Date:  Thu, 22 Jun 1995 08:16:47 -0400

From:  Wayne Glowka <wglowka[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]MAIL.GAC.PEACHNET.EDU>

Subject: A Dumb Question about the NEH



I lean so far to the left that I have trouble negotiating narrow doorways,

but I don't fully see the disadvantages of transferring 80% of NEH funds to

the state humanities agencies.



At my institution, we have received money both from the Georgia Endowment

for the Humanities (which is funded by the NEH) and from the NEH itself for

various projects, and I thus have no prejudice against either agency in

regard to funding possibilities. However, after a year of working with

grants on a small scale, I have developed prejudices about working with

state and federal agencies. The people from the GEH travel around the

state and give little workshops on how to apply for funds. An interested

party can call them and actually talk to someone who administers the

program. My other limited experience with state agencies has also

impressed me: they know who we are; if we have some trouble with the

application process, the state senator across the street can call for us;

we can check out the possibilities for funding before we go through the

trouble of filling out mounds of paper.



The NEH Fellowship application is a minimal affair, but the other federal

applications I have seen are nightmares. Just the mailing directions take

up a two-column page or more! Calling for information is also difficult

and expensive if you don't already know the right person to call on the

right day.



I can see that a major project like DARE would be a horrible drain on a

specific state allocation (and therefore might not get funded), but from

where I sit (in a small college in the middle of nowhere), I can see many

perhaps selfish advantages in having money available at the state level.





Wayne Glowka

Professor of English

Director of Research and Graduate Student Services

Georgia College

Milledgeville, GA 31061

912-453-4222

wglowka[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]mail.gac.peachnet.edu