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click here for more information about The Great Michigan Read

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- June 20, 2007
CONTACT: Scott Hirko, Public Relations Officer,
shirko [at] mihumanities.org, 517-372-0029 ext. 25

(LANSING)----The Michigan Humanities Council (MHC) is now accepting proposals for public humanities programs in Michigan communities as part of its Michigan People, Michigan Places. Our Stories, Our Lives grant program and The Great Michigan Read statewide literature program. Grants of up to $15,000 are available for Michigan People, Michigan Places. Our Stories, Our Lives programs and up to $7,500 for The Great Michigan Read programs. The deadline for proposals for both grant programs is September 15. Applications and guidelines, as well as examples of sample programs, are available for download at the MHC website, www.michiganhumanities.org.

Michigan People, Michigan Places. Our Stories, Our Lives grants
Michigan People, Michigan Places. Our Stories, Our Lives applications emphasize collaboration among cultural, educational, and community-based organizations and institutions to serve Michigan's people with public humanities programming. Organizations are encouraged to explore and retrace their histories, roles in societies, advancements and changes, meaning in self-expression and fulfillment, commonalities and differences—what shapes us individually as well as communally. Non-profit organizations submitting applications may apply for a grant up to $15,000.

The Great Michigan Read grants
The Great Michigan Read, a new program for the MHC, is a funding priority at this time. The Michigan Humanities Council encourages proposals that expose new audiences to literature. Two grant categories are available for non-profit organizations to apply for grants for The Great Michigan Read: major grants of up to $7,500, and quick grants of up to $500.

The Great Michigan Read is a statewide literature and literacy initiative featuring a classic Michigan story by a classic Michigan author. The Great Michigan Read will promote literary reading by engaging all Michiganians with literature unique to the Great Lakes State. Nearly 200 cultural organizations, schools, museums, libraries, retail stores, and other private and public organizations will participate in the program by engaging the state in a year’s worth of programs dedicated to a significant piece of American literature and its iconic author.

On July 9, 2007, the MHC will announce the book and author selected for The Great Michigan Read.

The Michigan Humanities Council, founded in 1974, is the state’s independent, non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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