CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Deadline: September 25, 2026

The Albert Lepage Center for History in the Public Interest at Villanova University is pleased to announce its seventh annual grant cycle to support public-facing history projects. In celebration of the Center’s tenth anniversary, we will be funding projects that speak to a question at the heart of our founding mission: what is history in the public interest?

The Center will fund grants of up to $7500 for up to 8 projects that creatively engage with questions, research, and outcomes that reflect on definitions of history in the public interest. Successful projects will make questions related to this theme central to their work; a “public” outcome of a historical study is not enough. Projects might consider:

• The use of history to define public(s)
• The relationship of history to social welfare
• Creative readings of “public interest” where history is a form of popular curiosity or attention
• Collective claims to and contests over historic documents, sites, or narratives
• Forms of historical inquiry and communication created to respond to public needs or collective welfare
• The social, political, cultural, or economic stakes of doing history in various times and places
• How historians have contributed to law and government.

The Center seeks submissions from a diverse pool of applicants that are original and imaginative in content and form. The Center is interested in funding projects that cover diverse geographies and times and speak to issues of power, equity, sustainability, and justice. Our primary concern is that the project employs historical methods and professional standards as its central modes of inquiry and analysis. Interdisciplinary teams are welcome, and we strongly encourage members of minority and underrepresented populations and institutions to apply.

About the Grants

Successful projects will include an informed and robust plan for public engagement and/or accessible communication to specific audiences. Past grant cycles have funded podcasts, documentary films, historical tours and guidebooks, graphic histories, digital and physical exhibits, and community-based workshops. The grant will not fund work on dissertations or academic monographs. 

Grants of up to $7500 will be awarded to projects based on stated needs and scope of outcomes. Our goal is to help advance a project from conception to execution. The Center is, therefore, willing to support work that may require initial funding to get off the ground or to achieve a final phase of completion. Our priority is to fund humanistic inquiry, and we are interested in reading prose and ideas that applicants generate themselves. To the end, we ask that applicants clearly communicate any use of LLMs or artificial intelligence to generate prose, data, or ideas in their application materials.

Application and Selection Process

Applications are due to the Lepage Center by 11:59 p.m. EST on September 25, 2026. Applicants should fill out a cover sheet using this link and email their application to lepage@villanova.edu. The application must be a single attachment (PDF) that does not exceed 15 pages.

Applications must include:

• A title

• A project abstract (250 words)

• A project description, purpose, and its contribution to history in the public interest (1-2 pages)

• A plan of execution, including deliverables, partners, and expected outcomes (1-2 pages)

• A proposed budget (1 page)

• Resumés or short CVs of principal participants (the total of resumes not to exceed 10 pages)

In evaluating applications, the Lepage Center will consider:

• The track record of the applicant(s);

• The importance of the project goals, the originality of the method and perspective, and the fit and relevance to the Center’s mission;

• The feasibility of the proposal;

• The capacity of the project to shed light on the stated theme;

• The articulation of an approach to historical thinking about the past that meets disciplinary standards and ethics

Proposals will be reviewed by an internal committee with award decisions to be made by the last week of October 2026. Applicants will be informed of the committee’s decision in November 2026.

A one-time disbursement of funds will occur by Dec. 31, 2026. 

Eligibility

Grants are limited to individuals or non-profit institutions in the United States. Global perspectives and transnational partnerships are encouraged.

Grantee Deliverables

Grantees should be amenable to having their projects featured on the Lepage Center website, social media and other communications; acknowledge the Lepage Center’s support in their public-facing materials; and amenable to participate in a Lunch at Lepage or virtual panel discussion with other grantees describing their grant work between Fall 2027 and Fall 2028.

Grantee Deliverables

Grantees must agree to having their projects featured on the Lepage Center website, social media and other communications; acknowledging the Lepage Center’s support in their public-facing materials; and participating in a Lunch with Lepage or virtual panel discussion with other grantees describing their grant work.

Fine Print

Grant awards are subject to federal, state, and local tax regulations. Each grantee is responsible for reporting taxable stipend payments and for remitting any tax due with their personal or institutional income tax return. For specific questions about your tax responsibilities, please contact the Internal Revenue Service, an accountant or an income tax service. IDC to be capped at no more than 5% of the grant. 

For any questions, please contact lepage@villanova.edu