Lewis-Houghton Civics and Democracy Initiative: New Awards for 2027-2029
The Lewis-Houghton Civics and Democracy Initiative offers grants for organizations to create arts-based educational projects using Library of Congress digital resources to teach history, civics, and democracy to middle and high school students.
Funder: Library of Congress
Due Dates: September 7, 2026 (General Questions) | September 10, 2026 (Technical Questions) | September 18, 2026 (Full Application, 2:00 PM ET)
Funding Amounts: Up to $100,000 per award for year one; renewable for up to three years (max $300,000 total); ~6 awards expected.
Summary: Supports innovative, arts-driven projects using Library of Congress digitized primary sources to teach history, civics, and/or democracy to middle and high school audiences.
Key Information: Applications must be submitted by email (not via grants.gov); only one application per project team.
Description
This opportunity from the Library of Congress funds projects that integrate the Library's digitized music or creative arts-related primary sources into educational initiatives focused on history, civics, and/or democracy. The program, part of the Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) initiative, seeks to support digitally-enabled, arts-driven approaches that engage middle and high school educators and learners. Projects may include curriculum development, teaching materials, professional development, educational programming, or research on the impact of arts-based civics instruction. Emphasis is placed on inquiry-driven analysis, building civic skills, and fostering democratic participation using rights-free materials from the Library's digital collections.
Awardees become part of the TPS Educational Consortium, a national network of organizations advancing innovative teaching with Library of Congress resources. Projects must demonstrate clear educational need, propose effective solutions, and plan for broad dissemination and sustainability.
