The NEH provides individual research support to higher education faculty and independent scholars throughout the United States. More than 8,400 books have been published with the assistance of NEH funding, including 17 Pulitzer Prize and 22 Bancroft Prize winners. Cumulatively, these works have profoundly shaped understanding of national and international history and culture.

NEH grants have supported major archaeological finds. NEH-funded archeological digs have discovered the original Jamestown settlement, the original settlement at Plymouth, and uncovered the history of slavery at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. They have made significant discoveries about the history of pueblo-dwelling peoples. In addition to providing a better understanding of our past, discoveries like these have helped shape and develop tourism economies around the United States.

The NEH supports interdisciplinary and collaborative research that has resulted in large-scale resources and surprising discoveries. By connecting across universities, disciplines, and even nations, researchers can make the most of their shared interests and build tools that are broadly useful. NEH-funded research has provided insights into the nature of heart disease and the history of the United States, among many other discoveries.

The NEH supports the documentation of endangered languages. Through a partnership with the National Science Foundation, the NEH has provided $11.4 million in support of research that records, documents, and archives languages that are in danger of dying out while providing new language-acquisition tools for those who speak and wish to learn them. Download as a printable PDF.