IH: Envisioning Justice Grants for Organizations

The Envisioning Justice Grants by Illinois Humanities support nonprofits using arts and humanities to foster justice and community engagement. With a focus on mass incarceration, these grants prioritize projects that are regional and partnership-oriented, benefiting vulnerable populations. Grants of up to $10,000 are available to applicants across Illinois, particularly from areas with significant incarceration rates. Accessibility and media funds are also offered to enhance project outreach and inclusivity.

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.
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.
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 FundAn 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.

Eligibility

Nonprofit organizations can apply for Illinois Humanities grants. This includes 501(c)3 organizations and nonprofits under state law, as well as libraries, schools, faith-based organizations, and universities.Based anywhere in Illinois; individuals from the following areas are particularly encouraged to apply: East St. Louis, Decatur, Carbondale, Galesburg, Urbana-Champaign, and the Bloomington-Normal Metro Area. However, applicants from anywhere in Illinois are eligible.

Ineligibility

We do not fund:

• Activities that promote a specific political position or ideology
• Alcoholic beverages
• Businesses, for-profits
• Capital projects (i.e., renovation or purchase of buildings or land)
• Endowment contributions
• Foreign travel
• General operating (though indirect costs can be included in project budgets)
• Lobbying
• Major equipment purchases (though equipment to assist a specific program is admissible)

Out-of-state programs that have no specific relevance or thematic connection people in Illinois (though technically a grant recipient or fiscal agent can be located elsewhere in the U.S.)
Programming that falls outside of the humanities
Social services (though a social services agency may apply for funding of a humanities project)