Applying for a Grant

Explore Civics Through the Arts: Lewis-Houghton Initiative Supports Digital Learning Projects

Now funding projects for the period February 3, 2025-May 2, 2026

Projects must be completed no later than May 2, 2025

01

Notice of Intent Submission

Prior to the submission of a proposal, send a notice of intent to the director of your region to determine if your grant idea falls within the funding guidelines of the program. Once the regional director has determined that your proposal idea fits within the granting guidelines of the program, they will ask you to submit a proposal. The Great Plains team is available to meet with potential applicants to discuss proposal ideas at any point in the application process.

Notice of Intent
02

Application Submission

Use the grant application format provided by the regional director to complete an application providing information about the project for which you are seeking funding. The application must include a budget and a project timeline.

Application Form
Budget Template
Project Timeline Template
Application Guidelines
03

Application Evaluation

Applications will be sent to a team of evaluators for review. A successful grant application will include a thorough description of the intended project, its audience, and content, as well as be supported by a timeline of activities, budget, and narrative. The TPS Regional Director, together with the Library of Congress, will make a final granting decision within six weeks of submission. When a grant is not awarded, the TPS Regional Director will offer advice and assistance to organizations who would like to incorporate TPS methods and materials into their programs.

Application Rubric
04

Post-Award Reporting Guidelines

To ensure the success and accurate completion of your grant, there are several items that must be completed at different times during the life of your granting project. The Regional Director will review these requirements with applicants once a proposal has been funded.

Post-Award Reporting Guidelines

The TPS Regional Program awards grants to institutions and organizations such as school districts, universities, cultural institutions, library systems, and other educational organizations.

All applicants are required to register in SAM.gov prior to submitting an application. Award recipients must continue to maintain an active SAM.gov registration with current information through the life of their Federal award(s). There is no cost to register with SAM.gov. Register with the System for Award Management (SAM) Register on the SAM.gov website. “Help” tab on the website contains User Guides and other information to assist you with registration. The Grants.gov Register with SAM page also provides detailed instructions. You can also contact the supporting Federal Service Desk for help registering in SAM. Once registered in SAM, entities must renew and revalidate their SAM registration at least once every 12 months from the date previously registered. Entities are strongly encouraged to revalidate their registration as often as needed to ensure their information is up to date and reflects changes that may have been to the entity’s IRS information.

There are third-party vendors who will charge a fee in exchange for registering entities with SAM.gov; please be aware you can register and request help for free. Please ensure that you are able to receive emails from SAMHelp@dnb.com.

Educational organizations offering education or professional development programs to pre and in-service teachers, librarians, media specialists and other K-12 educators are eligible to receive grants.

The TPS Regional Program makes grants of up to $25,000.

The funding period is up to 12 months and no less than six (6) months in length.

Grants can be used to cover the expenses associated with delivering TPS professional programming. Examples include payment to a faculty member for revising a course syllabus to include TPS content; offering stipends so that teachers can attend a TPS workshop; paying a lecturer to conduct an in-person or online course that uses materials and pedagogical approaches from the TPS program, etc. Regional coordinators can answer specific questions about allowable project expenses.

TPS is not a renewable funding source; funding is intended to be used to develop sustainable projects in your local environment. Requests for additional grants are considered on a case by case basis and awarded only when the project will support significantly greater impact.

First, fill out the online Notice of Intent form found on the site for your region. If the regional director determines that your project idea fits within the funding guidelines of the TPS Regional program, they will ask you to submit a full proposal.

The application deadline varies. Please contact kathleen@ncheteach.org for more information.

We will ask for information about your organization and its activities, the TPS programming that you intend to offer, the audience whom you will target, a list of institutional partners and their roles in the project, the expected outcomes, a timeline, and a budget narrative.

Regional Directors use panels of TPS professionals to review and evaluate submissions on the basis of:

Expertise: the applicant’s demonstrated history of providing high-quality curricula, materials, and tools focused on a specific subject or population;
Need and Impact: experience, knowledge, and contacts within the broader targeted community that would support significant adoption and use of the tools or materials created; quality and use of previously created curricula, instructional materials and tools;
Educational Networks and Affiliations: the applicant’s leadership in educational network(s) that propagate teaching excellence in the field targeted by the proposal;
Programmatic Financial Capability: witnessed by the soundness of the project plan and management of similar previous projects.


Proposed Use of Library Resources: extent to which the proposed project incorporates primary sources from the online collections and other resources of the Library of Congress and the degree to which analysis of Library of Congress resources is critical to building understanding of key concepts within the proposed activities.
Past Activities: applicant demonstrates the institutional capacity to successfully complete the project.


Budget/Project Costs: the applicant’s proposal will achieve the program objectives with reasonable economy and efficiency.


Great Plains Region Grant Application Rubric

Regional Directors make funding decisions within six weeks from the submission of a full application.

The TPS Regional program requires that grantees submit brief quarterly reports indicating any workshop, courses, or products delivered. A final narrative report is due at the end of the project.

All U.S. states, local governments, federally recognized Indian tribal governments, and nonprofit organizations expending $750,000 USD or more in Federal award funds in the applicant’s fiscal year must submit a Single Audit report for that year through the Federal Audit Clearinghouse’s Internet Data Entry System. U.S. state, local government, federally recognized Indian tribal government, and non-profit applicants must state if your organization was or was not required to submit a Single Audit report for the most recently closed fiscal year. If your organization was required to submit a Single Audit report for the most recently closed fiscal year, provide the EIN associated with that report and state if it is available through the Federal Audit Clearinghouse website.

Please contact the coordinator for your region.

Visit the “Applying for a Grant” page to learn more about how to submit your application to the Great Plains Region.

The CFDA number for this funding opportunity is 42.010 with the CFDA title, “Teaching with Primary Sources.”

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