Library of Congress Lewis-Houghton Civics and Democracy Initiative Awards Funding Opportunity

Funding Organization: Library of Congress

Program: Lewis-Houghton Civics and Democracy Initiative (LHI)

Funding Amount: Up to $100,000

Application Deadline: September 18, 2026 at 2:00 PM ET

Geographic Focus: United States and U.S. territories

Focus Areas: Music, Creative Arts, Education, History, Civics, Democracy, Primary Sources

Overview

The Lewis-Houghton Civics and Democracy Initiative (LHI), administered by the Library of Congress through its Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program, supports organizations developing educational projects that place music and creative arts at the center of history, civics, and democracy education.

Projects must meaningfully incorporate analysis of digitized primary sources from the Library of Congress related to music or other creative arts. Relevant materials can span a wide range of artistic disciplines, including music, visual art, dance, theater, film, photography, poetry, literature, folk arts, book arts, and other forms of creative expression.

The initiative is named in honor of former U.S. Representatives John R. Lewis (D-GA) and Amo Houghton (R-NY) and was established to expand creative, arts-driven approaches to civic and historical learning.

The Library of Congress is seeking proposals from six additional organizations to join the Lewis-Houghton Initiative within the Teaching with Primary Sources Educational Consortium.

What Does the Opportunity Fund?

Successful projects should use the Library of Congress's music and/or creative arts-related digitized primary sources as a central component of teaching and learning about history, civics, and/or democracy for students at the middle and high school levels.

Potential approaches could include:

The Library's collections include sound recordings, sheet music, paintings, photographs, literary manuscripts, poetry, dance materials, films, posters, folk traditions, and other digitized creative works that may serve as source material.

Funding

Awards of up to $100,000 are available.

Organizations that receive an award and demonstrate sufficient progress toward agreed-upon goals may subsequently apply for up to two additional years of funding, with awards of up to $100,000 per year.

Who Can Apply?

The opportunity is intended for eligible educational organizations in the United States and U.S. territories.

For this funding round, eligible organizations must not have previously received Lewis-Houghton Initiative funding directly from the Library of Congress.

Applicants should consult the official Notice of Funding Opportunity for the complete organizational eligibility requirements before applying.

Where?

Projects serve educational communities within the United States and U.S. territories and focus on middle and high school education.

The creative and historical materials used in funded projects should draw upon the Library of Congress's extensive digital collections.

Important Dates

Application deadline:September 18, 2026 at 2:00 PM ET

Deadline for general questions:September 7, 2026

Deadline for technical questions:September 10, 2026

Informational webinars:

How to Apply

Applications should be submitted according to the instructions contained in the official Notice of Funding Opportunity on Grants.gov.

Applicants should begin by reviewing the full Notice carefully, particularly the sections addressing:

Because the program specifically centers Library of Congress materials, prospective applicants should also explore the Library's digital collections early in project development to identify appropriate rights-free music and creative arts-related primary sources.

Questions about the opportunity may be directed to tps-grant@loc.gov by the applicable question deadlines.

Applications for the Lewis-Houghton Civics and Democracy Initiative: New Awards for 2027–2029 must be submitted through Grants.gov under Funding Opportunity Number 030ADV26R0050. The current application deadline is September 18, 2026 at 2:00 PM Eastern Time.

1. Review the Full Notice of Funding Opportunity

Prospective applicants should begin by reviewing the complete Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), including Section C for detailed eligibility requirements. Grants.gov identifies the award as a cooperative agreement in the education funding category, with approximately six awards expected and an award ceiling of $100,000. No cost sharing or matching funds are required.

Application and Full Funding Opportunity:Grants.gov: Lewis-Houghton Civics and Democracy Initiative, Opportunity #030ADV26R0050

2. Confirm Organizational Eligibility

Applicants should carefully review Section C of the NOFO before developing a proposal to confirm that their organization meets the program's eligibility requirements.

The initiative supports eligible organizations in the United States and its territories developing digitally enabled, creative arts-driven educational projects using Library of Congress primary sources.

Organizations receiving an award will also become members of the Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) Educational Consortium, a national network that includes organizations such as school districts, libraries, cultural institutions, universities, and technology firms.

3. Develop a Project Around Library of Congress Creative Arts Collections

Proposals must make Library of Congress music or creative arts-related digitized primary sources and other online materials central to the educational project.

Projects must incorporate rights-free materials from Library collections to develop curriculum, teaching materials, educational programs, pedagogical approaches, and/or other tools supporting history, civics, or democracy instruction for middle and high school educators and learners. Projects should emphasize inquiry-driven analysis of primary sources, development of civic skills, and participation in democracy.

Relevant Library collections may include:

Applicants may also incorporate arts-based pedagogies and other creative approaches into their proposed programs.

4. Identify the Educational Need and Population

Projects may operate inside or outside formal classroom settings, but proposals should identify a demonstrated educational need among a specific population and propose an approach that standard practice, documented experience, or research suggests could effectively address that need.

This means applicants should clearly establish not only what they plan to create, but also who the project is intended to serve, what educational need it addresses, and why the proposed arts-based approach is appropriate for that need.

5. Select an Eligible Project Approach

Projects must use the Library's digital collections for one or more of four identified approaches:

Of particular interest to the NeuroArts community: the fourth pathway explicitly permits research investigating the impact of incorporating music and creative arts collections into educational initiatives. However, the research must remain connected to the program's central focus on history, civics, and/or democracy education and include significant practitioner involvement.

6. Prepare and Submit the Application Through Grants.gov

Applicants should follow the application instructions and required components contained in the full NOFO and submit the completed application package through Grants.gov.

Organizations that have not previously used Grants.gov should allow additional time to complete any necessary organizational registration and account setup before the deadline.

Application Deadline:September 18, 2026 at 2:00 PM ET

View the Opportunity and Apply on Grants.gov

7. Attend an Informational Webinar

The Library of Congress is offering two informational webinars for prospective applicants:

These sessions provide an opportunity to learn more about the Lewis-Houghton Initiative and the current funding opportunity before submitting an application.

8. Submit Questions Before the Applicable Deadlines

Questions about the Notice of Funding Opportunity should be sent to tps-grant@loc.gov.

The subject line must read:

Notice 030ADV26R0050 – Lewis-Houghton Initiative New Awards – 2027

The Library will compile responses into a Q&A document and upload it to Grants.gov. Questions received after the applicable deadline may not be answered.

General Questions Deadline: September 7, 2026Technical Questions Deadline: September 10, 2026

Applicants experiencing technical problems submitting their proposals may request technical assistance through the technical-question deadline.

Key Application Details at a Glance

Funding Opportunity: Lewis-Houghton Civics and Democracy Initiative: New Awards for 2027–2029Funding Opportunity Number: 030ADV26R0050Funder: Library of CongressFunding Type: Cooperative AgreementExpected Awards: 6Maximum Award: $100,000Cost Share/Match: None requiredApplication Deadline: September 18, 2026 at 2:00 PM ETGeneral Questions Deadline: September 7, 2026Technical Questions Deadline: September 10, 2026Application Portal: Grants.govContact: tps-grant@loc.gov