Our Impact

Graduates of the Odyssey Project class of 2022. (Photo by Danielle Elisse Campbell)

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For nearly 50 years, Illinois Humanities has worked throughout the state to make the public humanities accessible to all.

In 2022, Illinois Humanities presented free programs that reached more than 16,600 participants across Illinois and beyond. We awarded 183 grants to support small, community-based arts and culture organizations, and provided free college-credit-bearing courses in the humanities to 83 income-eligible adults. 

Meet Our Grantee Partners

Each year, Illinois Humanities partners with individuals and organizations across the state to support humanities and arts programs. These partners are at the forefront of the public humanities in their communities, creating space for residents to gather, connect, learn, and grow.

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Recent Grantee Partners

Activate History Microgrants

Chicago Collections Consortium, Cook County, $750 

Experimental Sound Studio, Cook County, $1,000 

Mary Frances, Sangamon County, $1,000 

Pepper Holder, Jackson County, $750 

North Alabama School for Organizers, State of Alabama, $750 

Jamie Lynn Poorman, Clark County, $1,000

Sivan Spector & Annie Share, Cook County, $750 

Steven Williams, Cook County, $950 

What Time Is It? A Cultural and Civic Archive, Cook County, $1,000 

YWCA Pekin, Tazewell County, $750 

Magnolia Township Preservation Association, Putnam County, $750 

Shorefront Legacy Center, Cook County, $750 

Flor Esquivel, Cook County, $750 

Eve Bridges, Cook County, $750 

Haitian American Museum of Chicago, Cook County, $1,000 

History On Wheels, Will County, $1,000 

Jackson County Historical Society, Jackson County, $1,000 

Legacy Training, Pulaski County, $850 

The Hub-Arts and Cultural Center, Schuyler County, $750 

The Realitea Project Inc., Cumberland County $1,000 

Tony Burroughs, Cook County, $950

 

Community Grants (Action, General Operating, and Vision)

Abe Lincoln Project, Pike County, $5,000

Cicero Independiente, Cook County, $5,000

Contratiempo NFP, Cook County, $5,000 

Lawrence County Illinois Historical Society, Lawrence County, $5,000 

Les Amis du Fort de Chartres, Randolph County, $5,000 

Liberation Journeys, Cook County, $5,000

Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, Cook County, $5,000 

National Cambodian Heritage Museum & Killing Fields Memorial, Cook County, $5,000 

Oregon Public Library District, Ogle County, $5,000 

Pana Historical Society, Christian County, $5,000 

Royalton Public Library District, Franklin County, $5,000 

Strategy for Access Foundation NFP, Cook County, $5,000 

Western Illinois Museum, McDonough County, $5,000 

Youth Network Council, Cook County, $5,000

The Community Archive, St. Clair County, $4,250 

McLean County Museum of History, McLean County, $4,000 

Liberation Journeys, Cook County, $5,000 

Black Alphabet, Cook County, $4,250 

Congo Square Theatre, Cook County, $4,250 

Crossing Borders Music, Cook County, $4,150 

Design Trust Chicago, Cook County, $4,000 

Lynx Project, Cook County, $4,250 

Sonny Speaks, Cook County, $4,250 

Arts & Business Council of Chicago, Cook County, $2,000 

Hyde Park Art Center, Cook County, $4,000 

International Children's Media Center, Cook County, $4,100 

Liberation Library, Cook County, $4,000 

MAKE Literary Productions, Cook County, $4,250 

Nothing Without a Company Inc., Cook County, $2,250 

Public Media Institute, Cook County, $4,250 

Serendipity Theatre Company DBA 2nd Story, Cook County, $4,100

Youth Network Council, Cook County, $5,000 

Strategy for Access Foundation NFP, Cook County, $5,000 

National Cambodian Heritage Museum & Killing Fields Memorial, Cook County, $5,000 

Bronzeville / Black Chicagoan Historical Society, Cook County, $4,100 

Midwest Save Our Ancestors Remains and Resources Indigenous Network Group Foundation, Cook County, $4,250 

