Humanities Research Centers on Artificial Intelligence | 20240214 RAI

Opportunity Information: Apply for 20240214 RAI

The Humanities Research Centers on Artificial Intelligence program is a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) discretionary grant opportunity designed to launch new humanities-focused research centers that study artificial intelligence. Run through NEH's Division of Research Programs and introduced under the agency's Humanities Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence initiative, the program aims to build institutional hubs where sustained scholarship can examine what AI means for people, communities, and society. Rather than supporting purely technical AI development, the core expectation is that funded centers will concentrate on the ethical, legal, and societal implications of AI in ways that align with priorities described in the 2023 National Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Strategic Plan.

A key feature of the competition is its emphasis on humanities leadership paired with genuine interdisciplinarity. Centers are expected to bring together scholars from multiple disciplines, but they must be led by scholars in the humanities or humanistic social sciences. In practice, that signals NEH's intent to anchor AI research in fields such as philosophy, history, literature, religious studies, cultural studies, rhetoric, media studies, and adjacent humanistic social sciences, while still encouraging collaboration with law, policy, computer science, information science, and other relevant areas. NEH also highlights particular interest in projects that investigate how AI-related technologies affect equity, privacy, and civil rights, suggesting that strong proposals will engage directly with issues like disparate impacts, surveillance, data governance, bias and discrimination, access and inclusion, and the downstream social consequences of algorithmic decision-making.

The award structure indicates a small number of comparatively large center-building grants. The opportunity lists an award ceiling of $500,000 and anticipates making about 2 awards, meaning the program is competitive and oriented toward centers with clear plans, credible leadership, and strong institutional support. The funding instrument is a grant, and the activity category is listed under Arts (cultural affairs), reflecting NEH's broader humanities mission even when the topic is a fast-moving technology domain.

Eligibility is broad across public-sector and nonprofit institutions that can host a research center. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township, and special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; and nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status other than institutions of higher education. The opportunity was created on October 24, 2023, with an original application deadline of February 14, 2024, under funding opportunity number 20240214 RAI and CFDA number 45.161. Overall, the program is best understood as NEH's effort to seed durable research infrastructure that can shape how AI is interpreted, governed, and lived with, using humanities methods to address high-stakes questions about rights, values, and societal change.

• The National Endowment for the Humanities in the arts (see cultural affairs in cfda) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Humanities Research Centers on Artificial Intelligence" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 45.161.
• This funding opportunity was created on Oct 24, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 14, 2024. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for 20240214 RAI

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