Next Major and Mini Grant proposals due July 15

CHICAGO – The Illinois Humanities Council Board of Directors has awarded a total of $117,308 to 16 nonprofit organizations for development and production of public humanities projects.

Funded projects include a literary conference for young writers in Chicago, a museum project on Lincoln’s Illinois in Springfield, an exhibition on the suburban Mexican American community in West Chicago, an archeology project in Kampsville, and a literature program on The Canterbury Tales in Charleston.

Community support for these projects totaled $925,042. A list of grants and the organizations that are sponsoring these programs is listed below:

• The Canterbury Tales, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston ($4,500)
• Aquí y Allá – Here and There: Santa Clara del Cobre, Cuentos Foundation, Chicago ($4,000)
• Beneath the Blindfold, Media Process Educational Films, Chicago ($10,000)
• Civil Rights Institute, Chicago Freedom School, Chicago ($10,000)
• How a Voice Slams, America Scores, Chicago ($4,258)
• Intersections: A Literary Conference for Young Writers, Young Chicago Authors, Chicago ($10,000)
• Representations: A Series on Culture, Politics, and Aesthetics, Experimental Station, Chicago ($10,000)
• The 10^th Annual Puerto Rican Cuatro Festival, Puerto Rican Arts Alliance, Chicago ($6,000)
• Youth Stand Up!, Free Street Programs, Chicago ($10,000)
• Time Detectives, Center for American Archeology, Kampsville ($10,000)
• Champaign County’s Lincoln and the Goose Pond Church, Champaign County Forest Preserve, Mahomet ($3,550)
• Books Alive: Bringing Literature to Life for Young Children, Maywood Fine Arts Association, Maywood ($5,000)
• Stories to Tell, Center for Independent Documentary, Sharon, Massachusetts ($5,000)
• Lincoln’s Illinois, Illinois State Museum Society, Springfield ($5,000)
• Summer Freedom School, Springfield Urban League, Springfield ($10,000)
• Creating Mexican American Identities, West Chicago City Museums, West Chicago ($10,000)

July 15, 2008 is the next IHC deadline for both Major and Mini Grant proposals. 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. The IHC puts a priority on funding projects developed by, for, or aimed at reaching new or historically neglected audiences. These include but are not limited to residents of rural communities, men and women with little formal education, inner city or other underserved youth (in after-school or weekend programs), people who are economically disadvantaged, or the elderly.

The IHC especially invites applications from organizations that serve these communities and strongly encourages other applicants to extend their programs to include such audiences. The IHC encourages applications for projects about American history and culture.

The Illinois Humanities Council is a nonprofit educational organization [501 (c) 3] dedicated to fostering a culture in which the humanities are a vital part of the lives of individuals and communities. Organized in 1973 as the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the IHC creates programs and funds organizations that promote greater understanding of, appreciation for, and involvement in the humanities by all Illinoisans, regardless of their economic resources, cultural background, or geographic location. The IHC is supported by state, federal, and private funds.

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