CHICAGO, IL- June 19, 2014—The Illinois Humanities Council (IHC) Board of Directors has awarded a total of $27,170 to seven nonprofit organizations across Illinois for development and production of public humanities projects. Community support for these projects totaled $121,058. The grantees are:
- “Count Me In” Documentary– Percolator Films ($5.000) Funding to support a documentary chronicling the participatory budgeting process in Chicago, where citizens determined how their local government should spend funds earmarked for infrastructure upkeep. Project is to be completed in early 2015.
- Race: Are We so Different – A Living History– Next Theatre Company ($5,000) Funding to support a “theatrical response” to the Illinois Holocaust Museum’s exhibition RACE: Are We So Different?, featuring monologues by senior citizens and high school students drawing upon their personal experiences with race. The play will be performed beginning October 2014.
- 2014 Bishop Hill Chautauqua– Bishop Hill Heritage Association ($1,400) Funding to support the second annual Bishop Hill Chautauqua, a day of theatrical presentations from historical reenactors – on Saturday, September 6, 2014. People portrayed include Meriwether Lewis, Fanny Crosby, Harriet Tubman and Woody Guthrie.
- CAA Archeology Day 2014– Center for American Archeology ($2,770) Funding to support Archeology Day, July 12, 2014 in different locations in Kampsville, Illinois, one of the premier locations for the study of North American prehistory. Archeology Day provides a variety of activities that will make archeology and the people, community, societies, and cultures studied by archeologists accessible to the public.
- Bronzeville: Dawn of the Soul Era– Chicago Blues Museum ($3,000) Funding to support the expansion of the Chicago Blues Museum’s exhibition at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), “The Soul of Bronzeville,” with a display of archival images and memorabilia, a film screening and a discussion panel. Events will take place July-August 2014 at the African American Cultural Center at UIC.
- How to Make a Smart Museum Video Series– University of Chicago ($5,000) Funding to support the Smart Museum’s series of 20 short interpretative videos that will complement the programming and exhibitions, Carved, Cast, Crumpled: Sculpture All Ways and Me, You, It: Objects Telling Stories, and the Open Classroom initiative planned on occasion of their 40th anniversary.
- Nelson Algren: The End is Nothing, the Road is All– Near Northwest Arts Council ($5,000) Funding to support the production of the film, Nelson Algren: The End is Nothing, the Road Is All. Screenings and discussions with the filmmakers will take place at various locations in the Chicago area, as well as Northern Illinois University, during November and December 2014.
The IHC invites nonprofit organizations to apply for the next cycle of grant awards by July 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.
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