1981–1983

NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES WASHINGTON, D.C. 20506

TO : Reviewers and Panelists FROM : William J. Bennett SUBJECT : Standards for the Review of Applications

March 1983

Thank you for your help in the review of applications to the National Endowment for the Humanities. Your efforts are critical: you not only make it possible to evaluate the thousands of applications received each year, but, more important, your careful analysis is essential to the Endowment's continuing effort to maintain high standards of quality in the study of the humanities.

The National Endowment for the Humanities is committed to supporting significant and substantial work that will promote or encourage, in the words of its enabling legislation, "progress and scholarship in the humanities." The standards of significance and substance are present for all Endowment programs, including those involving individual research, improvements in the teaching of the humanities, and projects involving the general public. To ensure the soundness of the process by which applications are evaluated, the Endowment relies on the reasoned judgments of scholars and other knowledgeable persons. You have been asked to provide us with such guidance.

We want to emphasize that the Endowment has sufficient funds to continue its policy of supporting all projects judged to be excellent. We also anticipate being able to provide funding for many projects deemed to be highly meritorious. Since we believe that projects of such quality are the only ones the Endowment should support, we request that you recommend only these and no others, thereby excluding those of lower quality and also those that warrant neither commendation nor criticism and therefore do not deserve the investment of public funds.

Again, thank you for your attention to these issues of quality and for your assistance to the Endowment.