Search Through Library Grants in Illinois in the U.S.

Community Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grants

Program Information

The Illinois Finance Authority was awarded $14,962,506 in federal grant funds to strategically deploy electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and other fueling infrastructure projects in urban and rural communities in publicly accessible locations, including downtown areas and local neighborhoods.

What does this program do?

This program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a facility that provides an essential service to the local community for the orderly development of the community in a primarily rural area, and does not include private, commercial or business undertakings.

What is an eligible area?

Rural areas including cities, villages, townships and towns including Federally Recognized Tribal Lands with no more than 20,000 residents according to the latest U.S. Census Data are eligible for this program.

How may funds be used?

Funds can be used to purchase, construct, and / or improve essential community facilities, purchase equipment and pay related project expenses.

Examples of essential community facilities include:

• Health care facilities such as hospitals, medical clinics, dental clinics, nursing homes or assisted living facilities.
• Public facilities such as town halls, courthouses, airport hangars or street improvements.
• Community support services such as child care centers, community centers, fairgrounds or transitional housing.
• Public safety services such as fire departments, police stations, prisons, police vehicles, fire trucks, public works vehicles or equipment.
• Educational services such as museums, libraries or private schools.
• Utility services such as telemedicine or distance learning equipment.
• Local food systems such as community gardens, food pantries, community kitchens, food banks, food hubs or greenhouses.

Grant Approval

Applicant must be eligible for grant assistance, which is provided on a graduated scale with smaller communities with the lowest median household income being eligible for projects with a higher proportion of grant funds. Grant assistance is limited to the following percentages of eligible project costs:

Maximum of 75 percent when the proposed project is:

• Located in a rural community having a population of 5,000 or fewer; and
• The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 60 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income.

Maximum of 55 percent when the proposed project is:

• Located in a rural community having a population of 12,000 or fewer; and
• The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 70 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income.

Maximum of 35 percent when the proposed project is:

• Located in a rural community having a population of 20,000 or fewer; and
• The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 80 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income.

Maximum of 15 percent when the proposed project is:

• Located in a rural community having a population of 20,000 or fewer; and
• The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 90 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income. The proposed project must meet both percentage criteria. Grants are further limited.

Global Impact Cash Grants

Identifying and incubating innovative early-stage solutions. We identify, incubate, and develop innovative early-stage solutions with the highest potential for impact. Global Impact Cash Grants go to nonprofit organizations (NPOs) and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that address a significant social problem. We're looking for programs that fit within our investment sectors, focus on the underserved, and use technology to improve the reach and efficiency of services.

We accept applications year-round from eligible organizations. A brief Letter of Inquiry (LOI) is used to determine whether your organization will be invited to complete a full application. Please expand and carefully review each of the three sections below to learn more

Our priority social impact sectors

We focus on investing in innovative, tech-enabled solutions to the challenges and opportunities that matter most to communities in need, prioritizing four social impact sectors:

Cisco Crisis Response

Mobilizing to provide essentials to communities in need and those in crisis, including food, housing, secure connectivity, and disaster relief

By leveraging Cisco’s people, technology, financial resources, and strategic partnerships, we help strengthen community resilience and drive long-term recovery from crises.

Education

Supporting students, teachers, and schools by increasing engagement, building skills, promoting subject mastery, and expanding their capacity to thrive

Cisco is committed to inclusive access to digital skills training and supporting those who use technology to educate. Through programs like Cisco Networking Academy and social investments in education, we create new opportunities for individuals to thrive.

Economic Empowerment

Transforming communities through skill development, long-term career opportunities, entrepreneurship, and access to financial products and services

Strategic grants that unlock economic prosperity and growth for individuals and communities.

Climate Regeneration

Building an inclusive, regenerative, and resilient climate future through education, regenerative agriculture, conservation, protection, and clean energy solutions

Our efforts began in 2021, when the Cisco Foundation committed US$100 million over 10 years to fund nonprofit grants and impact investing in climate solutions. 

Community Grants

State Farm is committed to helping build safer, stronger and better-educated communities.

• ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​We are committed to auto and home safety programs and activities that help people manage the risks of everyday life.
• We invest in education, economic empowerment and community development projects, programs and services that help people realize their dreams.
• We help maintain the vibrancy of our communities by assisting nonprofits that support community revitalization.

Good Neighbor Citizenship company grants focus on safety, community development and education.

