Guiding Questions

As you work on the Goals section of your application, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Have I clearly defined what would constitute a successful project?
2. Will this project encourage public thought and discussion?
3. Have I designed this project to have a lasting impact?
4. Is the format carefully designed and appropriate for the information being presented and the project’s intellectual goals?  Is it creative?
5. Will the materials and resources developed usefully support the project’s interpretive themes and ideas?

Think Like a Reviewer

It’s very important that reviewers have a clear understanding of what you’re trying to do, particularly in terms of the project’s public impact, and how you plan to get there.  Your stated goal should not simply be to host an event or attract an audience, but to impart something specific to participants.  Your project should be carefully designed to serve that larger purpose.  You should be able to explain why your goal is important and unique, especially to your community and in relationship to the Council’s mission and values.  Reviewers also need to believe that the goals you propose can be achieved.

Consider This

Compare and contrast the following examples.  Why do you think the first applicant was successful and the second applicant was not?

Example 1: From a Successful Applicant

Joachim Prinz connects New Jersey to critical historical moments, such as the civil rights movement and the Holocaust, and to larger themes such as the continuous struggle for justice and the effort to make the American dream a reality for all. Without Prinz’s story, the historical narrative of New Jersey is missing a significant link between the Black and Jewish communities. One of the film’s goals is to use this historical example to inspire people to speak out and to remember that each voice counts. Another goal is to help connect the Black and Jewish communities of New Jersey, specifically the Newark area, to work together towards common goals. The third goal is to broaden general awareness of Prinz, a Jewish New Jerseyan, and his impact on the civil rights movement. These goals match those of NJCH: to use the humanities to explore issues of justice, to foster cooperation among the citizens and communities of New Jersey, and to educate the public about New Jerseyans who have had a positive impact on society. The goals will be promoted through a series of public film screenings and panel discussions that will include audience participation, and through television broadcasts. One of the most significant ways we will achieve these goals is through the development of educational curriculum for the film. We will work with Elizabeth Aaron and the Rutgers Institute for Ethnicity, Culture and the Modern Experience to develop curriculum for the Newark Public Schools as well as other school districts in New Jersey.

Example 2: From an Unsuccessful Applicant

The site will: 1)Employ professionals to develop oral history interviews, and we seek an in-depth account of personal experience and reflections of 6 known remaining employees of the estate, with sufficient time allowed for the interviewees to give their story the fullness they desire. The content of oral history interviews is grounded in personal reflections on the past. We will also host a “community telling” event where the general public will be invited to share their memories of the family, workers, estate.
2)Once collected, the stories will be indexed, then curated; then the histories will be launched on IPAD listening stations in the gallery space. The public can sit, choose a “character” and listen with headphones to the interviews inside the historic architectural space.
3)We will deliver a public tea gathering, and an exhibition, opening, and lecture. We will also create a small interpretive brochure that will explain the project and how to use the listening stations. We will post some “teaser” content on website.

This project is critical to developing important content and interpretation plans for when Rutherfurd Hall opens to the public. Oral history refers both to a method of recording and preserving oral testimony and to the product of that process; primary sources are idea for interpretation of local history.

We will follow the protocols outlined by The Oral History Association. These include commitments to the narrators, to standards of scholarship for history and related disciplines, and to the preservation of the interviews and related materials for current and future users.

Current Interview List:
1. He lives in town. His mother work at the estate as a maid.
2. She lives nearby. Her father laid the bricks for the mansion when it was built.
3. He lives nearby was nephew to the mansion’s physician.
4. She lives in town is the granddaughter of the gentleman who managed the estate for the owners. She remembers visiting with her mother.
(two more interviewees are in development/pending commitment)
The humanities offer ways to investigate, evaluate, discover, record, and articulate the meaning of human experience.
Outcomes:
-Provide primary and secondary sources for the public to enjoy and learn; develop and interpret the NJ human experience
-Provide a supportive, stimulating learning environment for all visitors to learn about humanities themes
-Provide content in a low staff environment
-Offering justice to museum interpretation by honoring the worker of the mansion and farms that supported the estate;as well as offering the visitor choices about which story the visitor explores.

Guiding Questions

As you work on the Humanities Content section of your application, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Is this project likely to contribute to public understanding and/or use of the humanities?
2. Will a public audience understand the humanities ideas being presented?
3. Is the humanities scholarship informing the project sound and relevant?

