How to Apply – Self-Knowledge for Humans and Artificial Systems

Participant Eligibility Criteria

For details about eligibility, participant expectations, FAQ, and principles of civility, follow the links below:

Summer Institutes for higher education faculty are offered by the National Endowment for the Humanities to provide faculty members and independent scholars with an opportunity to enrich and revitalize their understanding of significant humanities ideas, texts, and topics. These study opportunities are especially designed for this program and are not intended to duplicate courses normally offered by graduate programs. On completion of this institute, participants will receive a certificate indicating their participation.

You are eligible to apply if you are a

United States citizen, including those teaching abroad at U.S. chartered institutions and schools operated by the federal government;
resident of U.S. jurisdictions; or
foreign national who has been residing in the United States or its jurisdictions for at least the three years immediately preceding the application deadline.

You are not eligible to apply if you

are a foreign national teaching abroad
are related to the project director(s)
are affiliated with the applicant institution (employees, currently enrolled students, etc.)
have been taught or advised in an academic capacity by the project director(s)
are delinquent in the repayment of federal debt (taxes, student loans, child support payments, and delinquent payroll taxes for household or other employees)
have been debarred or suspended by any federal department or agency
have attended a previous NEH professional development project (Seminars, Landmarks, or Institutes) led by the project director(s)

Note: Two institute spaces are reserved for current full-time graduate students in the humanities (applicants should be advanced doctoral students at the dissertation writing stage).

NEH does not require participants to have earned an advanced degree.

J1 and F1 visa holders should confer with their sponsoring institution regarding their eligibility to receive a stipend from another institution.

To be considered for selection, applicants must submit a complete application as indicated below.

SELECTION CRITERIA

A selection committee will read and evaluate all properly completed applications in order to select the most promising applicants and to identify a number of alternates. While recent participants are eligible to apply, first consideration will be given to applicants who have not participated in an NEH-supported Seminar, Institute or Landmarks Workshop in the last three years (2023, 2024, 2025).

The most important consideration in the selection of participants is the likelihood that an applicant will benefit professionally. This is determined by committee members from the conjunction of several factors, each of which should be addressed in the application essay. These factors include:

Quality and commitment as a teacher, scholar, and interpreter of the humanities;
Intellectual interests, both generally and as they relate to the work of the seminar or institute;
Special perspectives, skills, or experiences that would contribute to the institute;
Commitment to participate fully in the formal and informal collegial life of the seminar or institute;
The likelihood that the experience will enhance the applicant's teaching and scholarship.

STIPEND, TENURE, AND AWARD CONDITIONS

Individuals selected to participate in the two-week project will receive a stipend of $2,200. Stipends are intended to help cover travel to and from the project location, and living expenses for the two weeks spent in residence. Stipends are taxable. Applicants should note that supplements will not be given in cases where the stipend is insufficient to cover all expenses.

Institute participants are required to attend all meetings and to engage fully as professionals in the work of the project. During the project's tenure, they may not undertake teaching assignments or any other professional activities unrelated to their participation in the project. Participants who, for any reason, do not complete the full tenure of the project must refund a pro-rata portion of the stipend.

At the end of the project's residential period, participants will be asked to submit online evaluations in which they review their work during the summer and assess its value to their personal and professional development. These evaluations will become part of the project's grant file and may become part of an application to repeat the institute.

Instructions

Before you attempt to complete an application, please read carefully the description of the project and check out the program. It contains information about the topic under study, the academic setting, and specific provisions about lodging and subsistence. All application materials must be sent electronically as one single PDF to the email address below. Application materials sent to the Endowment will not be reviewed.

CHECKLIST OF APPLICATION MATERIALS

the complete application form
a detailed résumé, curriculum vitae, or brief biography
an application essay as outlined below
two letters of recommendation

Please note the following instructions for submitting your application.

Application Form
Complete all the fields that apply.
Résumé
Please include a detailed résumé, curriculum vitae, or brief biography (not to exceed five pages).
The Application Essay
The application essay should be no more than 1,000 words. This essay should include any relevant personal and academic information. It should address reasons for applying; the applicant's interest, both academic and personal, in the Institute's subject; qualifications and experiences that equip the applicant to do the work of the Institute and to make a contribution to a learning community; a statement of what the applicant wants to accomplish by participating; and the relation of the project to the applicant's professional responsibilities. Applicants to institutes may need to elaborate on the relationship between Institute activities and their responsibilities for teaching and curricular development.
Reference Letters
The two referees may be from inside or outside the applicant’s home institution. They should be familiar with the applicant's professional accomplishments or promise, teaching and/or research interests, and ability to contribute to and benefit from participation in the Institute. Referees should be provided with the director's description of the seminar or institute and the applicant's essay. The confidential letters of recommendation should be sent to self-knowledge-neh@berkeley.edu with the subject line, Institute Recommendation: [Applicant’s name], and must be received by the application deadline, Monday, March 6, 11:59 PM Pacific ST.

Application

APPLICATION FORM

Please send this form, your CV, résumé, or brief biography and short application essay (maximum 1,000 words) to self-knowledge-neh@berkeley.edu. Subject line should read NEH Summer Institute Application. All items (application form, vitae, and essay) should be submitted as one continuous PDF document.

SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION AND NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE

Complete applications should be submitted electronically in PDF format no later than midnight Monday, March 6, 11:59 PM Pacific ST.

Successful applicants will be notified of their selection on Monday, April 6, 2026, and they will have until Friday, April 17 to accept or decline the offer.

Note: Once you have accepted an offer to attend any NEH Summer Program (NEH Summer Seminar, Institute or Landmarks Workshop), you may not accept an additional offer or withdraw in order to accept a different offer.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT

Endowment programs do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age. For further information, write to the Equal Opportunity Officer, National Endowment for the Humanities, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20506. TDD: 202/606 8282 (this is a special telephone device for the Deaf).