Focus Areas

Safety Grants

We strive to keep our customers and communities safe. That's why our funding is directed toward:

• Auto safety — improving driver, passenger, vehicle or roadway safety
• Home safety — shielding homes from fires, crime or natural disasters
• Disaster preparedness and mitigation
• Disaster recovery

Community Development

We support nonprofits that invest and develop stronger neighborhoods. That's why our funding is directed toward:

• Affordable housing — home construction and repair
• Commercial/small business development
• Job training
• Neighborhood revitalization
• Financial literacy
• Sustainable housing and transportation
• Food insecurity

Education

Our education funding is directed toward initiatives that support the following programs:

• Higher education
• K-12 academic performance
• K-12 STEM
• Pathways for college and career success

Mission

The mission of the Hearst Foundations is to identify and fund outstanding nonprofits to ensure that people of all backgrounds in the United States can build healthy, productive and satisfying lives. Through its grantmaking, the Hearst Foundations support well-established nonprofit organizations that address significant issues within their major areas of focus—culture, education, health and social service—and that primarily serve large demographic and/or geographic constituencies. In each area of funding, the Foundations seek to identify those organizations achieving truly differentiated results relative to other organizations making similar efforts for similar populations. The Foundations also look for evidence of sustainability beyond their support.

Whether providing a scholarship to a deserving student, supporting a rural health clinic or bringing artists into schools so children can see firsthand the beauty of the arts, the Foundations’ focus is consistent: to help those in need, those underserved and those underrepresented in society. Since the Foundations were formed in the 1940s, the scale and capabilities of the grant making have changed, but the mission has not.

Culture Grant

The Hearst Foundations fund cultural institutions that offer meaningful programs in the arts and sciences, prioritizing those that enable engagement by young people and create a lasting and measurable impact. The Foundations also fund select programs nurturing and developing artistic talent. Supported organizations include arts schools, ballets, museums, operas, performing arts centers, symphonies and theaters.

Funding Priorities in Culture

In the recent past, 25% of total funding has been allocated to Culture. Organizations with budgets over $10 million have received 60% of the funding in Culture.

The Hearst Foundations are only able to fund approximately 25% of all grant requests, of which about 80% is directed to prior grantees and about 20% is targeted toward new grantees.

Types of Support

Program, capital and, on a limited basis, general and endowment support

Philanthropy is our commitment to communities in which we operate and broader society. We focus our resources on a limited number of key projects that can deliver valuable benefits from our contributions and those of our partners. We give priority to innovative, high-quality projects that meet the following criteria:

• promote sustainable development
• offer an opportunity for Roche to use its expertise and logistics capabilities
• involve Roche actively at an early stage with local authorities and established partners
• engage Roche employees in cultural (focus on contemporary arts), educational and social activities
• managed by an accredited charity

Our four focus areas

Humanitarian and Social

We direct the majority of our philanthropic donations to humanitarian and social development projects.

Science and education

We are dedicated to programmes that promote scientific interest and provide educational opportunities for young people around the world.

Community and Environment

We are committed to building stronger communities and responding to natural disasters sustainably.

Arts and Culture

We support groundbreaking contemporary art, cultural projects and activities that explore the parallels between innovation in art and in science. 

The Newberry

Founded in 1887, the Newberry is one of Chicago’s most historic cultural institutions. Curious people from all over visit to research topics of interest, discover their family history, take classes, or learn something new and unexpected. Our collections, programs, and exhibitions are a portal to more than six centuries of human history, from the 15th century to the present. The Newberry welcomes anyone who is eager to learn about who we are, where we came from, and where we are going. Our community of learning includes historians, genealogists, visual and performing artists, writers, graphic designers, teachers, students, and many, many others.

Short-Term Fellowships

Researchers with short-term fellowships spend one to two months investigating specific collection items that are essential to their scholarship. These fellowship opportunities are open to scholars at the ABD stage and beyond.

The Herzog August Bibliothek Wolfenbüttel Joint Fellowship

This fellowship adds one additional month of support to a long-term fellowship for research at the Herzog August Bibliothek in Wolfenbüttel, Germany. The proposed project must describe the materials to be consulted at both the Newberry Library and the Herzog August Bibliothek. The recipient should plan to visit the libraries sequentially to ensure continuity of research.

Stipend: $3,000 from the Newberry plus up to $500 for travel expenses and one month of funding provided by the Herzog August Bibliothek: 1,800 EUR plus up to 650 EUR for travel expenses.

Length: 2 months (1 month at the Newberry, 1 month at the Herzog August Bibliothek)

About Us

Illinois Humanities, the Illinois affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, is a statewide nonprofit organization that activates the humanities through free public programs, grants, and educational opportunities that foster reflection, spark conversation, build community, and strengthen civic engagement. We provide free, high-quality humanities experiences throughout Illinois, particularly for communities of color, individuals living on low incomes, counties and towns in rural areas, small arts and cultural organizations, and communities highly impacted by mass incarceration.

Action Grants

Action Grants are project grants of up to $4,000 to nonprofit organizations located in Illinois or doing work impacting Illinois audiences. Action Grants are meant to provide support to groups that want to try out innovative approaches to public humanities programming. Applicants must be nonprofit organizations and can include churches, libraries, colleges or universities, and others.

