CHICAGO, IL- March 18, 2014—The Illinois Humanities Council (IHC) Board of Directors has awarded a total of $39,743  to nine nonprofit organizations across Illinois for development and production of public humanities projects. Community support for these projects totaled $112.232. The grantees are:

• Evolving Culture in the Caribbean– Puerto Rican Arts Alliance ($5.000) Funding to support the exhibition, Hatillo in Chicago and accompanying series of public programs on the masks and costumes from the Puerto Rican province of Hatillo.

• The Community Saturday School: Developing Family Literacy Through the Literature of the African Diaspora– Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center ($3,333) Funding to support the family literacy component of the Community Saturday School, a 12-week family literacy and arts program open to the general public.

• Sundown in K-Town: Musical Notes on the Neighborhood– Better Boys Foundation ($5,000) Funding to support the annual summer film festival that serves as the culminating event for FilmLAB@1512, one of the components of the foundation’s youth programs.

•  The Beast Program Series– Hyde Park Art Center ($5,000) Funding to support the solo exhibition The Beast, and companion program series by Chicago-based artist John Preus.

• Traces & Byways Discovered– Putnam County Public Library District ($4,832) Funding to support twelve public presentations on a wide range of humanities topics, reflecting the varied interests of Putnam County residents. 

• Orlando: Writing the World Across the Centuries– Northern Illinois University ($4,500) Funding to support a series of talkback sessions associated with the play, Orlando, presented as part of the 24^th International Conference on Virginia Woolf at Loyola University in Chicago.

• Summer Speaker Series on the Intersection of History, Law and Social Justice– Citizen Advocacy Center ($5,000) Funding to support a series of programs on civic issues in DuPage County meant to encourage residents to be active participants in the democratic process.

• From Generation to Generation: Folk Arts Illinois Exhibit Programs – Company of Folks ($4,600) Funding to support a series of public programs that will complement a traveling exhibit From Generation to Generation: Folk Arts of Illinois.

• Chi Voices: A Poetic Film Series– Institute for Positive Living ($2,478) Funding to support a film series in which people affected by youth violence use original writings and spoken-word compositions to express their experiences and emotions.

The IHC invites nonprofit organizations to apply for its next cycle of grant awards by April 15, 2014. 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 (IHC) is an educational organization dedicated to making the humanities a vital part of the lives of individuals and communities in Illinois, regardless of their economic resources, cultural background, or geographic location. This year, it marks 40 years of developing or funding educational activities and programs throughout the state, including lectures, seminars, performances, exhibitions, films, library discussions, and written materials – all free and open to the public. Organized as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities in 1973, the IHC is now a private nonprofit (501 [c] 3) supported by state, federal, and private funds.

Media Contact:
Carlos Velázquez
(312) 422-5580, x233
cav@prairie.org