Press Release

ILLINOIS HUMANITIES COUNCIL AWARDS MINI GRANTS

Applications for next round of mini grants due July 15

CHICAGO – The Illinois Humanities Council Board of Directors has awarded a total of $20,000 to 9 nonprofit organizations for development and production of public humanities projects. Funded programs include an oral history of the civil rights movement in Pilsen’s Mexican community in Chicago, a permanent exhibit and two public lectures on Native American tools and technology (Aurora), and performances by scholar-actors representing historical figures who played an important role in the 1800’s landscape conservation movement (Carbondale). Community support for these projects totaled $67,130.

A list of grants and the organizations that are sponsoring these programs are listed below:



  • Towards an Oral History of the Civil Rights Struggle in Mexican Pilsen: Casa Aztlán, Chicago ($2,500)
  • Wasco Traditions: From Lewis and Clark to Contemporary Baskets: Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, Evanston ($2,000)
  • A French Heritage Celebration: Illinois State Museum Society, Lewistown ($2,000)
  • Language of Lithics: It Was Only a New World to Columbus Schingoethe Museum, Aurora University, Aurora ($2,000)
  • Bending Gender: Center on Halsted, Chicago ($2,000)
  • The Second Annual Chicago Taiko Legacy: Asian Improv Arts Midwest, Oak Park ($2,500)
  • Visions and Dreams: The Changing American Landscape: Carbondale Community Arts, Carbondale ($2,500)
  • Nuestro Mundo Escrito: The Latino Organization of the Southwest, Chicago ($2,500)
  • Audience Education: Rush Hour Concerts at St. James Cathedral, Chicago ($2,000)

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 July 15, 2005 deadline. The deadline for the next cycle of major grants (up to $10,000) is also July 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/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 the Grants program section of our website.

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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