Action Grants cover projects or initiatives that explore the digital humanities, apply new techniques in audience engagement, and build new and diverse audiences. Our hope is that these grants will help spark more risk-taking and experimental and engaging public humanities work on the part of Illinois nonprofits. Project budgets can cover project expenses as well as engagement activities. Projects must utilize the humanities. Media projects such as oral history, filmmaking, journalism, story telling, and other disciplines are all a part of this field.

Through this grants area, we hope to learn more about the following questions along with grantees:

• What are models for building creative interactivity and growing audiences?
• Can creative programming help to grow audiences?
• How can this experimentation bolster organizations’ longterm viability?

Illinois Prairie Community Foundation offers grant opportunities to area nonprofit organizations providing community services in a wide variety of areas including arts and culture, education, environment, health and wellness, youth, women and girls, and Jewish life and education. These discretionary grants are made possible by endowment distributions, the Mirza Arts and Culture Fund, the Women to Women Giving Circle, the Youth Engaged in Philanthropy Fund, and gifts from donors to the Community Foundation’s Annual Campaign.

Sol Shulman Jewish Education and Life Grants

Shulman Grants are made possible by an estate gift from Dr. Sol Shulman, professor of chemistry at Illinois State University for 23 years, who passed away in December 2010. Shulman Grants focus on Jewish educational programs and materials, Jewish-themed arts, music, and theater programs, and Jewish cultural enrichment programs in McLean County that are open to all. Examples of educational programs include books for libraries, lectures, school curriculum and the like. Programs and projects that benefit larger rather than smaller numbers of people are preferred.

Awareness. Education. Prevention.  These are three key tenets of Bayer Fund’s investments in health and wellness.  With a focus on cancer and cardiovascular disease, we provide resources to organizations dedicated to educating and/or providing services to patients, caregivers and at-risk populations.

Health & Wellness Grants

Programs that Bayer Fund will support include those that focus on patients and their families needing assistance with issues to managing cardiovascular disease and cancer. This includes education, disease awareness, and supportive services for these diseases. In areas related to cardiovascular disease, priority (though not exclusivity) will be given to charitable organizations that focus on programs and support for the African American community due to the high incidence rate of disease in this population.

Giving in this category will focus on support services such as education, disease awareness, and general access to care (e.g., housing for families traveling for cancer or heart care).

All funding requests and budgets must be for program activities and expenses that start after funding decisions are made. All programs must be completed within one year of the start date, except in limited situations where longer term programs have been agreed upon. Grant award amounts vary, depending on the size of the community, the type of programming, and the reach of the organization.

Please see FAQs for additional guidelines.

About Us

Illinois Humanities, the Illinois affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, is a statewide nonprofit organization that activates the humanities through free public programs, grants, and educational opportunities that foster reflection, spark conversation, build community, and strengthen civic engagement. We provide free, high-quality humanities experiences throughout Illinois, particularly for communities of color, individuals living on low incomes, counties and towns in rural areas, small arts and cultural organizations, and communities highly impacted by mass incarceration.

Activate History Micro-Grants Program

Activate History micro-grants provide $750 project-based grants to enable those who maintain local collections of various kinds (archives, texts, photos, stories, and more) to explore creative ways for community members to become more engaged with them. We see this work as encouraging individual curiosity and connections to local history; as celebrating the efforts of amateur and other local historians; and as an avenue for growing the outreach efforts of local collections– all of which helps bolster community identity. Illinois Humanities has designed this micro-grants program to be accessible with a quick turnaround, in response to the dearth of available funds for individuals and smaller entities to host discussions on history and related matters.

Funding

• The Activate History micro-grants are for $750 each.
• Applicants can request up to $150 in additional support to help make their events more accessible to audience participants, particularly those with physical disabilities, as well as an additional $100 for documentation of the project (say hiring a photographer to cover a key event, for example). This might include such features as American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation, Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART), but can also include other resources such as providing transportation to and from events for those who need it.

Mission

The mission of the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) is to advance the progress of medicine and improve the public's health by providing U.S. researchers, health professionals, the public health workforce, educators, and the public with equal access to biomedical and health information resources and data. NNLM’s main goals are to work through libraries and other members to support a highly trained workforce for biomedical and health information resources and data, improve health literacy, and increase health equity through information.

