Illinois Humanities General Operating Grants

The Illinois Humanities General Operating Grants offer up to $10,000 in unrestricted funding to humanities-based organizations located in Illinois. These grants are intended to support the foundational needs and long-term sustainability of organizations with annual budgets of $250,000 or less. The program is designed for cultural, ethnic, historical, and public service organizations, including museums, libraries, and consortiums that are rooted in the humanities and actively engage with communities through public humanities programming. The purpose of these grants is to strengthen the organizational capacity of eligible entities by providing financial support that can be allocated flexibly across a range of needs. This includes operational expenses and ongoing programs. The goal is to increase access to the public humanities, broaden the scope of community engagement, and sustain institutions that are critical to the cultural fabric of Illinois. The application portal for the 2025 cycle opens on May 30, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. and closes on August 15, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. The funder, Illinois Humanities, anticipates awarding up to 14 grants in this cycle. These awards are not restricted by specific project outcomes, allowing recipients to direct funds where they are needed most. The funding is provided by Illinois Humanities, an organization supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Illinois General Assembly via the Illinois Arts Council, and private donations. To be eligible, applicants must be humanities-focused organizations located in Illinois and have an annual operating budget not exceeding $250,000. There is no match requirement for this funding. The grant application process does not mention a pre-application deadline or letter of inquiry requirement. Applications must be submitted online through the Illinois Humanities grant portal during the application window. Illinois Humanities has showcased several past recipients of this grant, including the REAL Youth Initiative and Cicero Independiente, highlighting how the flexibility of general operating support helped sustain their initiatives and operations. Another spotlighted recipient is SI CABE, which used the funding to build a sustainable cultural presence in Southern Illinois. Prospective applicants seeking assistance or more information can contact Mark Hallett, Director of Grants Programs, at communitygrants@ilhumanities.org or by phone at (312) 422-5586. There is no mention of specific application questions, timelines for award announcements, or internal evaluation criteria, suggesting that applicants should direct any such inquiries to the contact provided. The grant is expected to recur annually, with the next anticipated cycle likely to open in mid-2026.

REAL Youth Initiative: A General Operating grant enabled grantee partner REAL Youth Initiative to allocate funds between many of its programs and initiatives at once; Cicero Independiente: Grantee partner Cicero Independiente received a General Operating Grant to support operations and sustain independent bilingual reporting; SI CABE: SI CABE, or Southern Illinois Culture and Arts in Bilingual Education, has received Illinois Humanities funds to help create a sustainable foothold in the Southern Illinois arts and culture scene;