CHICAGO – The Illinois Humanities Council Board of Directors has awarded a total of $20,800 to 10 nonprofit organizations for development and production of public humanities projects. Funded programs include a series of visits by the Tuskegee Airmen to Southern Illinois schools and communities, a film project including interviews with former Japanese suicide bombers from WWII, and an exhibit that explores the practice and contribution of Latin American countries to the history of medicine. Community support for these projects totaled $124,530. A list of grants and the organizations that are sponsoring these programs are listed below:

• Up Close and Personal with the Tuskegee Airmen: African American Museum of Southern Illinois, Carbondale ($2,000)
  
• Chicago Maritime Festival: Common Times, Chicago ($2,500)
  
• Medicina Latinoamericana: Invention and Innovation: International Museum of Surgical Science, Chicago ($2,000)
  
• Oral History of Former Japanese Suicide Bombers: Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago ($2,500)
  
• Swashbuckling Gentlemen of Color: North Lakeside Cultural Center, Chicago ($2,000)
  
• Linking the Ethnic Lao Diaspora in Illinois: Northern Illinois University, DeKalb ($2,500)
  
• Hunting Lilith – Next Theatre Saturday Salon: Next Theatre Company, Evanston ($1,000)
  
• South Suburban Archaeological Society Lectures 2005: South Suburban Archaeological Society, Homewood ($1,800)
  
• Voices of Light: Jubilate Children’s Choir, Lake Forest ($2,000)
  
• The Struggle for Unity and Justice: Illinois Conference of Churches, Springfield ($2,500)
  

The Illinois Humanities Council (IHC) invites non-profit organizations to apply for its next cycle of mini grants of up to $2,000 by its January 15, 2005 deadline. The deadline for the next cycle of major grants (up to $10,000) is February 15, 2005. Any non-profit group, organization, or institution is eligible to receive financial support from the Illinois Humanities Council for a public project in the humanities, including documentary films, local and community history projects, literary symposia, and oral history projects. Mini Grants are restricted to organizations with annual budgets under $1 million dollars or organizations applying for new or experimental programs. The IHC makes it a priority to fund projects developed by, for, or aimed at a reaching new or historically neglected audiences.

Potential applicants may review and download grant applications and guidelines by visiting www.prairie.org and clicking on “Educational Programs and Grants.” Copies of the grant information may also be requested by calling 312.422.5580 or by sending an email to ihc@prairie.org. IHC program officers are available for consultation at this number as well, and new applicants are encouraged to seek consultation.

For further information about the IHC or the grants program, please contact us at 312.422.5580 or visit our website at www.prairie.org.

The Illinois Humanities Council is an educational organization dedicated to fostering a culture in which the humanities are a vital part of the lives of individuals and communities. Through its programs and grants, the IHC promotes greater understanding of, appreciation for, and involvement in the humanities by all Illinoisans, regardless of their economic resources, cultural background, or geographic location. Organized as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities in 1973, the IHC is now a private nonprofit (501 [c] 3) organization that is funded by contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations; by the Illinois General Assembly; and by the NEH.

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