Purpose

The NNLM Regional Medical Libraries (RMLs) and Offices rely upon partnerships. The award’s primary aims are to widen access to and awareness of health information resources, with a focus on those resources provided by the NLM. The programs are intended to help a variety of users:

• With a focus on minority and other underrepresented populations and the healthcare professionals who serve them
• Make the most effective use of information and decision-support resources to promote healthy behaviors
• Prevent costly and debilitating illness
• Improve health outcomes when disease occurs

Potential Project Ideas

Potential projects might include but are not limited to this list:

• Training underrepresented healthcare professionals or professionals that work with underrepresented populations in the effective use of electronic health information resources for evidence-based practice with an emphasis on NLM databases and NNLM resources.
• Placing web-accessible devices in locations where they can be used to research health information needs by unaffiliated healthcare professionals such as free clinics, community health centers, etc.
• Improving access to health information and technology for those groups without adequate access to information services.
• Exhibiting or presenting at local meetings or organizational events to share completed outreach projects and promote NLM products and services.
• Evaluating health information and training needs of a target audience and implementing a training plan for that audience.
• Programs on locating and evaluating authoritative consumer health information.
• Incorporating NLM health and science information resources into new or existing health programs. See National Health Observances for some ideas.
• Development of supplemental educational materials using NLM resources.  
• Train-the-Trainer projects that enhance the skills of the service-providing staff and other consumer health information intermediaries to train participants on locating and evaluating health information.

General Information

The Illinois Poet Laureate is an appointment made possible by the Office of the Governor and is collaboratively supported and administered by the Illinois Arts Council (IAC), Illinois Humanities (IH), and the Poetry Foundation.

The Illinois Poet Laureate advances the awareness of and appreciation for literary arts and humanities within the state. As a distinguished poet, the Poet Laureate represents and celebrates the diversity and history of Illinois by promoting literacy and the art of poetry through making content available and presentations at a range of public, educational, private, and electronic venues – including, but not limited to, schools, libraries, universities, community colleges, local writing groups, online, and social media. As a champion of the state’s literary community, the Poet Laureate endeavors to promote the many cultural and artistic achievements of the state of Illinois and demonstrates a commitment to promoting and celebrating the literature of Illinois’ diverse cultures, ages, abilities, orientations, and rural and urban regions.

Compensation for Service

• $35,000 annual compensation
• $10,000 to be used for anticipated expenses related to programs/events, awards, reimbursements, marketing/promotion, and other approved expenditures as allowed under the grant program

Key Dates

• The Illinois Poet Laureate is an honorary state office appointed by the Governor and the individual selected will serve an at-will four-year term to end June 30, 2029.
• Additional terms are at the discretion of the Governor’s office. 

Illinois Poet Laureate Details

Term Expectations

• The Poet Laureate must be able to commit to an announcement event in Springfield, IL that will take place on April 29, 2025.
• As a condition of appointment, the Illinois Poet Laureate will provide at minimum four in-person public readings every year during their term, two of which must annually be located outside of the Chicagoland area.
• The Poet Laureate will seek to ensure that people in all geographic regions of the state have access to at least one reading during their term of service.
• In coordination with the Office of the Governor, the Poet Laureate will establish programs to promote access and community awareness of the literary arts and to encourage citizens to develop their own creative interests.
• If schedule allows, the Poet Laureate would be expected to attend the One State Together in the Arts Conference(s), Poetry Out Loud final competitions, Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards, and Road Scholars events. 

 Communityworks Grant Competition

The Community Foundation of Kankakee River Valley’s mission is to build endowment funds for our region over time, and it strives to bring together individuals and organizations to assess community needs, to build greater endowment funds, to convene area leaders around important issues, and to distribute grant awards to worthy nonprofit organizations. The Foundation also serves as a neutral leader with no direct affiliation with any group, religion, political or governmental entity.

The goal of the Community Foundation is to improve the quality of life in both greater Kankakee and Iroquois Counties by supporting initiatives that are not currently being adequately funded. Grants awarded by the Community Foundation originate from income generated by our Communityworks Endowment Fund, a visionary initiative to help the Community Foundation build endowments for making grant awards, particularly in the following focus areas:

• Early Childhood Education
• Land Use & Protection
• Workforce Development

Grant-funded recipients of the Communityworks Endowment Fund are encouraged to address one or more of the above-identified focus areas and to make it publicly apparent how it is accomplished. 

Focus Areas

Early Childhood Education

• The community has determined that the Community Foundation can have the greatest impact on Early Childhood Education (birth to age 8) by supporting:
• The improvement of the quality of child care;
• The support for parent education;
• The improvement of the quality and accessibility of early childhood education services, and
• The improvement of opportunities to access children’s mental health services.
• More specifically the Community Foundation seeks to:
• Land Use & Protection

The community has determined that the Community Foundation can have the greatest impact in these areas by:

Workforce Development

Our area’s communities have determined that the Community Foundation can have significant impact by supporting:

• Increased work opportunities for unemployed/underemployed youth through collaboration with the Workforce Board and other governmental and community-based organizations.
• Youth programs that prepare entry-level employment through the development of soft skills and work experience.

More specifically the Community Foundation seeks to:

• Increase Work Opportunities for unemployed/underemployed community youth through collaboration with the Workforce Board and other governmental and community service providers via training partnerships, work experience, resource identification, workshops, surveys and other information-gathering efforts as well as through coordinated partnerships for workforce development strategies, initiatives and sponsorships.
• Prepare youth for entry-level employment through the development and sponsorship of programs designed and implemented to prepare youth with employment soft skills, job-seeking and job-retaining skills and youth work experience. The Community Foundation also seeks to collaborate and coordinate efforts with appropriate community partners to seek external funding resources or to underwrite costs as well as to assure quality employment preparation of youth including supportive, on-the-job work experience and workplace expectations.

