CHICAGO, IL – Dec. 15, 2011— The Illinois Humanities Council (IHC) Board of Directors has awarded a total of $31,250 to eight nonprofit organizations across Illinois for development and production of public humanities projects. Community support for these projects totaled $734,152. The grantees are:
- Conservative Vice Lords Exhibit: A Museum of the Streets– Jane Addams Hull House Museum ($5,000) Funding for an exhibit in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood about the ‘conservative’ Vice Lords that championed community-building projects and civil rights issues in the late 60’s.
- The Polar Spirit: Views from the Humanities– Southern Illinois University ($5,000) Funding for a media arts installation, exhibition, and discussions around the campus-wide Antarctica- Imagined Geographies initiative.
- Why Sycamore Works– Sycamore History Museum ($3,250) Funding for a series of public programs, an oral history, and publication to explore the history and role of manufacturing in the largely agricultural city of Sycamore.
- Kartemquin Films Presents “American Arab”– Kartemquin Educational Films ($5,000) Funding to produce a film that traces the lives of several Arab immigrants and Arab Americans to explore what it means to be an Arab American today.
- Chinatown Centennial Lectures: Celebrating 100 years of Chicago Chinatown– Chinese-American Museum of Chicago ($5,000) Funding for a series of monthly lectures on occasion of Chinatown’s Centennial.
- Community-Based Collaboration Digitization Workshops– University of Illinois ($2,500) Funding for three one-day workshops in Carbondale, Rockford, and Kankakee, that help residents learn how to use digital technologies to produce and share local histories.
- General Support Grant Application– CommUniversity ($2,000) Funding to support CommUniversity’s annual Lifelong Learning Institute, which offers Quad Cities residents courses on the arts and humanities.
- Percolator Films Presents “Beneath the Blindfold”– Percolator Films ($3,500) Funding for a film and discussion series throughout the Chicago area about torture and its long-term consequences, centered around the film, Beneath the Blindfold.
The IHC invites nonprofit organizations to apply for its next cycle of grant awards by January 15, 2012. Any nonprofit group, organization, or institution is eligible to apply for financial support from the lHC. The IHC funds public projects in the humanities, including documentary films, local and community history projects, literary symposia, and oral history projects. Nonprofits with annual budgets of $250,000 or less can apply for technical assistance grants, and nonprofits with a primary focus on the humanities can apply for general support grants.
Potential applicants may review and download grant applications and guidelines by visiting www.prairie.org/grants. IHC program officers are also available for consultation, and new applicants are encouraged to contact program officers for grant advice. Please call 312.422.5580 or send an email to ihc@prairie.org.
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.
For more information about the IHC or the grants program, please call 312.422.5580 or visit www.prairie.org.
About the Illinois Humanities Council
The Illinois Humanities Council is an independent, nonprofit state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, dedicated to fostering a culture in which the humanities are a vital part of the lives of individuals and communities. 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.
Media Contact:
Carlos Velázquez
(312) 422-5585 x233
cav@prairie.org
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