Think Like a Reviewer

Reviewers are not looking for a simple listing of humanities disciplines or a general explanation of benefits that can be derived from humanistic study.  They are looking to understand how, specifically, you plan to make use of the humanities.  You should clearly explain the analytical or interpretive approach that you will be using to explore your project topic and identify the context in which information will be placed.  The most competitive projects are those that employ humanities scholars (credentialed individuals who professionally engage in humanities-based research) with experience in the chosen topic area.  Reviewers must also be convinced that the information, as presented, will be both accessible and meaningful to a public audience.

Consider This

Compare and contrast the following examples.  Why do you think the first applicant was successful and the second applicant was not?

Example 1: From a Successful Applicant

In his landmark book Postwar the late historian Tony Judt forcefully argued that the European Union was no substitute for history. What he meant was that Europe must continue to examine the repercussions of the dictatorships, genocides, and war that plagued much of the twentieth century. Merely uniting much of Europe through the EU cannot erase the lasting effects of racism, political oppression, and social unrest. Only acknowledging and understanding the past would enable Europe – and its closest ally, the United States – to move toward more tolerant, equal societies.

We, too, seek to use the humanities as a tool to reexamine the difficult issues that Judt raised in his writings. Our series, Envisioning Europe: Tyranny and Freedom in History, Literature and Film, will help us develop a more complicated framework for understanding the lasting effects of tyranny in Europe and beyond. It is easy to create an oversimplified narrative of Europe’s experience in the postwar era. Years of tyranny – under cruel dictators Hitler, Stalin, Franco and others – finally yielded to an era of freedom, first marked by economic recovery in Western Europe and finally the fall of Communism and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in Eastern Europe. This account, which Francis Fukuyama famously labeled “the end of history” has been undermined by economic crises in Greece and other EU member states, debates about immigrants in Western Europe, and political unrest in Russia.

The work of historians, literature and film studies scholars, and filmmakers will highlight these issues, asking us to complicate concepts of democracy, citizenship, freedom, and tyranny. We particularly seek to understand how tyranny has been examined and represented through the humanities by inviting to campus scholars, filmmakers, educators, and political activists. In examining these European representations of tyranny, we will in turn be able to reconsider more broadly the meanings and manifestation of freedom.

The films we chose investigate three key issues to help us interrogate the meanings of freedom and tyranny in contemporary Europe.

1) Violence: How have films and literature tried to come to terms with the violence of the mid-twentieth century? In turn, what are the historical roots of contemporary violence?
2) Intolerance: How do narrow definitions of citizenship and nationhood challenge democracy in Europe today? Are there echoes of the racist anti-Semitism that exploded into genocide in Europe today, as many Europeans question whether Muslim immigrants can or should be considered European?
3) Political oppression: How do barriers to citizenship, the curtailment of free speech, and debates about public displays of religious identity help us complicate the picture of democracy in Europe, past and present?

Example 2: From an Unsuccessful Applicant

“The Humanities promote history and heritage, literature and literacy, and public discussion of vital community issues. The Humanities promote understanding of human traditions, values and issues through informed public discussion.” Utah Humanities Council.

The Cultural Community Festival is grounded in the humanities because it offers an opportunity to enrich the human experience through the interaction of people of different cultures and broadens awareness and acceptance of histories and traditions.

The primary disciplines that are at the center of the Cultural Community Festival are Culture and Folklore.

Culture and Folklore are the expressions through which groups maintain and share their traditions. They take many forms such as ideas, music, dance and drama, storytelling and festivals. These aspects of the humanities expose us to new people we have never met, worlds we have never encountered and ideas that we have yet conceived. Demonstrations of how others live and work connects us to other people and what is true to one’s own heritage and history.

The Cultural Community Festival is an opportunity to share information, values, perspectives and cultures. Through this sharing of information, participants will create community and enter a dialogue with other cultures and heritages. The Festival will promote understanding of different traditions, values and issues through informal public displays and discussions.

Culture provides a sense of identity for communities. This sense of identity and interaction with other types of cultures encourages common understanding, traditions, toleration of differences and is essential to the improvement of personal and community value and well-being.

Guiding Questions

As you work on the Audience Description and Publicity Plan sections of your application, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Has the applicant thoughtfully and imaginatively identified interested audiences and project partners?
2. Were target audiences considered and engaged during the project planning process?
3. Will the target audiences likely attend at the chosen venue?
4. Will the planned publicity reach a broad public audience, as well as specific target audiences?