Program Purpose:The purpose of STAR NET is to provide professional development and technical assistance to programs that serve children with disabilities to improve the quality of the education these children are receiving.Program Description:The goal of STAR NET is to provide a variety of opportunities for personal and professional growth, with an emphasis on children with disabilities, for those who touch the lives of young children ages birth through 8. STAR NET provides training, consultation, and resources to the early childhood community in Illinois. STAR NET supports family-centered research and evidence-based effective practices in early childhood education and care. The STAR NET system works to develop more effective partnerships and linkages among families, professionals, and systems.STAR NET delivers workshops and training activities on a regional basis to increase awareness, knowledge, and skills of early childhood education professionals and families in supporting the education and development of young children with disabilities. Training opportunities are designed to incorporate the Illinois Early Learning Development Standards (IELDS) and the Council for Exceptional Children Division of Early Childhood (DEC) Recommended Practices, and to provide practical ways for professionals and families to help children meet these standards. Workshops are developed on research-based practices appropriate to the development of young children.In addition to regional workshops, STAR NET has provided training and TA in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, consultations, mentoring, Intensive TA, program visits, development and dissemination of resources, distance education opportunities, lending library materials, focus groups, study groups, and educational fellowships.

• Cost Sharing: Cost sharing not required for this grant. 

About

The Illinois Department of Human Services was created in 1997 to provide our state's residents with streamlined access to integrated services, especially those who are striving for economic independence, and others who face multiple challenges to self-sufficiency.

Special Education - EI Clearinghouse (25-444-84-2900-01)

• Program Summary
  • Introduction to the funding opportunity:
    • The Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Early Childhood, seeks an organization with which to contract for the establishment and maintenance of an Early Intervention Clearinghouse (EIC).
  • Description of the purpose and scope:
    • The EIC will serve as a comprehensive resource for parents/caregivers, the general public, and early intervention (EI) professionals, providing access to information and resources related to EI issues, including , but not limited to, culturally inclusive and responsive materials.
    • The EIC will provide current, up to date information and reference materials to parents/caregivers for understanding normal development and specific disabilities. It will also support educators and EI professionals in maintaining and improving competencies in evaluation and treatment of children with developmental disabilities and delays.
    • The EIC will facilitate communication between the EI program and families through newsletters, a website, social media, and reference and lending library services.
    • The EIC will maintain a federally required central directory.

The Gladys Brooks Foundation was created under the will of Gladys Brooks Thayer of New York. 

Its purpose is to provide for the intellectual, moral and physical welfare of the people of this country by establishing and  supporting non-profit libraries, educational institutions, hospitals and clinics.

Scope of Grants Considered

The Foundation will consider major grant applications for innovative projects in the fields of libraries, education, hospitals and clinics.

Grants for Libraries 

Grant applications will be considered generally for resource Endowments (print, film, electronic database, speakers/workshops) capital construction and innovative equipment. Projects fostering broader public access to global information sources utilizing collaborative efforts, pioneering technologies and equipment are encouraged.

Grants for Educational Institutions

Grant applications from universities, colleges and secondary schools will be considered generally for:

• educational endowments to fund scholarships based solely on educational achievements, leadership and academic ability of the student; 
• endowments to support fellowships and teaching chairs for educators who confine their activities primarily to classroom instruction in the liberal arts, mathematics and the sciences during the academic year;
• erection or endowment of buildings, wings or additions thereto of buildings, and equipment for educational purposes;
• capital equipment for educational purposes.

Grants for Hospitals & Clinics

Grant proposals from hospitals and clinics where the proposal addresses a new health need, an improvement in the quality of health care or reduced health costs with better patient outcomes will be considered generally for:

• endowments for programs;
• erection or endowment of buildings, wings of or additions to buildings;
• capital equipment.

Illinois Community College Board

In 1965, the Illinois General Assembly established the Illinois Community College Board to create a system of public community colleges that would be accessible to every resident. More than 50 years later, the Illinois Community College System is the third largest system in the United States, with 48 colleges and one multi-community college center throughout Illinois. The community colleges serve over 500,000 Illinois residents each year in credit and noncredit courses and serve many more through public service programs.

Adult Education and Literacy Basic Grants

Short Description

Provides funding for eligible providers of adult education (34 CFR 463.23) to achieve the purpose of Title II of the Workforce Innovation Act (WIOA) of 2014 to provide adult education and literacy services in order to serve eligible adults, including incarcerated individuals, in becoming literate and obtain the knowledge and skills necessary for self-sufficiency, attain a secondary school diploma and transition to postsecondary education through career pathways. Additionally, this program is designed to assist immigrants and other individuals who are English language learners improve their English Language acquisition skills and understanding of the American system of Government and the responsibilities of citizenship.

