CHICAGO, IL- June 13, 2013—The Illinois Humanities Council (IHC) Board of Directors has awarded a total of $32,360 to eight nonprofit organizations across Illinois for development and production of public humanities projects. Community support for these projects totaled $345,937. The grantees are: 

• East West Riverfest: 17 days of Public Humanities Programming in the Quad Cities– Friends of the Quad Cities ($5,000) Funding for the second-annual East West Riverfest, a 17-day event featuring arts and humanities events in the Quad Cities area, taking place September 2013. 

• Symposium: Midwest Women Artists, 1840-1940: Discovering their work, Telling their stories, Learning from the past– Bradley University ($2,300) Funding to support a symposium  to be held in various settings on and off the Bradley University campus in Peoria, Illinois, November 7-8, 2013. 

• 10 Buildings that Changed America Curriculum Distribution– Windows to the World Communications ($5,000) Funding to support the distribution of a school curriculum for WTTW’s latest architectural tour program hosted by Geoffrey Baer.  
• The Reason Why the Colored American is not in the World’s Columbian Exposition– University of Illinois at Chicago ($5,000) Funding to support public programming for a new exhibition that  relates historical accounts of African-Americans’ experiences of the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 to contemporary debates over large-scale public festivities in Chicago.
• Hidden in Plain Sight: The Material Life of Early Springfield– Springfield Art Association of Edwards Place ($3,760) Funding to support an exhibition, lecture series and online exhibition related to early material culture in Springfield from the 1820’s to the 1850’s, taking place August 31-October 5, 2013.

• Love and Labor: Domestic Workers as Community Docent– Jane Addams Hull House Museum ($5,000) Funding to support a community engagement project where  domestic workers will partner with professional museum educators to co-facilitate tours, serve as docents, and conduct free educational public humanities events for the museum’s latest exhibit, “Unfinished Business: 21st Century Home Economics.”  

• Telling My Family’s Story Project– the University of Chicago ($5,000) Funding to support an after school oral history program at John W. Garvy Elementary School and Ellen Mitchell Elementary School in Chicago that will be held in conjunction with the Oriental Institute’s exhibit, Our Work: Modern Jobs- Ancient Origins. 

• 2013 Bishop Hill Chautauqua– Bishop Hill Heritage Association ($1,300) Funding to support The Bishop Hill Heritage Association’s Chautauqua – a theatrical presentation involving elements of historical reenactment – on Saturday, September 7, 2013.

The IHC invites nonprofit organizations to apply for its next cycle of grant awards by July 15, 2013. 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. Please call 312.422.5580 or send an email to ihc@prairie.org. IHC program officers are available for consultation, and new applicants are encouraged to contact program officers for grant advice. 

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) 422-5580, x233
cav@prairie.org