Think Like a Reviewer

Your programs must be free and open to all, but you should be able to clearly identify and describe your target audience.  Reviewers will want to know how your project design and marketing efforts have been tailored to specific audience needs and interests.  A FREE marketing handbook can be found on the Resources page listed in the sidebar menu of this webpage and may be helpful as you craft a publicity plan for your project.  The most competitive projects are those that engage appropriate partners early in the planning process.  Reviewers like to see projects that have buy-in from the larger community and will be looking for projects that are designed to achieve maximum public impact.

Consider This

Compare and contrast the following examples.  Why do you think the first applicant was successful and the second applicant was not?

Example 1: From a Successful Applicant

Audience Description: The audience for “This Week in New Jersey” will be broad and diverse. As it is projected to be available on both public television and on a website, it is intended to reach a general audience of mixed ages and interests. The proposed curriculum materials, however, will be directed at a more clearly defined audience. Curriculum materials will be prepared for use with elementary and secondary level students. Using the State Core Curriculum Content Standards as a guide, the consultants and the advisory committee will review the list of 52 topics to be included in the series and then determine which are appropriate for the elementary level, which are appropriate for the secondary level, and which are appropriate for both. Separate curriculum materials will be provided for each age level and made available on the project website. The potential audience for this program, then, is the entire school-age population of the state. With the teaching of state history mandated by law, New Jersey’s approximately 1.5 million school-age children can benefit from this curriculum development initiative. The development and strategic use of an advisory committee comprised of teachers from across the state will also ensure that the materials developed will be appropriate to designated age levels, complementary to state standards, and useable for teachers. Teacher advisors will review and comment on the curriculum materials, as well as test them in the classroom before there are distributed.

Publicity Plan: First, the planning committee for the 350th celebration has an active education committee that includes teachers and representatives of key professional organizations for educators, such as the New Jersey Council for the Social Studies, the New Jersey Studies Academic Alliance, and the New Jersey Council for History Education. This core network of educators will be critical in communicating information about this new teaching resource to teachers across the state. Among the planned promotional strategies are:
1. A teacher’s toolkit with training materials for the program will be sent to principals and social studies curriculum coordinators throughout the state in the fall of 2013.
2. Articles describing the program will be submitted to the New Jersey Education Association’s magazine, and a session on the project will be proposed for the 2013 NJEA Convention.
3. An electronic publicity campaign will send announcements to the Commission’s e-mail list, and to the New Jersey History ListServ. Affiliated agencies, such as the New Jersey Historic Trust, The New Jersey Studies Academic Alliance, and the New Jersey Council for the Social Studies will publicize the program to their members.
4. The Commission will coordinate publicity efforts with the Department of Education, and ask them to assist in promoting the program.
5. The website will be linked to as many affiliated websites as possible.
6. Training workshops for teachers will be held around the state.

Example 2: From an Unsuccessful Applicant

Audience Description: Our panel discussion will likely be attended by about 100 students, adults and seniors varied in racial and cultural composition (based upon attendance at other educational programs). The online podcasts and blogs will likely be viewed and read by approximately 1000-2000 people, consistent with Facebook and Youtube analytics.  We will make efforts to inform regional high schools of this online information, and to have them include or reference it in their curriculum (especially music, dance and art programs).

As 2013 approaches, there are increasing numbers of Stravinsky and “Rite of Spring” celebrations occurring across the U.S. and around the world. Websites have been established to serve as clearinghouses, providing information about these celebrations.  We will seek to participate in these clearinghouses, by providing direct links to this podcast series.  That way, these presentations will become available to anyone interested in “Rite of Spring”, and to those who are interested in multidisciplinary humanities studies, regardless of their geographic location, background, experience or knowledge.

Publicity Plan: We will issue a press release announcing the lecture demonstration and details of the podcast series. Invitations to attend the panel discussion will be emailed to our entire database (10,000 addresses), reminders of the event and the podcast series will be included in our e-newsletter which is mailed to the database at the beginning of each month. We will make extensive use of our social media sites to provide links to the podcast series each time a new episode is releases. We will issue additional press releases, relevant to the podcast series. We will also place advertisements in local and regional newspapers, and at the same time, we will hang posters advertising the event and podcast series in and around our locales, including local and area public libraries, community and senior centers, as well as at University and College campuses. We will also make use of available collegiate and regional high school newspapers, and student organizations at all of these schools, and will post the event on a variety of online community calendars, intended for county residents. About 1 week before the event, we will provide hand-outs to hundreds of students, reminding them and their parents about the upcoming event.  Reminder emails will also be sent to hundreds of our supporters.