Objective

Funds must be used to assist adults to become literate and obtain the knowledge and skills necessary for employment and self-sufficiency, to assist adults who are parents to obtain the education and skills that are necessary to becoming full partners in the educational development of their children and lead to sustainable improvement in the economic opportunities for their family.

Program Accomplishments

Assist adult learners with career opportunities, literacy, and self-sufficiency.

Our Mission

Illinois Humanities is a statewide nonprofit organization that activates the humanities through free public programs, grants, and educational opportunities that spark conversation, foster reflection, build community, and strengthen civic engagement for everyone in Illinois.

Our Vision

An Illinois where the humanities are central to making the state more just, creative, and connected.

Founded in 1974, we are the state partner for the National Endowment for the Humanities and supported by state, federal, and private funds. We provide free, high-quality humanities experiences throughout Illinois, particularly for communities of color, individuals living on low incomes, counties and towns in rural areas, small arts and cultural organizations, and communities highly impacted by mass incarceration. 

Envisioning Justice Grants

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.

Envisioning Justice grants have been awarded since 2017, and we work diligently to ensure that the organization will continue to offer this funding opportunity. 

Priority will be given to projects that are:

• regional or statewide in scope
• partnership oriented
• centering impacts of mass incarceration on the following populations:
  • currently or formerly incarcerated individuals
  • people serving long-term sentences
  • young people, particularly those who are justice involved
  • women, particularly women of color and/or impacted by gendered violence
  • LGBTQAI+ community
  • migrants, asylum seekers, refugees, and immigrants
  • elderly populations
  • people with disabilities
  • Indigenous populations
• Or that focus on communities that are:
• The site of a prison or jail
• Experiencing significant incarceration; and/or
• Experiencing significant demographic change as a result of the criminal legal system

Guidelines

• Organizations can apply for grants of up to $10,000.
  • No matching funds are required.
• Optional Accessibility Fund
  • An additional stipend of up to $250 for services such as American Sign Language interpretation or captioning to help make events more accessible to everyone.
• Optional Media Fund:
  • An additional stipend of up to $100 for services such as documentation, photography, videography, etc.

Background

The IEJF administers the State of Illinois’ appropriation for Civil Legal Aid, which is housed in the Attorney General’s budget. Attorney General Raoul requested and received $5,000,000 for the state appropriation for civil legal aid this year. The budget for this year's grants will be approximately $4.8 million

With this funding, we support programs that:

• Help people access basic needs
• Protect victims of domestic violence
• Recover funds for seniors victimized by fraud
• Help people resolve family crises

Purposes

The Illinois Equal Justice Foundation makes Civil Legal Aid grants in five categories:

• Legal Information for the Public
• Self Help Legal Assistance Projects
• Mediation Services
• Telephone Advice & Referral Services
• Civil Legal Assistance

At its discretion, the Board may also request proposals from non-profit organizations to conduct research, training and technical assistance regarding legal information for the public, mediation, telephone advice and referral services and/or civil legal assistance.

About MLA

The Music Library Association is the professional association for music libraries and librarianship in the United States. Founded in 1931, it has an international membership of librarians, musicians, scholars, educators, and members of the book and music trades. Complementing the Association’s national and international activities are eleven regional chapters that carry out its programs on the local level.

Dena Epstein Award for Archival and Library Research in American Music

Dena Epstein (1916-2013) had a lifetime interest in the history of American music publishing and in pre-Civil War African-American music in the United States and West Indies. She was the author of many publications, the best known being Sinful Tunes and Spirituals (University of Illinois Press, 1977) and Music Publishing in Chicago Before 1871 (Information Coordinators, 1969). Her articles have appeared in Notes, Musical Quarterly, Ethnomusicology, and American Music. The most recent include "Way Up North in Dixie: A Black Family's Claim to the Confederate Anthem" (1994), "Frederick Stock and American Music" (1992), "Black Spirituals: Their Emergence into Public Knowledge" (1990), and "The Mysterious WPA Music Periodicals Index" (1989). She received numerous awards, including two National Endowment for the Humanities grants, the Chicago Folklore Prize, and the Francis Butler Simkins Prize from the Southern Historical Association. She was perhaps the most proud of I Came a Stranger: The Story of a Hull-House Girl (University of Illinois Press, 1989). Edited by Dena, this book is the autobiography of Hilda Satt Polacheck, her mother.

Until her retirement, Dena Epstein was Assistant Music Librarian at the University of Chicago for some 22 years. Active throughout her career in the Music Library Association, Dena served on the Board of Directors as member-at-large and as MLA President from 1977 to 1979. She also chaired and was a member of many committees. In 1986, Dena Epstein was awarded MLA's highest honor, the MLA Citation, and became an honorary member of the Association.

