Lewis-Houghton Civics and Democracy Initiative: Continuing Awards for 2026-2029

Lewis-Houghton Civics and Democracy Initiative: Continuing Awards for 2026-2029 is a grant from the Library of Congress that funds educational organizations expanding civics and democracy curricula using the Library's digitized primary sources. Current LHI partner organizations can apply to disseminate and scale teaching materials, tools, and programs developed under previous awards.

Projects must incorporate revised and expanded educational products, broaden distribution through partner networks, and ensure five years of public online access to all developed materials. Eligible applicants are existing Library of Congress LHI partner nonprofits. Awards reach up to $250,000, with a deadline of May 18, 2026.

# Lewis-Houghton Civics and Democracy Initiative # Continuing Awards for 2026-2029 ## Notice of Funding Opportunity 030ADV26R0020 ## April 20, 2026 NOTICE – 030ADV26R0020 This funding opportunity is authorized under the “Legislative Branch Appropriations Act of 2023” (Pub. L. 117-389 (H.

R. 8237)). The resulting award will be subject to the Library of Congress Regulation (LCR) 7-310 and provisions of 2 CFR 200 – Uniform Administrative Requirements, Costs Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards as indicated.

This opportunity is only open to Lewis-Houghton Civics and Democracy Initiative (LHI) partner organizations who have received awards directly from the Library and who meet the eligibility requirements stated in this Notice. The Library of Congress, primarily located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in Washington, D. C.

, is the largest library in the world, with millions of books, recordings, photographs, newspapers, maps and manuscripts, and more. The Library has three main buildings on Capitol Hill in Washington D. C.

(Adams, Jefferson and Madison), which house physical collections, reading rooms, exhibition spaces, auditoriums and offices and the Packard Campus for Audio-Visual Conservation in Culpeper, Virginia. The Library’s mission is to engage, inspire, and inform Congress and the American people with a universal and enduring source of knowledge and creativity.

The Library is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution and serves as the research arm of Congress. About the Teaching with Primary Sources Program (TPS) The Teaching with Primary Sources program has been the Library of Congress’s premier educational outreach program.

The goals of the program have included providing instructional materials, tools, education and professional development that enhance teachers’ ability to integrate digitized primary sources from the Library of Congress into instruction that builds student literacy, critical thinking skills, content knowledge and ability to conduct original research.

As members of the TPS Consortium, Consortium partners are valued as “Connectors” who help the Library achieve its vision of connecting to all Americans. www. loc.

gov/teachers About the Lewis-Houghton Civics and Democracy Initiative (LHI) The Lewis-Houghton Civics and Democracy Initiative (LHI) is a new initiative included under the TPS program.

In the joint explanatory statement for the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2023, Congress established the Lewis-Houghton Civics and Democracy Initiative and appropriated funds to the Library of Congress to administer an educational program as a part of the Initiative, and fund eligible organizations within the United States (U.S.) and its territories to develop digitally-enabled comprehensive, assessable teaching project-based creative arts driven curricular programs focused on using the digitized primary sources of the Library of Congress related to history, civics and democracy.

Organizations receiving LHI awards design and implement educational products in which the Library’s music or creative arts-focused primary sources and other online materials are central to teaching and learning about history, civics, and democracy.

With this notice, the Library seeks to solicit project proposals from current LHI partners that expand the use of teaching materials, tools, and strategies they developed under previous LHI awards.

NOTICE – 030ADV26R0020 Specifically, the Library of Congress seeks to provide funding to experienced LHI providers to disseminate their LHI teaching materials, tools, programming, and research to meet the needs of learners representing various professions, ethnicities, geographic locations, abilities, interests, affiliations, and other attributes.

Proposed projects must incorporate the following elements: a) Revised versions of LHI products and programs developed under the previous LHI award to increase their value to larger numbers of educators and learners; b) Expand distribution of existing LHI products and programs through networks of organizations with similar priorities; c) Collaborate with organizations, inside and outside of the TPS Consortium, to devise and implement strategies for furthering common goals for using Library of Congress materials; and d) Where applicable, extend, share and apply earlier research findings about the impact of incorporating Library of Congress collections into educational initiatives.

