challenge Grants
Federal grant opportunity posted by National Endowment for the Humanities, cataloged on Grants.gov.
- $2-$750K
- Award range
- Closed
- Status
- August 9, 2018
- Close date
- -
- Expected awards
The verdict
Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challenge Grants is a closed discretionary listing from National Endowment for the Humanities that offered $2 -- $750,000. Future funding cycles may be published under the same CFDA number. PlainGrants indexes 617 other opportunities from National Endowment for the Humanities.
- $2-$750K
- award range
- Closed
- application status
- 45.130
- CFDA program
- 617
- other opportunities from National Endowment for the Humanities
Archived opportunity record
Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challeng… is closed (last close August 9, 2018). The parent program page for CFDA 45.130 is the reliable place to catch re-announcements. National Endowment for the Humanities still indexes 617 other opportunities here.
According to Grants.gov (extract vintage 2026-08-10), this record reflects the officially published listing. See methodology.
Deadline tracker
Application window closed
Closed August 9, 2018
Instrument
Grant
Cost Sharing
Required
Description
The mission of this Challenge Grants program is to strengthen the institutional base of the humanities by enabling infrastructure development and capacity building. Awards aim to help institutions secure long-term support for their core activities and expand efforts to preserve and create access to outstanding humanities materials. Applications are welcome from colleges and universities, museums, public libraries, research institutions, historical societies and historic sites, scholarly associations, state humanities councils, and other public and nonprofit humanities entities. Programs that involve collaboration among multiple institutions are eligible as well, but one institution must serve as the lead agent and formal applicant of record. Through these awards organizations can increase their humanities capacity with funds invested in a restricted, short-term endowment or other investment fund (or spend-down funds) that generate expendable earnings to support and enhance ongoing program activities. Eligible activities include the documentation of cultural heritage materials that are lost or imperiled; the preservation and conservation of humanities materials; and the sustaining of digital scholarly infrastructure. Challenge grants may also support the purchase of equipment and software; the design, purchase, construction, restoration, or renovation of facilities needed for humanities activities; and collections sharing. Such expenditures bring long-term benefits to the institution and to the humanities more broadly. Up to 10 percent of total grant funds (federal matching funds plus certified gifts) may be used for fundraising costs during the period of performance. Challenge funds (both federal matching funds and required nonfederal gifts) must enhance the humanities in the long term. Challenge grants should not merely replace funds already being expended, but instead should reflect careful strategic planning to strengthen and enrich an institution’s humanities activities. Institutions may use challenge funds to meet both ongoing and one-time humanities-related costs, provided that the long-term benefit of the expenditure can be demonstrated.
Campus–civic applicant bridge · 8 doors
Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challeng… bridges educational institutions with civic applicant types (8 doors: State governments; County governments; City or township governments; Special district governments; +4 more). Expect campus and public/nonprofit operators in the same printed set. Applicant cost-sharing is required on the Grants.gov extract. Instrument: Grant. Funding-activity code maps to Humanities (HU). This eligibility-code string dominates the National Endowment for the Humanities book (234 peers, 38% of 618).
- Code 00
- State governments
- Code 01
- County governments
- Code 02
- City or township governments
- Code 04
- Special district governments
- Code 06
- Public / state-controlled institutions of higher education
- Code 07
- Federally recognized tribal governments
- Code 12
- Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (other than IHEs)
- Code 20
- Private institutions of higher education
Codes are Grants.gov eligibility category values from the extract vintage 2026-08-10. Confirm the full eligibility statement on the official listing or the Grants.gov eligibility reference.
Official Listing on Grants.gov
View full details, application forms, and submission instructions.
Parent Grant Program
Promotion of the Humanities — Digital Humanities
National Endowment for the Humanities
Agency Contact
Division of Preservation and Access National Endowment for the Humanities 400 Seventh Street, SW Washington, DC 20506 202-606-8309 challenge@neh.gov challenge@neh.gov
More from National Endowment for the Humanities
What to do next
Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challeng… is closed; use the parent program and agency catalog for the next funding cycle.
- Parent CFDA 45.130 may publish future NOFOs under the same assistance listing. Open program
- Promotion of the Humanities — Digital Humanit… indexes 0 Grants.gov listings in this extract. Program profile
- National Endowment for the Humanities lists 617 other indexed opportunities on PlainGrants. Agency catalog
Opportunity deadlines and eligibility change on Grants.gov; PlainGrants mirrors the extract and is not the submission system.
Disclaimer: This information is sourced from Grants.gov and SAM.gov and is for informational purposes only. Opportunity details, deadlines, and eligibility requirements change frequently. Always verify current information directly on Grants.gov before applying. PlainGrants is not affiliated with any federal agency.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
| Publisher | PlainGrants |
| Sources | the SAM.gov Assistance Listings and Grants.gov |