The Illinois Humanities Council gives Community Grant support to Illinois nonprofit organizations to develop public humanities programs for Illinois audiences and to provide technical assistance or general support to help accomplish their core humanities missions.
- Our funding guidelines and application procedures have recently been updated! We've expanded what we fund, simplified the application process, and reduced the amount of time between the deadline and the award date.
- Read all about our new guidelines. Next application deadlines: February 15 & April 15
- View photos from projects funded by IHC Community Grants.
The IHC's community grants program accepts proposals from nonprofit organizations that have a story to tell about Illinois or who have a way to use the humanities to enrich community life. We also accept proposals from organizations looking for technical assistance or general operating support.
Because we believe the humanities should belong to everyone, we especially encourage applications from organizations that bring humanities projects to new or historically neglected audiences or communities. To view examples of grants made in the past, visit any of our Community Grant Archives in the right sidebar.
The IHC conducts grant and resource workshops several times a year throughout the state. Workshops are held at our offices in Chicago on the third Fridays of May and November and in the fall and spring in central, eastern, western and southern Illinois communities. To speak with an IHC Program Officer about applying for IHC funds or attending a grant workshop, please call 312.422.5580 or email ihc@prairie.org.
| 31st Annual Celebration of Life Long Learning | $2,000 |
| A Weekend In Murphysboro | $5,000 |
| And How Was the Play, Mrs. Lincoln? | $1,920 |
| Archeology Day 2009 | $2,000 |
| Bowties and Horn-Rimmed Glasses: Senator Paul Simon and His Legacy | $8,850 |
| Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago Readers 2 Leaders Project | $10,000 |
| Bridges and Borders | $1,000 |
| Cambodian Life History Documentation Project | $5,000 |
| Cherry Mine Disaster: 100th Anniversary Program | $2,000 |
| Chicago - The City That Helped Create a Country | $4,250 |
| Chicago Freedom School Civil Rights Institute 2009 | $10,000 |
| Chicago Teen Museum: Teen Council | $2,000 |
| Come and Get it! The Way We Ate 1830-2008 | $7,187 |
| Community Engagement with Lincoln's Legacies | $2,000 |
| Declare! | $10,000 |
| Egypt, Lincoln, and the Civil War | $10,000 |
| Exploring Mail-Order Homes Along the Old Chicago and Northwestern Railroad | $2,365 |
| Folksongs for Seniors: A Lecture-Concert Series | $2,000 |
| Honoring Local Veterans: A Humanities Approach | $5,265 |
| Humanities Behind Bars: Bringing Higher Education to an Illinois State Prison | $3,500 |
| Humboldt Park Mural Arts Program | $5,000 |
| Intersections: A Literary Conference for Young Writers | $5,000 |
| Invisible Seasons | $10,000 |
| Korean American Women's Story Project Video Presentation | $2,500 |
| Legacy of the 99th Pursuit Squadron | $2,442 |
| Louder Than a Bomb | $2,500 |
| Memories from the Farm | $2,000 |
| Not Shaped for Sportive Tricks: Disability in Shakespeare | $2,000 |
| Our Environment | $5,000 |
| Our Heritage in Story and Song | $1,600 |
| Re-encountering Shakespeare | $4,000 |
| Shelf Life | $10,000 |
| Snapshot City Cultural Educational Exchange Project | $2,500 |
| Sounds of Faith - Chicago | $5,000 |
| Springfield Urban League Summer Freedom School | $10,000 |
| Teens Together Playwriting Program | $5,000 |
| The 15th Annual Chicago Asian American Showcase | $2,000 |
| Time of Your Life Players Drama/Discussions for Seniors | $1,475 |
| UniVerse of Free Expression: A Festival of International Poetry | $2,000 |
| Walking Tours of Quincy, Illinois Historic and Architecturally Significant Neighborhoods | $2,000 |
| Women of Juárez | $10,000 |
| Work: Exploring Labor and Industry through History and Art | $2,500 |
