Blog Article

Illinois Humanities Announces $62,500 in Community Grants

December 2021
By Mark Hallett, Director of Grants Programs

Among projects funded are Migration & Me story circles, a community photo gallery in Springfield, and two projects focusing on the Calumet area

Illinois Humanities has awarded 13 grants, totaling $62,500, to support public humanities projects across the state through its Community Grants program. Through the program, grants are made three times annually to support public humanities projects that strengthen community resilience by bringing people together for inquiry and conversation, engaging new audiences, and exploring more interactive programming techniques – such as digital humanities tools. Simply put, funding supports public humanities programming, planning, and partnerships.

Of the 13 organizations and projects funded, 8 are located in Chicago, and 5 are located or feature activity outside the Chicago area. They include:

  • Architreasures / Little Calumet River Underground Railroad Project ($4,000) – Chicago
  • Calumet Collaborative / Historic and Future Black River and Food Economies ($8,000) – Chicago
  • Chicago Area Women’s History Council / Envisioning the Future of the Chicago Women’s History Council ($2,000) – Chicago
  • Chicago Parks Foundation / Queering the Parks ($8,250) – Chicago
  • ConTextos / Cook County Dept of Corrections Animated Publication ($4,250) – Chicago
  • Dreaming Tree Foundation (Fresh Films) / I Am Able documentary screening and discussion series ($4,250) – Rock Island
  • Faith in Place / Migration & Me Story Circles ($4,000) – Chicago
  • Freedom in Holiness Mission / East Side Community Photo Gallery ($4,250) – Springfield
  • Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois / Preserving Illinois’ Green Book Sites ($8,250) – Chicago
  • NON:op Open Opera Works / SAY THEIR NAMES: Remembering Black Americans Killed by Police Officers ($4,250) – Chicago
  • Perceptions Theatre / Healing Through Connection & Creation ($4,250) – Chicago
  • Watershed Cairns / Reversing the Course research & community exhibits ($4,000) – Alton
  • Westchester Public Library / Exploring the Human Condition through Nature ($2,750) – Westchester

The Illinois Humanities Community Grants programs has three deadlines in 2022: January 15, May 15, and September 15. For more information, visit: ilhumanities.org/grants or email Mark Hallett at email Mark Hallett at mark.hallett@ilhumanities.org.

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About Illinois Humanities

Illinois Humanities, the Illinois affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, is a statewide nonprofit organization that activates the humanities through free public programs, grants, and educational opportunities that foster reflection, spark conversation, build community and strengthen civic engagement. We provide free, high-quality humanities experiences throughout Illinois, particularly for communities of color, individuals living on low incomes, counties and towns in rural areas, small arts and cultural organizations, and communities highly impacted by mass incarceration. Founded in 1974, Illinois Humanities is supported by state, federal, and private funds.

Learn more at ilhumanities.org and on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn @ILHumanities.