An on-site augmented reality tour addressing the 1970 Kent State University shootings, a database that will allow users to search a painting collection by pigment, digital course modules on Florida’s African-American history and a digital anthology of almost 300 hymn melodies published in the United States before 1861 are among the 188 recipients of new grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The grants, which total $30.9 million, are the first of three rounds that will be awarded this year. They are distributed across 45 states and the District of Columbia. An additional $48 million was awarded to the national network of state, territorial and jurisdictional humanities councils for educational outreach programs.

“These new N.E.H. grants will expand access to the country’s wealth of historical, literary and artistic resources by helping archivists and curators care for important heritage collections, and using new media to inspire examination of significant texts and ideas,” Jon Parrish Peede, the chairman of the endowment, said in a statement.

“These projects will open pathways for students to engage meaningfully with the humanities and focus public attention on the history, culture and political thought of the United States’ first 250 years as a nation,” Mr. Peede added.