Press Release

ILLINOIS HUMANITIES COUNCIL AWARDS MINI GRANTS TO SEVEN LOCAL NONPROFITS

Next minigrant deadline January 15, 2009

CHICAGO – The Illinois Humanities Council Board of Directors has awarded a total of $14,000 to seven nonprofit organizations across Illinois for development and production of public humanities projects. Funded programs include a central Illinois educational series (Springfield), an art project focused on veterans (Chicago), a community reading program (Peoria), and a neighborhood-oriented intergenerational oral history program (Chicago). Community support for these projects totaled $73,404.  The grantees are:

  • Central Illinois: Patchwork of People-Educational Series: Illinois State Historical Society, Springfield ($2,000)
  • Vet Art Project: Chicago Dramatists, Chicago ($2,500)
  • Hyde Park Neighborhood Club Pilot Intergenerational Oral Histories Program: Hyde Park Neighborhood Club, Chicago ($2,000)
  • Peoria Reads 2009: Common Place Family Learning Center, Peoria ($2,500)
  • Outreach for Daniel Burnham Film Project with Chicago Public Library: The Archimedia Workshop, Chicago ($2,000)
  • Leonardo Across the Curriculum: Lostant Community Unit School District #425, Lostant ($1,000)
  • Voices of Norwood Park: Norwood Park Historical Society, Chicago ($2,000)

The Illinois Humanities Council (IHC) invites nonprofit organizations to apply for its next cycle of mini grants (up to $2,500) by its January 15, 2009. The deadline for the next cycle of major grants (up to $10,000) is February 15, 2009. Any nonprofit 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 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 emailing ihc@prairie.org. IHC program officers are also available for consultation, and new applicants are encouraged to contact program officers for grant advice.

For further information about the IHC or the grants program, please call 312.422.5580 or visit http://www.prairie.org/.

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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