The National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP) is a collaboration between the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Library of Congress (LC) aimed at creating a national digital archive of historically significant newspapers published in the U.S. between 1690 and 1963. This digital resource will be permanently maintained by the Library of Congress and made freely accessible through the Chronicling America website. In addition to digitizing newspapers from across the country, the program includes a U.S. Newspaper Directory that provides bibliographic and holdings information on newspaper titles in various formats.

This grant program offers funding of up to $325,000 for projects that digitize newspapers, contributing to the national database. The period of performance for funded projects is two years, during which time organizations can digitize newspaper pages from their own collections or from other repositories. The Library of Congress will also be contributing digitized newspaper pages from its own collections.

The application process for the 2024 cycle begins on August 21, 2024. An optional draft submission is due by December 2, 2024, with the final application deadline on January 10, 2025. Notifications of award decisions are expected by August 15, 2025, and projects will begin on September 1, 2025. This grant program has a high funding success rate, with an average of 92% of applicants receiving funding based on past competitions.

The program is open to institutions interested in contributing to the national digital newspaper repository. Applicants can include state libraries, historical societies, or any organizations that hold or have access to significant historical newspaper collections. The NDNP encourages projects that will make a substantial number of digitized pages available to the public through the Chronicling America platform.

Applicants are advised to carefully review the program guidelines and application instructions on the NEH website and to submit their applications through Grants.gov. For additional assistance or inquiries, organizations can contact the NEH Division of Preservation and Access at preservation@neh.gov.