Next grant proposals due July 15

CHICAGO – The Illinois Humanities Council Board of Directors has awarded a total of $105,302 to 12 Illinois nonprofit organizations for development and production of public humanities projects. 

Funded projects include an exhibit in Chicago on the Women of Juárez, programming on the legacy of Senator Paul Simon in Carbondale, a documentary film on the effects of Title IX on women’s athletics, and an exhibit on Lincoln, the Civil War, and Southern Illinois in Murphysboro. Community support for these projects totaled $549,942. The awardees are:

• Women of Juárez, National Museum of Mexican Art, Chicago ($10,000)
• Re-encountering Shakespeare, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston ($4,000)
• Invisible Seasons, Kartemquin Films, Chicago ($10,000)
• Bowties and Horn-Rimmed Glasses: Senator Paul Simon and His Legacy, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale ($8,850)
• Shelf Life, Center for Labor & Community Research, Chicago ($10,000)
• Come and Get It! The Way We Ate 1830-2008, McLean County Historical Society, Bloomington ($7,187)
• Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago Readers 2 Leaders Project, Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago ($10,000)
• Egypt, Lincoln, and the Civil War, General John A. Logan Museum, Murphysboro ($10,000)
• Chicago Freedom School Civil Rights Institute 2009, Chicago Freedom School ($10,000)
• Honoring Local Veterans: A Humanities Approach, Freeport Art Museum, Freeport ($5,265)
• Declare!, Free Street Theater, Chicago ($10,000)
• Springfield Urban League Summer Freedom School, Springfield Urban League, Springfield ($10,000)

Complete details about these grant awards can be found at www.prairie.org/grants.

The next deadline for major (up to $10,000) and mini (up to $2,500) grant proposals is July 15, 2009. 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; new applicants are particularly 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.