| 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 |
