Deadline: 15-Jul-21
Illinois Humanities is seeking applications for its General Operating Support Grants Program to provide funding to humanities and cultural nonprofit organizations to continue using the humanities to support their communities in recovering and responding with resilience.
Illinois Humanities is committed to ensuring access to free, high-quality humanities experiences throughout Illinois. COVID-19 has put an unprecedented strain on nonprofit organizations in Illinois and on the people who make public humanities happen.
With the support of funding from the NEH, through the American Rescue Plan Act, and the additional support of generous donors, Illinois Humanities COVID-19 Emergency Relief and Recovery Grants will provide over $1,000,000 in support to humanities and cultural organizations throughout Illinois.
Illinois Humanities will provide emergency relief general operating support for humanities-based nonprofit organizations with budgets of up to $2 million.
There are two funding pools: one designated for organizations based within Cook County and one designated for organizations based outside Cook County.
These grants are specifically for humanities-based nonprofits, which includes cultural and ethnic organizations; history organizations; humanities museums; literature organizations; humanities education organizations; media, journalism, and documentary organizations; libraries and archives; and consortiums, alliances, and collectives of these groups.
In 2021, Illinois Humanities is offering two grant opportunities to help humanities organizations and cultural groups respond to the ongoing pandemic:
- General operating grants for organizations that are explicitly defined as humanities-based in terms of mission and core programming.
- Humanities project grants for organizations that plan to do humanities-based work but who may not be explicitly humanities-based organizations in mission and scope.
Goals
The main goals of the 2021 Illinois Humanities COVID-19 Emergency Relief and Recovery Grants are:
- To provide emergency relief support for humanities-based organizations throughout the state who are impacted by COVID-19.
- To help enable other nonprofit partners to provide humanities-based programs to help their communities recover and respond with resilience to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- To help build the capacity of their grantee-partners through offering workshops that address their most pressing needs, networking opportunities within their sector, and a peer skill share program that compensates participants.
Areas
In order to apply for a general operating grant, you must be one of the following types of organizations:
- Cultural and Ethnic Organizations: This category includes organizations dedicated to the study, preservation, and/or dissemination of the history and culture of ethnic groups. Examples of past grantees in this category include: American Indian Center, Haitian American Museum, African American Museum of Southern Illinois, Ukrainian National Museum, etc.
- History Organizations: This category includes historical societies and their support organizations, historical preservation groups and their support organizations, historic houses, folklore/folklife organizations, place-based learning organizations, cultural sustainability organizations, and other organizations with a historical focus. Examples of past grantees in this category include: Bronzeville Historical Society, Bishop Hill Historic Site, Company of Folk, 1820 Col. Benjamin Stephenson House, etc.
- Humanities Museums: This category includes organizations that acquire, preserve, research, exhibit, and provide for the educational use of works of art or objects/artifacts that are related to the study of humanities content. Examples of past grantees in this category include: Katherine Dunham Centers for Arts and Humanities, Ray Bradbury Experience Museum, Atlanta Public Library and Museum, Alton Museum of History and Art, etc.
- Literature Organizations: This category includes organizations that promote the study or appreciation of books and/or literature. Examples of past grantees in this category include: Guild Literary Complex, American Writers Museum, 826CHI, Literature for Us All, etc.
- Humanities Education: Organizations that offer classes, seminar, and workshops in the humanities (which include but are not limited to literature, languages, history, philosophy, religious studies, art history, and interdisciplinary humanities programs – like ethnic studies, gender and sexuality studies, and American studies). Examples of past grantees in this category include: Prison + Neighborhood Arts Project, Chicago Freedom School, etc.
- Media, Journalism, and Documentary Organizations: Organizations that are committed to covering humanities themes and/or telling the stories, happenings, or histories of communities that are informed by the members of those communities, challenge predominant narratives, and/or nurture critical analysis of media. Examples of past grantees in this category include: 60 Inches from Center, South Side Weekly, Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center, Kartemquin Educational Films, etc.
- Libraries and Archives: These organizations include operating libraries and archives (excluding those that are purely science– and medicine-focused). Combination museum-libraries can be treated as museums or libraries. Examples of past grantees in this category include: Lithuanian Archives, Rebuild Foundation, Read/Write Library, Chillicothe Public Library, etc.
- Consortiums, alliances, collectives of above-named groups: Examples of past grantees in this category include: Chicago Cultural Alliance, Landmarks Illinois, Illinois Association of Museums, etc.
Funding Information
- Grants will range from $5,000 to $10,000 (depending on organizational budget size). No matching funds are required.
Eligibility Criteria
- These general operating, or unrestricted, grants are available to tax-exempt humanities-based organizations located in Illinois with an expressed and demonstrated commitment to the public humanities. This includes cultural and ethnic organizations; history organizations; humanities museums; literature organizations; humanities education organizations; media, journalism, and documentary organizations; libraries and archives; and consortiums, alliances, collectives of above-named groups.
- Tax-exempt organizations with annual budgets of $2 million or less. Groups with a fiscal sponsor or agent can also apply.
- As required by the National Endowment for the Humanities, organizations must have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number in order to receive funding. A DUNS number is not required to apply, however, funds cannot be awarded to organizations not registered.
- The following types of organizations are ineligible for general operating support: organizations that do not have an explicit commitment to the humanities in their mission and programming; K-12 schools; universities, colleges, and academic departments; chapters of national organizations; for-profit organizations; religious organizations; and individuals.
For more information, visit https://www.ilhumanities.org/program/illinois-humanities-covid-19-emergency-relief-grants/