Past Grant Programs

Learning and Exploring American Democracy

LEAD was the first of NCHE’s American History and Civics grants.

In 2019, NCHE received an American History and Civics — National Activities grant from the US Department of Education. This grant served elementary and secondary teachers in Osceola County, Florida during the three years of the Covid-19 pandemic. NCHE staff and grant partners adapted grant programming, shifting some events online and delaying others until the virus dissipated.

The LEAD cohorts focused on a variety of topics and visited historic sites in places such as Gettysburg, Washington DC, and Alabama. In 2022, NCHE was awarded a two-year extension of this grant (LEAD 2), which are the current cohorts of Osceola County and Brevard County teachers.

Technology’s Impact in American History

TIAH allowed NCHE to serve teachers across the country.

Technology’s Impact in American History (TIAH) was first funded by the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources program in 2016. The programming provided content on the government’s role in technological innovation and change, as well as a bridge between the disciplines of history and science. TIAH built partnerships with the US Patent and Trademark Office, the US Army Heritage and Education Center, and the Astronaut Memorial Foundation, delivering three years of Colloquia and webinars to teachers from all corners of the country.

In the years immediately following the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, TIAH expanded to include new partners and new locations. The programs focused on Indigenous Innovations (Seattle), 20th Century Music (Nashville), and Auto Industry (Detroit). The final Colloquium took place in St. Augustine, Florida in spring 2023.

Library of Congress (federal and regional)

NCHE has partnered with various organizations on Library of Congress grants.

The Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program offers opportunities for organizations — large and small, local and national, historical and other disciplines — to build programs centered on the Library’s vast digital collections of primary sources. NCHE has partnered on TPS grants, at the federal and regional level, to provide content, training, and other support as needed.

In 2021, NCHE and the University of Delaware collaborated on a TPS grant: Indigenous and Latinx Delaware (ILD). Teachers participating in the ILD grant learned from national scholars and local elders and community groups. Regional partners, funded through the Library’s three regional offices (West, Midwest, East), have included organizations in Indiana, Georgia, Delaware, and Washington.

National Endowment for the Humanities

NEH grants created varying opportunities for teacher learning.

In the summer of 2022, teachers from around the country gathered at the Astronauts Memorial Foundation at Kennedy Space Center for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Landmarks of American History and Culture grant: “Space Age on the Space Coast.” Participants, which included teachers of all disciplines and grade levels, met astronauts, visited NASA sites, and discussed connections between space exploration and gender and race.

Throughout the 2022-2023 school year, NCHE staff and Virginia Humanities collaborated on two pilot podcast episodes as part of an NEH grant, “American Commonwealth: A Podcast on Documents and the American Story.” This was a development grant, intended to create two episodes out of a potential 10-episode series, in preparation for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.

Teaching American History (US DOE)

From 2002-2013, NCHE participated in dozens of Teaching American History grants.

In 2001, the US Congress appropriated Department of Education funds for a new program called “Teaching American History (TAH),” which paired local education agencies, such as school districts, with educational organizations to deliver professional development about US history. The goal of these multi-year grants was to provide opportunities for social studies teachers to learn historical content with a cohort of peers.

Over the course of a decade, NCHE partnered with more than 80 districts and organizations in 30 states to offer professional learning. The funding for the TAH program was eliminated in 2013.

Amplifying Civil Rights Education

Amplifying Civil Rights Education (ACRE)

This U.S. Department of Education‐funded project provided a three‑year series of workshops and field experiences for fifty grade 3‑8 teachers in St. Louis Public Schools and the School District of University City. Its central question was how people in Missouri and the broader United States have removed, retained and restored civil rights. The program used this theme to help teachers integrate diverse histories and literacy strategies into civics instruction.

Participants received:

• Targeted professional‑development sessions in history, geography and civics.
• Stipends for attending sessions and educational excursions.
• Site‑based workshops at museums and cultural institutions in St. Louis and other locations.
• Free resources such as books, curricula and online materials, plus summer learning experiences at historic U.S. sites.
• A complimentary membership in the National Council for History Education.

Equality and Power in Civics and Histories (EPiC Histories)

Equality and Power in Civics and Histories (EPIC Histories)

EPIC Histories, run by the National Council for History Education and the Michigan Council for History Education, offered more than ninety hours of professional development during the 2024‑25 school year for Michigan educators working with grades 3‑12. The program aimed to deepen teachers’ discipline‑specific literacy skills through webinars, historic‑site excursions and in‑person seminars, with an emphasis on broadening narratives and incorporating multiple perspectives.

Key features included:

• Professional‑development sessions focused on history, geography and civics.
• State Continuing Education Clock Hours (SCECHs) and stipends for all sessions and excursions.
• Site‑based workshops at cultural institutions across Wayne County.
• Free resources such as books, curricula and online materials.
• A summer field experience in New York City in June 2025 and a complimentary NCHE membership.
• Participants were expected to complete at least 65 hours of programming between October 2024 and August 2025 to remain in good standing.

The Rural Experience in America: Community Civics through Historical Inquiry

The Rural Experience in America: Community Civics through Historical Inquiry

NCHE’s Rural Experience in America program was funded by the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources program and provided free professional development for K‑12 teachers. It focused on three thematic areas—regions of rural America, rural lives in context, and change and development in rural America. The program built collaboration among teachers and NCHE staff through three phases:

• Part A: Asynchronous Learning – Participants completed two online courses: the Library of Congress’s six‑week Teaching with Primary Sources Basics and the Right Question Institute’s four‑week course on teaching students to ask their own primary‑source questions. These courses strengthened teachers’ skills in working with primary sources and highlighted the Library of Congress’s collections.
• Part B: Synchronous Online Colloquia – Teachers joined live monthly Saturday sessions led by historians and education specialists to explore themes of rural America and identify community partners for public‑history projects.
• Part C: Onsite Colloquium – Fifteen teachers and their community partners traveled to the Library of Congress to collaborate with historians and develop plans for public‑history projects in their own communities.

Learning and Exploring American Democracy

Learning and Exploring American Democracy (LEAD)

In 2022 the U.S. Department of Education awarded NCHE an American History and Civics — National Activities grant to create LEAD, a two‑year professional development program for teachers in Florida’s School District of Osceola County and Brevard Public Schools. LEAD provided workshops in American history, civics, government and geography and offered resources such as webinars, lesson plans, primary‑source collections and digital courses.

Features of the program included:

• Field studies to historic locations; NCHE emphasized that these trips allowed teachers to learn on site and continue connections through an online Canvas course.
• The 2023‑24 elementary cohort theme was “We The People”; webinars covered topics like teaching the Constitution to digital natives, women in the early Republic and the War of 1812.
• Saturday seminars in Kissimmee, Florida, offered day‑long sessions on the Constitutional Convention, the DBQ Project and other topics.
• A summer field study in June 2024 took elementary participants to Philadelphia and Valley Forge, followed later by a summer colloquium on “Building a Republic”.

History for All: Elementary Social Studies and Structured Literacy for Kansas Teachers

In partnership with the Kansas State Department of Education, History for All provided yearlong professional development for Kansas elementary teachers (grades 3–5). Regional cohorts in West, Central, and East Kansas participated in in-person workshops and online learning, building skills and confidence in teaching social studies through structured literacy approaches. Teachers learned from historians, fellow educators, and nationally respected education leaders while developing strategies to share with colleagues in their schools and districts. Participants received a $500 stipend, mileage reimbursement, and a travel stipend to attend NCHE’s annual conference.

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