Proposed projects must use the Library’s digital collections for one or more of the following approaches: a) Deliver educational programming to various categories of learners; b) Create and distribute educational materials or tools; c) Convene meetings of like organizations to devise strategies for furthering common learning and teaching goals with Library of Congress materials; and/or d) Conduct research with significant practitioner involvement that investigates the impact of incorporating Library of Congress collections into educational initiatives.

a) Design, develop and implement an educational project that describes the population(s) to be served, numbers of learners targeted, methodology for meeting learning goals, products, or materials to be developed using Library of Congress digitized primary resources and other online resources. b) Make needed modifications to materials funded by the award based on critical feedback from users and Library staff.

e) Ensure that the curriculum, instructional materials, tools and accompanying products are made available online through channels approved by Library of Congress staff. f) Maintain public access to the curriculum, instructional materials and tools developed under the award for a minimum of five years after the end of the period of performance for the cooperative agreement.

NOTICE – 030ADV26R0020 g) Disseminate the curriculum, instructional materials and tools developed under the award through existing networks of subsidiary and partner organizations. h) Attend and participate in at least one annual in-person TPS Consortium meeting per year. i) Attend and participate in at least one online or in-person meeting or event convened by a member(s) of the TPS Consortium per year.

j) Participate in the TPS Educational Consortium by sharing ideas, methods, and information to enhance the development and dissemination of the national program and provide access to networks and communities that can help broaden the reach and applicability of the TPS program.

k) Participate in Consortium-wide TPS program design, testing, research, and evaluation activities, as requested, to support the quality of TPS resources and the efficacy of TPS program processes. l) Participate in promotional efforts and outreach activities that inform potential program participants of the availability of the educational opportunities, curriculum, instructional materials and tools created under this award. B.

FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION Federal Agency Name: Library of Congress Opportunity Title Lewis -Houghton Civics and Democracy Initiative : Continuing Funding Instrument Type Cooperative Agreement Opportunity Number 030ADV26R0020 Period of Performance 1st Period - 15 months : 10/1/202 6 – 12/31/2027 General Questions Submission Deadline May 6 , 2026 at 2:00 PM Eastern Time Technical Submission Questions Deadline (as defined below in Section B.

1 below) May 14, 2026 at 2:00 PM Eastern Time Proposal Submission Deadline May 18, 2026 at 2:00 PM Eastern Time Expected Start Date: October 1, 2026 Estimated Funds Available The Library’s intention is to issue six awards of up to $250,000 in total per recipient, for the three budget periods described below. Unspent funds from earlier budget periods may be applied to subsequent years, with Library approval.

However, the total amount awarded under this NOFO for each cooperative agreement must not exceed $250,000 across the three budget periods. The Library may choose to issue no awards at all or more than six awards. Each award would be for up to $100,000 for the first budget period (15 months) and Continuation Funding of up to $75,000 for the 2 nd and 3 rd budget periods (12 months each) at the government’s sole discretion.

Continuation Funding will be provided without competition subject to awardee’s satisfactory performance under the current award, the NOTICE – 030ADV26R0020 availability of funds, and the awardee’s submission of an eligible proposal.

Individual funding levels will depend on the effective educational use of Library of Congress materials; content, quality and feasibility of the proposed project; the value and utility of the project to its targeted audience; and the number of applications received and available funding. Successful Awardees cannot have two open cooperative agreements for the same project.

As such, a new award will not be issued until work on the previous grant is complete. The use of teaming arrangements is not allowed. Applications from individuals will not be accepted.

The Library reserves the right to select for the award any, all, part, or none of the proposals submitted in response to this Notice. Additionally, the Library may modify the schedule or program areas by amending this Notice. The amendments will be posted in the same space as this Notice.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to be aware of the amendments by regularly checking grants. gov. Applicants cannot recover expenses for proposal/application preparation or submission from any awards resulting from this Notice. B.

