TPT and WNED Secure NEH Funding for Projects Bringing a Unique Awareness to the Constitution and Frederick Law Olmstead
May 30, 2012
In March 2012, Twin Cities Public Television (TPT)and WNED (Buffalo/Toronto) received America’s Media Makers Production Grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The awards, totaling $900,000 will support two different television productions, both of which incorporate an online digital media component.
TPT received $400,000 from NEH to support the production of a new series on the Constitution, covering popular constitutional debates and the impact they make throughout the world. Hosted by Peter Sagal of NPR’s Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me, the series will feature conversations with scholars, historians and experts in the field, as well as a combination of top line animation and historical footage. An interactive web and social media campaign will be used to help attract a wider audience. In addition, this production will support a broader national educational initiative targeting middle school through college, by supplementing classroom resources, digital media, online games, contests and more related to the Constitution. This four part series is expected to be broadcast on PBS in the spring of 2013.
WNED received $500,000 from NEH to help fund a documentary about the life, work and legacy of Frederick Law Olmsted, the American landscape architect. Partnering with Florentine Films/Hott Productions, Inc., WNED will produce a 90 minute high-definition film as well as five short films about the different Olmsted parks for web distribution, website use, educational purposes, and other methods of distribution in the classroom and community. Given Olmsted’s impact on Western New York, WNED will produce an additional 30 minute companion program highlighting his legacy to the region.
Both projects are supported by a combination of funding sources, a substantial portion of which comes from NEH, a federal agency both TPT and WNED have had success with in the past. Both have previously been funded on a number of different production efforts including: TPT’s Benjamin Franklin and Slavery by Another Name, and WNED’s The War of 1812. However, this time around, both stations faced an uphill struggle in their attempt to secure funds for their station’s production efforts.
Persistence Pays Off
An initial rejection by NEH forced TPT and WNED to reevaluate their proposals and resubmit during the subsequent funding cycle, extending their planning efforts even further. The diligence of both stations and the dedication to their individual projects were rewarded in the end, when NEH agreed to support the projects this past March.
David Weinstein, Senior Program Officer at NEH, remembers the different proposals well. When asked what qualities made these stations stand out, he highlighted the great subject matter. Both projects had a proposal that “appealed to a broad audience, and was well written and well researched. They had a very strong scholarly team.” Additionally, David recalls both stations taking full advantage of all the pre-application services NEH provides; a point that stood out among other applications. Weinstein encourages stations to contact NEH well in advance of the application deadline. Program officers are there to bounce ideas from and will even read draft proposals if submitted six weeks or earlier to the application deadline.
As these experiences demonstrate, past success does not guarantee future funding. While TPT’s and WNED’s track record of producing quality historical documentary specials and series for national distribution did help, it was their impressive proposal, and their conversations with NEH early on that really made the difference. Catherine Allan, Senior Executive Producer for TPT can’t emphasize the importance of a quality proposal enough. Allan encourages stations interested in applying to NEH to “have a strong team of scholars advising on the project and seek their input in identifying and writing humanities themes submitted.” Martina Fern, Manager of Foundation Development at WNED, agrees stating, “Get input from all stakeholders within your organization, and make sure that there is quality scholarly advice.” TPT and WNED were able to effectively address their strengths as they relate to the humanities and it ultimately led to their success.
Additional Resources:
America’s Media Makers Production Grant Program
2011 Grantees
Listen to the webinar featuring David Weinsten, NEH Senior Program Officer, from January 2010
Read more about WNED’s project
