National Endowment for the Arts gives more than $1.6 million in grants for art projects in Illinois
The National Endowment for the Arts on Wednesday announced nationwide grants for art projects, including about $1.6 million in grants for 66 projects in Illinois.
The grants include funding for art projects, research awards, literature fellowships, and Challenge America grants, which seek to reach historically underserved communities.
“The NEA is pleased to announce these grants, all of which strengthen our nation’s arts sector in different ways,” NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson said. “Whether it’s the creation of new art, opportunities for the public to participate and engage in the arts, or work to better understand the impact of the arts, these grants contribute to the well-being of individuals and communities, help meet the challenges of our time, and build towards a future in which all people can lead artful lives and reach their full potential.”
The 66 Illinois NEA grants are:
Aurora University: $10,000 to support a multimedia exhibition. (Aurora)
City of Aurora: $20,000 to support a public art installation along the Fox River Trail. (Aurora)
Gabriel Gudding: $20,000 to support the translation from the Norwegian of the multigenre collection “To Write is To Ask for Too Much” by Gunnar Wærness. (Bloomington)
3Arts Inc.: $20,000 to support residencies and related activities for artists with disabilities. (Chicago)
About Face Theatre Collective: $10,000 to support the production of “Lavender Men” by Roger Q Mason. (Chicago)
American Blues Theater: $10,000 to support a production of “The Last Wide Open” by Audrey Cefaly. (Chicago)
Association of Architecture Organizations: $20,000 to support a series of Design Matters Conferences. (Chicago)
Black Ensemble Theater: $15,000 to support the Black Playwrights Festival. (Chicago)
Blair Thomas & Company (aka Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival): $30,000 to support staff salaries and artist fees for the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival. (Chicago)
Cedille Chicago (aka Cedille Records): $20,000 to support a recording by flute duo Flutronix and the Chicago Sinfonietta. (Chicago)
Cerqua Rivera Art Experience (aka Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre): $10,000 to support the creation and production of a new work by choreographer Shannon Alvis and composer Joe Cerqua. (Chicago)
Chicago Architecture Foundation (aka Chicago Architecture Center): $30,000 to support the event Open House Chicago. (Chicago)
Chicago City Theatre Company (aka Joel Hall Dancers & Center): $40,000 to support performances and programming celebrating the 50th anniversary of Joel Hall Dancers & Center. (Chicago)
Chicago Dancemakers Forum: $30,000 to support a choreographic residency program. (Chicago)
Chicago International Film Festival: $35,000 to support the Chicago International Film Festival. (Chicago)
Chicago Mobile Makers: $25,000 to support design workshops for middle and high school youth. (Chicago)
Chicago Philharmonic Society: $15,000 to support an orchestral concert. (Chicago)
Chicago Sinfonietta: $15,000 to support an orchestral concert at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. (Chicago)
Chicago Symphony Orchestra: $35,000 to support musician fees for the presentation of orchestral works. (Chicago)
Chicago Symphony Orchestra (on behalf of Civic Orchestra of Chicago): $40,000 to support stipends for preprofessional musicians of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. (Chicago)
Chicago Theatre Group (aka Goodman Theatre): $40,000 to support the Goodman Theatre’s production of “The Penelopiad” by Margaret Atwood. (Chicago)
Chicago Underground: $15,000 to support the Chicago Underground Film Festival. (Chicago)
CircEsteem: $30,000 to support circus arts programs for youth. (Chicago)
Classical Music Chicago: $20,000 to support the Dame Myra Hess Concerts, Rush Hour Concerts, and Concerts for Wellbeing and Rejuvenation. (Chicago)
Columbia College Chicago: $80,000 to support a pilot study examining whether dance engagement can decrease loneliness in older adults and improve their quality of life. (Chicago)
Columbia College Chicago (on behalf of Museum of Contemporary Photography): $30,000 to support an exhibition by Regina Agu. (Chicago)
Crossing Borders Music Collective: $15,000 to support a monthly chamber music concert series at the Chicago Cultural Center. (Chicago)
Kevin Dunn: $20,000 to support the translation from the Spanish of the novel “The Tyranny of Flies” by Cuban author Elaine Vilar Madruga. (Chicago)
Eighth Blackbird Performing Arts Association: $15,000 to support a commission and premiere of a new chamber work by composer Jonathan Bailey Holland. (Chicago)
Facets Multimedia Incorporated: $20,000 to support the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival and related festival programs. (Chicago)