The Dena Epstein Award for Archival and Library Research in American Music was created through a generous endowment from Morton and Dena Epstein to the Music Library Association in 1995. Grants are awarded to support research in archives or libraries internationally on any aspect of American music.

Illinois Humanities

Our Mission

Illinois Humanities is a statewide nonprofit organization that activates the humanities through free public programs, grants, and educational opportunities that spark conversation, foster reflection, build community, and strengthen civic engagement for everyone in Illinois.

Our Vision

An Illinois where the humanities are central to making the state more just, creative, and connected.

General Operating Grants

General Operating 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.

Definition of the Humanities

The humanities are the examination of what it means to be human through the interpretation and discussion of all forms of thought, interest, and expression.

We value traditional humanities disciplines, such as art history, literature, history, and philosophy. However, our emphasis on the public humanities means that we look at the humanities as more than an academic discipline. For us, the public humanities are a mode of inquiry and conversation that aims to engage, support, or challenge the ideals, beliefs, tensions, and prejudices of the communities in which we live. We believe that important thought can happen outside of the academy–in neighborhood institutions, schools, churches, and at kitchen tables across the country.

We are especially interested in instances of the public humanities that promote civic engagement in raising critical issues facing everyday people and conducted with the hope of increasing their thirst for staying engaged. Rather than being defined by rigid disciplinary boundaries, it is the humanistic lens, which emphasizes curiosity, questioning, and dialogue, that matters.

Guidelines

Grants decisions will be made based on whether organizations have a mission involving the humanities, organizational size, geographical balance, and whether an organization represents a historically disinvested or economically under-resourced community, such as rural or BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) communities.

We are committed to serving all geographic areas within the state of Illinois; hence, approximately half of General Operating Grants will be distributed to Cook County-based organizations, and half to organizations located outside of Cook County.

Amount

Up to $10,000.

Illinois Department of Public Health

Assuring the quality of our food, setting the standards for hospital and nursing home care, checking the safety of recreation areas, overseeing the inspection of milk producing farms and processing plants, maintaining the state's vital records and screening newborns for genetic diseases are just some of the duties of the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH).

IDPH is organized into 12 offices, each of which addresses a distinct area of public health. Each office operates and supports numerous ongoing programs and is prepared to respond to extraordinary situations as they arise.

Mission Statement: The Illinois Department of Public Health is an advocate for and partner with the people of Illinois to re-envision health policy and promote health equity, prevent and protect against disease and injury, and prepare for health emergencies.

Improving Blood Pressure Control Through Community-Clinical Linkages

Program Description

The purpose of this funding opportunity is for the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to work with community-based and community-focused organizations to:

• Increase community-clinical links to identify and respond to social services and support needs for populations at highest risk of cardiovascular disease with a focus on hypertension,
• Increase multidisciplinary partnerships that address identified barriers to social services and support needs within populations at highest risk for cardiovascular disease,
• Improve blood pressure control among populations within partner and community settings,
• Reduce disparities in blood pressure control among populations within partner and community settings, and
• Increase utilization of social services and support among populations at highest risk of cardiovascular disease to improve health outcomes.

Objective

Increased use of community-clinical linkages to improve blood pressure control; reduced disparities in blood pressure control; increased identification of social determinants of health that prevent individuals from achieving optimal health outcomes; and increased use of social services and support resources to improve cardiovascular health outcomes.

Our Mission

The Society for American Music is dedicated to the study, teaching, creation, and dissemination of all musics in the Americas. As a scholarly, collegial, and inclusive organization, we serve a wide and diverse array of academics, librarians, composers, performers and members of the general public. We instill passion and appreciation for all aspects of American music and musical cultures by:

• holding collegial annual conferences that feature scholarly presentations, musical performances, and opportunities for social interaction and professional development of its members;
• disseminating high-quality research and thoughtful articles and reviews through the peer reviewed Journal and the online Bulletin;
• offering financial support for research at libraries, archives, and other venues in the United States and abroad
• presenting annual awards that recognize outstanding scholarship, dedicated service to the Society, lifetime professional achievement, and significant contributions to the American musical culture;
• partnering with other local and national organizations to sponsor outreach initiatives designed to engage the general public with innovative programming;
• furnishing creative curriculum support for K–12 and university educators interested in integrating American music into their classrooms;
• advocating for the sustained support of humanities research, music librarianship, and musical composition, as well as greater access to the resources of American music; and
• serving as a resource for media outlets and the general public.

Judith McCulloh Fellowship

This fellowship honors the achievements of Judith McCulloh as a scholar, folklorist, editor, and folk arts advocate.  She created and championed the “Music in American Life” series renowned for its wide embrace of popular, folk, and concert musics and the “Folklore in Society” series during her prolific tenure at the University of Illinois Press. She received, among numerous honors, the Bess Lomax Hawes National Heritage Fellowship and the Society for American Music Distinguished Service Award.

