Through the Envisioning Justice grants program, Illinois Humanities plans to partner with groups to use the arts and humanities to spark a citywide conversation about the impact of incarceration as well as to reimagine our criminal legal system.

In addition to partnering with community hubs, commissioning artwork, collaborating on a documentary film, infusing criminal justice into some of our regular programming, and producing a culminating exhibit in 2019, Illinois Humanities is hosting a grants program to help spark work by others. The grant categories reflect the belief that arts, humanities and civic dialogue programs can play a pivotal role within the justice system and provide a window into the views of people who are incarcerated; that strategic, creative storytelling can help us to re-examine issues, policies and practices in fresh ways; and that well-moderated, interactive community dialogue is a critical component of community building.

If you are interested in learning more about the grants categories, the type of work that will be funded, and completing an application, please visit envisioningjustice.org/grants-commissions or reach out to Mark Hallett mark.hallett@ilhumanities.org.