Guiding Questions

As you work on the Evaluation section of your application, ask yourself the following question:

1. Do I have a means for measuring whether or not success was achieved?

Think Like a Reviewer

The Council requires that grantees report back on the value of their efforts, and for that reason, reviewers will be looking for projects that have a plan in place to measure what has been accomplished, particularly in terms of a project’s public impact.  You should think both qualitatively – what has the audience taken away – and quantitatively – how many people have been served.  When preparing the Evaluation section of your application narrative, you may wish to begin by referring back to your Goals and Audience Description sections.  Consider what you’re trying to measure, what type of information you’ll need, who should be supplying it, and when and how you might most appropriately gather it.  Your plan should be specific and tailored to your project.

Consider This

Compare and contrast the following examples from two curriculum-based projects.  Why do you think the first applicant was successful and the second applicant was not?

Example 1: From a Successful Applicant

Evaluation of the effectiveness of this proposed project will take place at several key points in its development and implementation.

1. Educators drawn from the education subcommittee are reviewing a potential list of series topics this fall. Once funding for curriculum development is secured, a separate advisory panel of teachers will evaluate the draft scripts and curriculum materials.

2. In addition to the four humanities scholars who will be charged with the primary responsibility for the development of the content of the series and the accompanying curriculum materials, our own Program and Publications Committee will review the materials during the development phase. This committee is chaired by a professor of history and includes on its roster a noted authority on New Jersey history.

3. The project website will also provide an excellent tool for assessing the audience’s response to the materials. Staff will be able to monitor ongoing use of the materials, and can also access responses to a survey instrument to be completed by users. Curriculum materials can then continue to be monitored and edited in response to feedback from users. This online evaluation tool will be developed during website development. The website can be used to evaluate the experiences of both teachers and students.

Example 2: From an Unsuccessful Applicant

Our evaluation process exists on different levels. First, public awareness of our heritage and historic sites. In addition, visitor counts at historic sites will be evaluated.

Quantitative audience impressions will be evaluated by partnership campaigns.

Audience impressions will be tracked with the publication of press releases in weekly newspapers through distribution numbers.
Incorporation of lesson plans and trading cards to the curriculum will be tracked as to the success of the humanities content, teacher acceptance and hopefully student participation in the classroom.

Google news will be monitored for “hits” related to our weekly press releases and traffic to relevant pages on our website will be tracked.

Guiding Questions

As you work on the Timeline section of your application, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do I have access to all of the skills and resources necessary to complete my project?
2. Will I be able to achieve the project’s goals in a timely and efficient manner?

Think Like a Reviewer

The Council is most interested in supporting projects that are likely to achieve success, and for that reason, reviewers are looking for proposals that present a well conceived work plan.  You should consider all of the tasks that must be completed to accomplish your goals, from planning through execution, and set specific deadlines for their completion.  Reviewers will be most confident in those projects that have all of the major details (e.g., participation of project personnel, location of events, etc.) confirmed prior to application.

Consider This

Compare and contrast the following examples.  Why do you think the first applicant was successful and the second applicant was not?

Example 1: From a Successful Applicant

Application Deadline: May 1, 2012

Prior to Grant Period: Background research, selection of objects, ordering of supplies, program planning.
Aug 1-Sep 1: Create mounts for exhibit objects. Contact faculty members and high school teachers about bringing classes. Write press release and post on Web site. Design and prepare catalog text and images. Design and print invitations to exhibit opening.
Sep 1-18: Design and print exhibition sign. Mail invitations and Send to appropriate electronic mailing lists and Web sites. Print catalog. Install exhibition.
Sep 19: Exhibition opening.
Sep 20-Oct 10: Study evaluations of opening program and guest book comments. Prepare flyer and electronic mailing about seminar.
Oct 12: Seminar.
Oct 13-21: Prepare for panel presentation.
Oct 22: Panel presentation
Oct 23-Nov 26: Prepare for lecture.
Nov 27: Lecture.
Oct 23-Jan 10: Continue publicizing exhibition.
Jan 15-Feb 15: Appoint student assistant to work on digital exhibit. Deinstall exhibition and scan suitable items according to preservation standards.
Feb 15-Mar 15: Under supervision of exhibition curator, student assistant will prepare descriptive metadata for digital exhibition items.
Mar 15-May 1: Work with technical services to design digital exhibit.
May 1-May 30: Proofread and evaluate digital exhibit for accuracy, readability, ease of use, and attractiveness of presentation. Publicize digital exhibit.
May 31: Digital exhibit goes live.