This fellowship is given annually to support research on a folk-based music culture of the Americas. Awarded competitively to scholars at any phase of their careers, the fellowship is designed to support expenses (such as travel, lodging, and duplication) associated with residency at a research center or archive, or with fieldwork. Potential research center sites include the Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, where McCulloh worked extensively, and other repositories that reflect her broad interests in folk music.

The award is offered annually. The maximum award is $1,000.

Domestic Violence Legal Services

The Illinois Equal Justice Foundation (IEJF) is a not-for-profit corporation established in 1999, pursuant to the Illinois Equal Justice Act. The IEJF supports initiatives to increase Illinois residents’ access to the legal system. The IEJF provides grants to nonprofit legal aid providers through three state appropriations housed in the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, COVID-19-related eviction funding through the IL Department of Human Services and COVID-19-related federal funding through the Illinois Housing Developmemt Authority (IHDA).

This funding is designated by the State of Illinois to support domestic violence prevention through a portion of the State’s FY 25 fiscal year (October 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025). IEJF has been charged with distributing grant funding to nonprofit organizations to assist survivors of domestic and intimate partner violence through civil legal services and legal information. This current round of funding has been provided by the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS).

Self-Help Legal Assistance Projects

Purpose

The IEJF makes grants to provide Illinois residents using the court system with legal advice and brief legal assistance to help them effectively navigate the legal system.

In the Self-Help Legal Assistance Project category, the IEJF will consider support for projects that meet the following definition:

Use of Grant Funds

In the Self-Help Legal Assistance category, the IEJF will make grants to support operating costs for self-help legal assistance projects, including personnel costs.

Healing Illinois

Healing Illinois, an initiative of the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), managed in partnership with the Field Foundation, has reopened for a 2025-2026 grant cycle and will distribute more than $4.3 million in grants to nonprofits to foster racial healing and community healing statewide.

Since its launch in 2020, Healing Illinois has funded community-driven healing initiatives across Illinois with nonprofits developing community programming and creating infrastructure for long-term healing. Together, these projects are helping to change the narrative of what's possible when Illinoisans come together to listen, learn and heal.

In the 2024-2025 grant cycle, Healing Illinois invested more than $4 million in 28 counties, supporting healing activities that engaged more than 17,000 Illinois residents. With a focus on community resilience and highlighting stories of how communities overcome challenges and bridge lines of difference, the 2025-2026 cycle aims to expand its reach to more than 20,000 people in 30 counties.

Healing Illinois supports projects that:

• Bring people together across cultures, generations, and geographies.
• Create safe and inclusive spaces for dialogue, reflection, and belonging.
• Share and celebrate stories that honor the diverse experiences of Illinois residents.
• Strengthen local and statewide connections that advance racial healing.
• Projects should be ready to implement quickly and be completed within 7-8 months, with funds spent by June 30, 2026.

Funding Priorities:

Healing Illinois funds projects through three interconnected priorities:

• Healing Through Narrative:
  • Storytelling helps us see one another more fully. This category supports projects that share untold, erased, or misunderstood stories - illuminating truth, resilience, and hope through oral histories, creative arts, or community-based storytelling.
• Healing Through Dialogue:
  • Healing happens in relationships. This category funds projects that bring people together across race, culture, and geography to build trust, empathy, and shared purpose through healing circles, peace circles, or dialogue-based events.
• Healing Through Place:
  • Communities carry history in their landmarks, parks, and gathering spaces. This category supports projects that reimagine or reclaim community spaces as sites for remembrance, reflection, and renewal - helping residents see their stories reflected in the places they share.

Funding Amount

• Typical Regional Awards: $10,000-$20,000
• Multi-Regional / Statewide Awards: $20,000-$40,000

The Newberry

Founded in 1887, the Newberry is one of Chicago’s most historic cultural institutions. Curious people from all over visit to research topics of interest, discover their family history, take classes, or learn something new and unexpected.

Our collections, programs, and exhibitions are a portal to more than six centuries of human history, from the 15th century to the present. The Newberry welcomes anyone who is eager to learn about who we are, where we came from, and where we are going. Our community of learning includes historians, genealogists, visual and performing artists, writers, graphic designers, teachers, students, and many, many others.

Short-Term Fellowships

Researchers with short-term fellowships spend one to two months investigating specific collection items that are essential to their scholarship. These fellowship opportunities are open to scholars at the ABD stage and beyond.

The American Trust for the British Library-Newberry Transatlantic Fellowship

This fellowship supports research projects that make use of collections in any department in the British Library and those at the Newberry. The fellowship supports at least four weeks of research between both the British Library and the Newberry, with at least one week of research time at each institution. A projected schedule of study must be outlined as part of the application. Applicants must propose a research project that makes equal use of primary source material found in any collection of the British Library as well as in the Newberry.

Stipend: $5,000/month

Length: 1 month