Gilloury Institute DBA Silk Road Rising, Cook County, $4,100

contratiempo NFP, Cook County, $5,000 

Cicero Independiente, Cook County, $5,000 

Quad Cities Pride in Memory, Inc., Scott County, $4,200 

Illinois Heartland Library System, Madison County, $4,000

Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, Cook County, $5,000 

History Center Lake Forest Lake Bluff, Lake County, $4,000 

Lawrence County Illinois Historical Society, Lawrence County, $5,000 

Western Illinois Museum, McDonough County, $5,000 

Understanding Works NFP, Warren County, $4,250 

Oregon Public Library District, Ogle County, $5,000 

Pana Historical Society, Christian County, $5,000 

Edgar County Historical Society, Edgar County, $4,000 

Abe Lincoln Project, Pike County, $5,000 

Les Amis du Fort de Chartres, Randolph County, $5,000 

Royalton Public Library District, Franklin County, $5,000 

Garvey Tubman Cultural Arts and Research Center, Sangamon County, $4,000 

Chicago Workers Collaborative, Lake County, $4,200

Envisioning Justice Grants

Aaron Hughes, Cook County, $4,000 

Alex Morelli, Cook County, $4,000 

Beyond the Walls The Movement, NFP, Jackson County, $8,000 

Chasity Ann Michelle Gunn, Cook County, $4,250 

Chicago 400 Alliance, Cook County, $8,000 

Chicago Community Bond Fund, Cook County, $8,000 

Chicago Torture Justice Memorials Foundation, Cook County, $8,000

Darren B. Easterling Center for Restorative Practices, Cook County, $8,000 

Faylita Hicks, Cook County, $4,000 

FirstFollowers, Champaign County, $8,000 

FORCE! an opera in three acts, Cook County, $4,000 

India Hilty, Cook County, $4,200 

Joseph R Dole, Will County, $4,000 

Kirsten Leenaars, Cook County, $4,000 

Legacy Training, Inc., Pulaski County, $8,000 

Liberation Library, Cook County, $8,000 

Mothers Healing Circle, Cook County, $4,250 

North Park Theological Seminary School of Restorative Arts, Cook County, $8,000 

Piven Theatre Workshop, Cook County, $8,000 

Saint Leonard's Ministries, Cook County, $8,000 

Sojourner Zenobia, Cook County, $4,200 

Stomping Grounds Literary Arts Initiative, Cook County, $8,000

Urbana Champaign Independent Media Center, Champaign County, $8,000

 

Foreground Rural Initiative Grants

Brian "Fox" Ellis, Henry County, $6,000

Cairo Historical Preservation Project, Alexander County, $10,000

Carbondale Community Arts Inc dba Artspace 304, Jackson County, $10,000

Carlinville Winning Communities, Macoupin County, $10,000

Crossroads Cultural Connections, Henry County, $10,000

Dennis Stroughmatt, Edwards County, $6,000

Evans Public Library, Fayette County, $10,000

Fulton County Arts, Fulton County, $10,000

Gallery 510 Art and Framing, an Illinois Art Gallery, Macon County, $10,000

Gin Ridge Music, McDonough County, $6,000

Grundy County Historical Society, Grundy County, $10,000

Here and Again Inc, La Salle County, $10,000

Heterodyne Broadcasting, $10,000

Historic Ellisville Restoration Organization, Fulton County, $10,000

Historic Marbold Farmstead Association, Menard County, $10,000

Illinois Rural Heritage Museum, Perry County, $10,000

Legacy Training and Development, $10,000

Men of Power Women of Strength, Inc., Alexander County, $10,000

Moultrie County Historical & Genealogical Society, Moultrie County, $10,000

Sandra Pfeifer, Pope County, $6,000

Savanna Historical Society NFP, Carroll County, $10,000

Schuyler County Architecture Foundation, Schuyler County, $10,000

Southern Illinois Culture & Arts in Bilingual Education (SI CABE), Jackson County, $10,000

Stephanie Fraction, Alexander County, $6,000

The Hub-Arts and Cultural Center, Schuyler County, $10,000

The Realitea Project Inc., Cumberland County, $10,000

Tri States Public Radio, McDonough County, $10,000

Our Grantee Partners

Our Impact

For nearly 50 years, Illinois Humanities has worked throughout the state to make the public humanities accessible to all. Through grants, partnerships, and public programs, we have worked with groups of all sizes, disciplines, and stages of development to increase their local and statewide impact and support the state’s cultural ecosystem.

Explore the map to discover our vast network of grantee partners across the state and connect with a public humanities organization near you. Below, see a snapshot of how Illinois Humanities grants and programs provide free and transformative humanities experiences for all Illinoisans. 

16,600

Illinoisans served in 76 counties through grants and public programming

85

income-eligible adults were provided free college credit courses in the humanities

183

grants awarded to small, community-based arts and culture organizations

$ 2.4 M

in total COVID-19 relief funding provided in 78 counties and every congressional district