The TPS Southern Region will award a number of sub-grants to qualified organizations for the purpose of funding short-term educational projects. School districts, universities, museums, cultural institutions, library systems, and other educational and public history organizations may apply for grants of up to $25,000 to incorporate TPS materials and methods into their existing education and professional development programs. Grant recipients may use TPS funding to meet a variety of programmatic needs, including delivering online or face-to-face TPS workshops; embedding TPS materials and content into broader professional development programs; incorporating Library of Congress primary sources and inquiry into civic learning initiatives; or revising undergraduate or graduate course syllabi or curricula to include a TPS focus. Projects will be completed in a cycle lasting a minimum of 6 months to a maximum of 12 months.
Potential projects that highlight creative arts-driven instruction may apply for the Lewis-Houghton Civics and Democracy Initiative award. This initiative welcomes digitally-enabled learning projects for secondary education that focus on music, art, theater, poetry, and literature primary sources, especially as they relate to history, civics, and democracy. Applications for this award follow the same guidelines as for standard awards.
IMPORTANT DATES (please note that two of these have changed):
✓ August 1, 2025: Deadline for Notices of Intent. Please fill out the Notice of Intent form and we will reach out to you to discuss your proposed project.
✓ September 1, 2025: Deadline for proposals. We will send these forms to you after we have had a chance to go over your Notice of Intent. Please allow up to six weeks for the approval process.
✓ May 3, 2026: All projects must be completed.
We also have mini-grants, in the form of stipends averaging $2000, available to TPS Consortium members to cover costs associated with travel, conference attendance, convening meetings, and action research directly related to TPS project goals.
The TPS Regional program accepts proposals on a rolling basis for projects lasting up to 12 months but no less than six (6) months in length.
Applying for a grant is a two-step process:
Contact: Kira Duke
All documentation for Grant Applicants is also available at the Formats & Examples page.
Each application is reviewed by a team of experienced TPS Alumni (educators, evaluators, subject matter experts). A successful grant application includes a thorough description of the intended project, its audience and content, supported by a timeline of activities, a budget and budget narrative. Evaluators also look for management supports and a sustainability plan. TPS Regional Coordinators make granting decisions within six - eight weeks of submission.
When making granting decisions, regional coordinators consider the following:
Access: The proposed project will reach geographic areas and/or populations not currently served by TPS Consortium members;
Scope of the proposed workshop or course and its likely success in helping to achieve TPS Consortium Goals;
Educational activities and partnerships of the proposing organization:
Sustainability of a grantee’s use of TPS content within their educational programs;
Project plan describes sound planning, recruitment, implementation, evaluation, and resource allocation.
Grantees must submit financial reimbursement requests and program reports quarterly. Grant funds will be disbursed upon submission of appropriate documentation of expenditures.
Grantees must also include the following acknowledgement of TPS funding in promotional and grant-related materials: “This {insert the name of your activity, program, workshop, product etc.} is sponsored in part by the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Southern Region at Middle Tennessee State University. Content created and featured in partnership with the TPS Southern Region does not indicate an endorsement by the Library of Congress." Please consult the Communications Guidelines for further information.
All U.S. states, local governments, federally recognized Indian tribal governments, and nonprofit organizations expending $750,000 USD or more in Federal award funds in the applicant’s fiscal year must submit a Single Audit report for that year through the Federal Audit Clearinghouse’s Internet Data Entry System. U.S. state, local government, federally recognized Indian tribal government, and non-profit applicants must state if your organization was or was not required to submit a Single Audit report for the most recently closed fiscal year. If your organization was required to submit a Single Audit report for the most recently closed fiscal year, provide the EIN associated with that report and state if it is available through the Federal Audit Clearinghouse website.
All documentation for Grant Applicants is also available at the Formats & Examples page