Project Grants from Illinois Humanities is a grant program providing up to $4,000 to support public humanities projects across Illinois, with an emphasis on community collaboration and broad audience engagement. Funding supports a wide range of project types including digital humanities initiatives, oral history documentation, audience engagement programming, and filmmaking.

Grants are available to both organizations and individual practitioners working on projects that make the humanities accessible to Illinois communities. The program aligns with the America 250 initiative, encouraging projects that explore American history and civic identity. The most recent deadline was February 13, 2026.

Illinois Humanities prioritizes collaborative approaches that bring diverse communities together around humanistic inquiry and storytelling.

Illinois Humanities | Grants We invite you to join us for our America 250 statewide initiative... Together we support vibrant cultural work statewide and increase Illinoisans' access to the transformative power of the public humanities .

Collaborative Project Grants Envisioning Justice Grants for Individuals Envisioning Justice Grants for Organizations Foreground Rural Initiative Grants Individuals; Organizations Individuals and nonprofit organizations pursuing innovative programming in the digital humanities, for audience engagement, or audience growth and diversification are candidates for this project-based grant.

From oral history projects to filmmaking, these initiatives inspire risk-taking in the public humanities, paving the way for others to follow. Partnering with individuals and organizations in this work helps us all to learn how to grow audiences for the humanities in new and engaging ways.

Collaborative Project Grants Nonprofit organizations carrying out partnerships and collaborations with other nonprofits, humanities groups, or directly with their audience or community are candidates for this project-based grant. From projects that impact underfunded, underserved communities to telling stories of forgotten history, these initiatives champion collaboration in the public humanities .

Partnering with organizations in this work helps us all to make valuable connections for the humanities throughout Illinois. Need help getting started? Envisioning Justice Grants for Individuals These project-based grants support individuals such as educators, organizers, artists, and others who use the arts and humanities to work toward a truly just society.

Research projects, podcasts, grassroots publications, and public performances are just a few of the impactful initiatives we fund to create understanding about mass incarceration and its impact on communities in Illinois. By supporting those doing this important work, we build more affirming, engaged, and empowered communities.

Envisioning Justice Grants for Organizations Organizations & Collectives These project-based grants support collectives, non-profit organizations, and other groups that use the arts and humanities to work toward a truly just society.

Prison education programs, independent media, community dialogues, and conferences are just a few of the impactful initiatives we fund to create understanding about mass incarceration and its impact on communities in Illinois. By supporting those doing this important work, we build more affirming, engaged, and empowered communities.

Humanities-based Organizations in Illinois with an annual budget of $250,000 or less Illinois Humanities will distribute up to 14 awards for the General Operating Grants opportunity. These grants support organizations that are firmly rooted in the humanities . From cultural and ethnic organizations to museums, libraries, and consortiums, these organizations broaden possibilities and increase access to the public humanities.

These unrestricted funds empower growth and sustainability by providing recipients with more flexibility and freedom to allocate resources wherever they need them most. Foreground Rural Initiative Grants Individuals and Organizations Not currently accepting applications for this grant opportunity. The Foreground Rural Initiative offers grant funding and capacity-building for partners in rural Illinois communities and small towns.

These unrestricted grants support local nonprofits, public institutions, artists, cultural workers, and others who work to keep their communities creative and connected. communitygrants@ilhumanities. org Grantee Partner Spotlight Grantee Partner Spotlight: Dennis Stroughmatt Road Scholar Dennis Stroughmatt received funding for his Southeastern Illinois Folk Music and Singing Initiative .

Learn more about this project, Dennis, his dreams and passions, and Illinois French Creole Music in this in-depth Q and A. Stay Tuned for Upcoming Events Looking Ahead: 2026 Grantee Updates & Opportunities Illinois Humanities Awards $85,000 in Project Grant Funds to 11 Illinois Cultural Organizations From Legacy to Momentum: Celebrating 50 Years of Illinois Humanities Suite 650, 125 South Clark St.

Illinois Humanities is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Illinois General Assembly [through the Illinois Arts Council], as well as by contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporations. Illinois Humanities respects the privacy of its audiences and will at no time sell or distribute personal information to any party not directly affiliated with Illinois Humanities and its programs.

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed by speakers, program participants, or audiences do not necessarily reflect those of the NEH, Illinois Humanities, our partnering organizations, or our funders.