Press Release

ILLINOIS HUMANITIES COUNCIL AWARDS MINI GRANTS

Next mini grants due October 15, 2006; next major grants due February 15, 2007

CHICAGO — The Illinois Humanities Council Board of Directors has awarded a total of $15,000 to seven nonprofit organizations for development and production of public humanities projects. Funded programs include an international Indian dance conference (Chicago); an exhibition displaying the riverlore, music, and history of Brownsville, Jackson County’s first county seat (Murphysboro); and an intergenerational oral history project that raises awareness of the rich African American heritage in the Rockford community (Rockford). Matching community support for these projects totaled $224,248. A complete list of grants and the organizations that are sponsoring these programs is listed below:



  • The Second Annual Embarras Valley Film Festival: The Coles County Arts Council, Charleston ($2,500)
  • Dance India: Choreographing Traditions Conference: Natya Dance Theatre, Chicago($2,000)
  • Pastinha Zumbi Celebration Weekend: International Capoeira Angola Foundation, Chicago, ($2,000)
  • The Third Annual Chicago Taiko Legacy: Asian Improv Arts Midwest, Chicago($2,500)
  • Prairieland Chautauqua 2006: Movers and Shakers in Illinois: Morgan County Historical Society, Jacksonville ($2,000)
  • On the Banks of Big Muddy Brownsville: General John A. Logan Museum, Murphysboro, ($2,000)
  • The Black Rockfordian Project: Afro-American Historical and Geneaological Society of Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin, Rockford ($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 October 15, 2006 deadline. The deadline for the next cycle of major grants (up to $10,000) is also February 15, 2007. Any non-profit group, organization, or institution is eligible to apply for 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 reaching new or historically neglected audiences. The IHC also encourages applications for projects about American history and culture.

Potential applicants may review and download grant applications and guidelines by visiting www.prairie.org/Grants. 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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