1 Questions and Answers General Questions and Answers: All questions relating to this Notice must be submitted via email to tps-grant@loc. gov no later than the date stated in Section B of the Notice (“General Questions Submission Deadline”). Answers will be provided on a rolling basis in a Q&A Document uploaded to grants.

gov. This document will be updated as questions are received. Questions received after the deadline(s) stated in Section B above will not be answered. Technical Submission Questions: Applicants experiencing problems with submitting proposals can request assistance until the date specified in Section B above (“Technical Submission Questions Deadline”).

B. 2 Intellectual Property Rights, Data Availability, and Accessibility Awardee shall also provide the Library with a royalty-free, nonexclusive and irrevocable right to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use all Project Contents created under this award, for Federal purposes, and to authorize others to do so.

All data, methodology, factual inputs, models, analyses, technical information, reports, conclusions, valuation products or other scientific assessments in any medium or form, including textual, numerical, graphic, cartographic, narrative, or audiovisual, resulting from a financial assistance agreement is available for use by the Library of Congress, including being available in a manner that is sufficient for independent verification.

The Federal Government has the right to: (1) Obtain, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the data, methodology, factual inputs, models, analyses, technical information, reports, conclusions, valuation products or other scientific assessments produced under a Federal award, for Federal purposes; and (2) Authorize others to receive, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use such data, methodology, factual inputs, models, analyses, technical information, reports, conclusions, valuation products or other scientific assessments, for Federal purposes, including to allow meaningful third-party evaluation.

B. 2. 2.

Accessibility Requirements. The Library is committed to ensuring that the digital content, software, and websites (broadly, “information and communications technology” or “ICT”) that it presents to the public and uses internally are accessible to individuals with disabilities.

Because the goal is that Awardee project materials be as widely accessible as possible, all Awardee project materials and other materials required to be provided to the Library must meet or exceed the accessibility standards that apply to the Library’s ICT. The Library’s ICT must meet the accessibility requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (see 42 U.S.C. §12209).

It is Library policy that, in many cases, this can be accomplished by meeting the standards required for executive branch agencies under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (see 29 U.S.C. § 794d and 36 C. F.

R. 1194. 1 ), which applies the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.

0. However, all Library web content and mobile applications, as defined by 28 C. F.

R. Part 35, Subpart H , must meet, at a minimum, the ADA regulations found in that subpart, which apply WCAG 2. 1.

Appendix B of this Notice provides a definition of ICT and additional information regarding the accessibility standards. Awardee project materials may become subject to additional or different requirements if either the ADA or Section 508 are modified and as a result require different standards that take effect prior to the end of the period of performance.

Applicants may identify in their application any exemptions to the requirements in the ADA or the Section 508 Standards that they consider applicable to their project materials.

In such cases, the applicant also must identify any additional measures that would be required to bring the project materials into compliance with the ADA or the Section 508 Standards, so the Library can assess the feasibility of implementing such measures as necessary. NOTICE – 030ADV26R0020 Awardees must certify compliance with the applicable accessibility standards when providing project materials to the Library. B.

2. 3. Restriction on use of Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools.

Awardees must not use generative artificial intelligence (generative AI) to create or produce any project materials. For purposes of this restriction, generative AI tools are those that produce synthetic text, images, code, video, and music in response to user prompts and include, but are not limited to, ChatGPT, BARD, DALL-E, MidJourney, and Stable Diffusion.

For purposes of this restriction, generative AI does not include the use of AI-enhanced word processing, email, or search tools that are already widely incorporated in day-to-day life such as AI tools embedded in image editing applications and spell or grammar checking functions. B. 3 System for Award Management (SAM.

gov) Registration Successful applicants must be registered on SAM. gov before an award is made. Information on how to register on SAM.

gov can be found on the SAM website . This process can take several weeks, so if an applicant is not already registered, it should start that process immediately. Registration is free and is required for any applicant that wants to receive any kind of federal award or contract.

An award will not be given to an applicant without a completed SAM. gov registration by the time the application is made. C.

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION C.