Free Spirit Media: $35,000 to support media arts education programs and a creative workforce development program for youth and emerging artists in Chicago’s West Side. (Chicago)
Full Spectrum Features: $30,000 to support a national touring program, “Our Right to Gaze: Black Film Identities,” featuring short films by emerging artists. (Chicago)
Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance: $10,000 to support Music Under Glass, a free, all-ages community performance series at the Conservatory. (Chicago)
Haymarket Opera Company: $30,000 to support a fully staged period production of Artaserse by composer Leonardo Vinci and librettist Pietro Metastasio. (Chicago)
Hyde Park Art Center: $25,000 to support exhibitions, residencies and professional development opportunities for Chicago artists. (Chicago)
Hyde Park Jazz Festival: $20,000 to support the Hyde Park Jazz Festival. (Chicago)
Ingenuity Incorporated Chicago: $50,000 to support an ongoing collective impact initiative in Chicago Public Schools. (Chicago)
Joffrey Ballet: $20,000 to support the commissioning of new works from emerging choreographers as part of the Winning Works Competition. (Chicago)
Kartemquin Educational Films: $35,000 to support KTQ Collaborative, an artistic and professional development program for independent filmmakers in the Midwest. (Chicago)
Ali Kinsella: $20,000 to support the translation from the Ukrainian of the poetry collection “Lost in Living” by Halyna Kruk. (Chicago)
Korean Performing Arts Institute of Chicago: $18,000 to support the annual Chicago Drum Festival. (Chicago)
Live the Spirit Residency: $15,000 to support the annual Englewood Jazz Festival. (Chicago)
Loyola University of Chicago: $35,000 to support the commission and planning of new choral work by composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate in celebration of Earth Day 2025. (Chicago)
Lyric Opera of Chicago: $25,000 to support artist development programs at the Ryan Opera Center. (Chicago)
Midnight Circus in the Parks: $20,000 to support the creation and presentation of circus arts. (Chicago)
Pegasus Theatre Chicago: $30,000 to support the Young Playwrights Festival. (Chicago)
Rivendell Theatre Ensemble: $15,000 to support the development of a play created with community members, written by Tonika Lewis. (Chicago)
Skyart: $25,000 to support free in-person and online studio art-making classes for Chicago youth. (Chicago)
Snow City Arts Foundation: $35,000 to support arts education programs in hospitals for children and youth. (Chicago)
Sones de Mexico Ensemble: $30,000 to support a tour of performances featuring traditional Mexican music. (Chicago)
South Asia Institute: $10,000 to support an artist residency program featuring the presentation of Pakistani music. (Chicago)
Steppenwolf Theatre Company: $40,000 to support the world premiere production and tour of “A Home What Howls” by Matthew Paul Olmos. (Chicago)
Storycatchers Theatre: $50,000 to support a post-release performing arts jobs program for court-involved youth. (Chicago)
Teatro Vista: Theatre With a View: $15,000 to support the development of a work highlighting Latin American pop art artists. (Chicago)
Territory: $25,000 to support a design skills training program for Chicago youth. (Chicago)
Third Coast Percussion: $23,000 to support Currents, a performance project. (Chicago)
TimeLine Theatre Company: $30,000 to support the world premiere production of “Black Sunday” by Dolores Díaz. (Chicago)
Uniting Voices (aka Chicago Children’s Choir): $35,000 to support conductor and choreographer fees for the Neighborhood Choir Program and Dimension ensemble, providing choral music training for youth. (Chicago)
West Point Fellowship: $20,000 to support the commission and a public performance by the Epic Steel Orchestra, a professional steel drum ensemble. (Chicago)
City of Evanston: $50,000 to support a grant program for arts organizations in Evanston. (Evanston)
Piven Theatre Workshop: $15,000 to support the Piven Empowerment through Enrichment Program, a theater workshop that invites artists with developmental disabilities to create process-based theater. (Evanston)
Maywood Fine Arts Association: $10,000 to support a production of the classic ballet, “La Fille Mal Gardée.” (Maywood)
Illinois State University (on behalf of Obsidian): $25,000 to support the publication and promotion of “Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora.” (Normal)
Princeton Theater Group (aka Festival 56): $10,000 to support Festival 56′s Shakespeare in the Park performances in rural communities. (Princeton)
Village of Richmond: $10,000 to support the creation of murals in downtown Richmond. (Richmond)
Korean Cultural Center of Chicago: $30,000 to support an exhibition of contemporary Korean ceramics. (Wheeling)