Example 2: From an Unsuccessful Applicant

Application Deadline: October 1, 2012

Phase 1: November 2012-January 2013
1. Obtain support for the event.
- work with community partners throughout the year
- identify target audiences
- establish date and time frame
2. Establish planning committee for event.
- establish goals and objectives
- establish theme and title
- establish location and capacity (500)
- establish needs and budget

Phase 2: January – February 2013
1. Contact providers and vendors for their participation in festival.
2. Secure volunteers.
3. Gather resources.
4. Plan booth events, lectures and presentations.
5. Solicit donated items.
6. Design floor plan.

Phase 3: February – April 2013
1. Begin promotion and advertisement of the program.
2. Contact media outlets for publicity.
3. Send invitations to key people to attend (local government and cultural leaders in the community).
4. Develop evaluation tool to evaluate the success of the program.

Phase 4: Week of event
1. Confirm all presenters and providers.
2. Prepare signage/name tags.
3. Determine registration table.

Phase 5: Day before event
1. Contact media the day prior to the event.
2. Set up presenter areas/tables.

Phase 6 Day of Festival May 7, 2013
1. Greet presenters and providers.
2. Direct and instruct volunteers.
3. Distribute evaluation forms.
4. Collect participant feedback.

Phase 7. Post Festival
1. Analyze evaluations.

Guiding Questions

1. Have I budgeted wisely and completely?
2. Do I have access to all of the skills and resources necessary to complete my project?
3. Do the listed expenses represent reasonable and customary charges?

Think Like a Reviewer

When completing the Budget section of your application, you need to detail more than your dollar request to the Council.  As a technical matter, at least $1 in matching funds (cash or in-kind) is required for every dollar that you are requesting, but reviewers will also be looking to see: (1) whether or not you have access to all of the resources necessary to complete your project and (2) if project funds are being spent wisely.

If you’ve mentioned a task in your proposal narrative (e.g., mailing a save-the-date), it should be accounted for in your budget (e.g., printing and postage).  In addition to a budget breakdown, the Council requests that you provide information on other sources of support for your project.  In general, reviewers like when you are able to secure other funding and donations for your project.  If a project is dependent on much uncommitted funding or a proposal is missing major budget line items, reviewers will question its feasibility.

It is very important that you provide a thoroughly detailed budget with a transparent basis/method of computation for each line item.  After reading your proposal narrative, reviewers should understand why you’ve included each budget item, and each should represent a reasonable cost.  A budget listing excessive or unexplained costs will make your project less attractive to reviewers.

Consider This

Compare and contrast the following examples. Why do you think the first applicant was successful and the second applicant was not?

Example 1: From a Successful Applicant

Do you anticipate funding from sources other than NJCH for this project? Yes, $2,100

Do you anticipate any earned income? No

If yes, please explain the source of earned income.

Do in-kind services make up any of the cost share? Yes, $7,890

If yes, please explain the sources and uses for all in-kind services.

Name will direct the project and coordinate all activities. His secretary will assist in the preparation of all publicity materials, respond to information requests, register participants, act as a liaison to the College publications department and provide support for each of the planned events. The college will provide a technician to edit and post the audio version of each of the lectures at the College’s iTunes University making them accessible on the world-wide web.

Is the project for which NJCH funding is requested part of a larger project? No

Indicate funding sources other than NJCH on the table below and whether funding is committed or potential.

Salaries & Benefits

Fees for Project Personnel

Travel & Subsistence

Supplies

Services

Other Costs

Budget Summary

Example 2: From an Unsuccessful Applicant

Do you anticipate funding from sources other than NJCH for this project? No

Do you anticipate any earned income? No

If yes, please explain the source of earned income.

Do in-kind services make up any of the cost share? No

If yes, please explain the sources and uses for all in-kind services.

Is the project for which NJCH funding is requested part of a larger project? No

Indicate funding sources other than NJCH on the table below and whether funding is committed or potential.

Salaries & Benefits

Fees for Project Personnel

Travel & Subsistence

Supplies

Services

Other Costs

Budget Summary