1 Eligible Applicants must a) Be existing LHI partner organizations that have received LHI funding directly from the Library of Congress and have created teaching materials, tools, programs, and approaches based on Library of Congress primary sources, using LHI awards; b) Present a compelling plan to revise and/or disseminate the teaching materials, tools, programs, and approaches developed during their previous LHI grant funding cycle to expanded audiences, through new and established partners and networks – within and outside of the TPS Consortium, and other Library networks; c) Be public or private organizations, either not-for profit or for-profit organizations including institutions of higher education, colleges, universities, professional associations, library systems, cultural institutions, other educational organizations (such as K-12 schools, after-school programs, literacy organizations, centers, clubs, associations of home-schooling parents, honor societies, and other professional, civic, regional, state, and community groups), and collaborative partnerships (such as an organization with content expertise paired with a state or regional educational entity); states; public or private agencies, including for-profit agencies; and Indian tribes and tribal organizations; d) Be based in any of the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, territories, and commonwealths (Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands); and e) Propose a project to be housed on the servers of an organization within the U.S. states, the District of Columbia, territories and commonwealths.

Other Eligibility Information a) Late, incomplete, or ineligible applications will not be considered for funding under this Notice. b) Applications from other federal agencies will not be accepted. c) An applicant (or a principal member of an applicant as defined in 2 CFR 180.

995) that has been convicted or found to be at fault in connection with their performance of any Federal award or NOTICE – 030ADV26R0020 contract in the past five years may be disqualified. D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION • All submissions must be in English, submitted by the due date at the time specified in Section B above, provide budget and cost information in U.S. dollars, and meet the specifications of this Notice.

• The Proposal Narrative Template must be downloaded and completed by the applicant. Upon completion, the Narrative should be included as an attachment to the application in Word or PDF format. • All proposals must be submitted electronically via email to tps-grant@loc.

gov with the following requirements: o The email must include the opportunity number (030ADV26R0020) in the subject line. o The maximum size file allowed through the Library’s email system is 20MB. In addition, certain files might need to undergo a conversion to be accepted by the Library’s servers.

This conversion increases the file size by 30% to 40%, therefore, please take this into consideration, when determining file sizes. o The Library’s email system cannot accept files greater than 20MB.

If needed, applicant may send the application materials across multiple emails but must ensure they are all clearly identified, with the opportunity number (030ADV24R0028) and an identifier (“1 of X emails”, “2 of X emails”, etc.) in the subject line.

o Required file naming conventions are as follows: [NOFO#] – [Applicant Short Name] – [Document Name]  E.g. 030ADV26R0020 – University of TPS – Proposal Narrative o Applicant must not submit zipped or locked files. • Applicant must not submit files via a third-party website (such as OneDrive or Box. com).

• Applicant must not submit files via grants. gov. Applicants must complete a Proposal Narrative and Budget Plan. The template for the Proposal Narrative and instructions on completing the Budget Plan can be found in the Supporting Documents Checklist section of this Notice in grants.

gov. D. 1. 1 Required Form SF-424 All applicants must complete the appropriate standard SF-424, Application for Federal Domestic Assistance.

This form should be downloaded from grants. gov, completed by the applicant and included with their application documents sent by email. Note: For Block 2 of the SF-424 form, the CFDA number is 42.

011 for this award. The CFDA Title is “Library of Congress Grants. ” NOTICE – 030ADV26R0020 D.

2 Agency Points of Contact Lewis-Houghton Initiative Contracts and Grants Directorate Library of Congress - 101 Independence Avenue, S. E. , Washington DC, 20540 E.

APPLICATION REVIEW AND AWARD The Library will evaluate applications received as described below. However: a) Applications not submitted by the deadline specified in this Notice will not be reviewed. b) Incomplete applications that do not include all required information or documents will not be reviewed.

c) Applications submitted by applicants that do not meet the eligibility requirements outlined in Section C will not be reviewed. d) Applications that are not submitted via email will not be reviewed. E.

1 Criteria for Proposal Evaluation The Library will assemble panels comprising subject matter experts in Library of Congress materials and education to review and evaluate submissions on the basis of: the applicant’s demonstrated history of providing high-quality curricula, materials and tools focused on a specific subject or population; the applicant’s leadership in educational network(s) that propagate teaching excellence in the field targeted by the proposal; experience, knowledge and contacts within the broader targeted community that would support significant adoption and use of the tools or materials created; quality and use of previously created curricula, instructional materials and tools; and programmatic and financial capability of the applicant, as witnessed by the soundness of the project plan and management of similar previous projects.

Specifically, Library staff and review panels will evaluate applications based on the following criteria: a) Value of Existing LHI Products i) Extent to which the products the applicant created using LHI funds have garnered attention and use by educators and/or learners. ii) Applicant’s ability to modify existing LHI products for use in different settings and instructional topics, or with additional learner populations.

iii) Evidence that methodology and design are appropriate to the scope of the project proposed. i) Evidence that the proposed project addresses a recognized need in the targeted populations of current and/or new learners to be served by the applicant.

ii) Extent to which the curriculum, instructional materials or tools developed are likely to be used by a significant portion of the targeted communities to further learning within the specific subject or context identified by the applicant. iii) Extent to which the project’s benefits will continue beyond the award period. iv) Soundness of the plan to assess the impact of project activities.

NOTICE – 030ADV26R0020 c) Programmatic and Financial Capability i) Evidence that the applicant will complete the project activities in the time allocated, through the effective deployment and management of resources, including personnel, money, facilities, equipment, and supplies.

ii) The degree to which the curriculum, instructional materials or tools are flexible enough to allow for meaningful adaptations for other educational organizations while maintaining their effectiveness. iii) Evidence of the applicant’s plans to keep the Library fully informed of project progress throughout the award period, including lessons-learned, modifications and project results.

Evidence of sound financial management and submission of an appropriate and cost-efficient budget. d) Educational Networks and Affiliations i) Extent to which the applicant has enlisted the support of other identified educational entities in the design, testing and distribution of curricula, instructional materials, or tools.

ii) Extent to which the applicant includes a sound plan to disseminate the curriculum, app/online interactive or instructional materials, developed under this award, through already-existing affiliations and networks, and by recruiting additional dissemination partners, where needed.

iii) Extent to which the applicant demonstrates an ability and commitment to incorporate knowledge, materials and activities developed during the award period into the organization’s continuing work and its educational networks and affiliations’ work after funding has ended.

e) Proposed use of Library Resources i) Extent to which the proposed project identifies additional primary sources from the Library of Congress which may strengthen the LHI products the applicant created previously. ii) The degree to which analysis of Library of Congress resources is critical to building understanding of key concepts within the proposed curriculum, materials, or tools.

i) The degree to which the applicant demonstrates previous active participation in the TPS Consortium, including attending meetings, collaboration with Consortium members, membership in a Consortium Interest Group, use of the TPS Teachers Network, etc. g) Budget and Project Costs i) The Library will evaluate the budget and project costs application of the applicant(s) under consideration for an award and review to determine whether the costs are allowable in accordance with the cost principles found in 2 CFR 200 Subpart E .

ii) The Library will also consider (1) the extent of the applicant's understanding of the financial aspects of the program and the applicant's ability to perform the activities with the amount requested and within the project dates; (2) whether the applicant's proposal will achieve the program objectives with reasonable economy and efficiency; and (3) whether any special conditions relating to costs should be included in the award.

NOTICE – 030ADV26R0020 iii) Proposed cost share, if provided, will be reviewed for compliance with the standards set forth in 2 CFR 200. 306 ; Standard Provision “Cost Sharing (Matching)” for U.S. entities. Not committing to cost sharing will not make the application ineligible.

If cost sharing is proposed, the applicant must provide an explanation for the cost share proposed. F. Pre-Award/Notice of Federal Award Following review, applicants may be requested to revise the project proposal, scope and/or budget before an award is made.

However, the Library also reserves the right to issue an award without requesting clarification or additional details on the application. Once all outstanding issues have been resolved, the Library will send a draft Award Agreement to the successful applicant(s) for review, comments and acceptance, to be followed by full execution of the Award Agreement.

The Award Agreement will include instructions specific to each recipient on how to request payment. If applicable, the instructions will detail any additional information/forms required and where to submit payment requests. Applicants whose projects are not selected for funding will receive written notice by e-mail within 60 days of the final review decision.