37 Mirza/Arts & Culture Grants totaling $78,749 awarded in 2025

BCAI Cultural Arts & Humanities – $3,000
“Summer Arts Exposure 2025” to provide a 3-week arts immersion camp for up to 20 students (ages 7-18); students rotate through programming in various arts and trades, helping reduce summer learning loss and provide an outlet for creativity, healing and skill building/network.

Board of Trustees of Illinois State University – $2,000
“2025 Concerts on the Quad” to provide the local community with a free weekly public summer concert series.

Board of Trustees of Illinois State University – $2,000
“ISU String Project and String Project Summer Camp” to offer affordable instruction on string instruments to children in Central Illinois benefiting young musicians and ISU students, fostering musical growth, education and future teaching careers.

Board of Trustees of Illinois State University – $2,586
“Suzuki Strings Festival” to attract students and teachers from throughout Illinois to the ISU campus in the fall of 2025; festival is led by clinicians who are national leaders in Suzuki pedagogy. Funded by the David and Kay Williams Music Education Fund.

Board of Trustees of Illinois State University – $2,000
“Teen Art Group at University Galleries” to provide up to 15 Bloomington High School students with free opportunities to engage with contemporary art, interact with arts professionals, participate in workshops and field trips, learn about professional development and gain experience with project planning.

Brass Band of Central Illinois – $1,400
“2026 Spring Concert” to increase awareness and appreciation of traditional brass band music throughout Central Illinois at its annual spring concert, tentatively scheduled for the first Saturday in May 2026.

City of Bloomington’s Bloomington Center for Performing Arts – $1,500
“2025 First Friday Concert” to show that the arts are for everyone through a series of all-ages lawn concerts; grant will support the June 6, 2025, concert featuring Revel in Red, a band based in Central Illinois.

Cultural Fest Inc. – $2,000
“2025 Cultural Festival” to inspire creativity and promote diversity through the arts and cultural initiatives in an inclusive and enriching environment for all Bloomington-Normal residents.

Freedom Sings USA: Central Illinois Chapter – $2,000
“Freedom Sings USA: Central Illinois Chapter” to provide a supportive environment for veterans to share their personal stories with professional songwriters who then create a song; the process is a therapeutic tool to help veterans express and process emotions tied to their military service.

Further Jazz Inc. – $1,400
“4th Annual Further Jazz Festival” to feature 5 bands representing different types of jazz during a free 5-hour concert of jazz at the Connie Link Amphitheater in Normal.

Heartland Jazz Orchestra Foundation – $1,800
“Community Jazz Concerts” to expand its “pop-up” concert outreach to new locations in McLean County and neighboring counties, including the cities of Bloomington/Normal, Lincoln, El Paso, Lexington and Pontiac, while continuing its established annual performances.

Heartland Productions Inc. – $3,500
“Two New Play Projects” to support “New Plays from the Heartland” – a one-act play competition in which a published guest playwright teaches a master class, delivers a public forum on playwriting and 3 one-act plays are performed as enhanced stage readings – and “The Play’s the Thing” – a new full-length play, workshopped with the cast before performance.

Holiday Spectacular Inc. – $1,800
“Free Tickets for Low-Income Community Members 2025” to underwrite the cost of free tickets to the Dec. 6 or 7, 2025, performance of the holiday show; ticket distribution will be targeted to high-risk and low-income families as well as low-income seniors in west Bloomington.

Holiday Spectacular Inc. – $1,800
“Holiday Spectacular Celebrates America 2025” to produce a second performance of the popular 4th of July show, Celebrate America, in July 2025.

Illinois Art Station – $730
“Equipment to Support DIY & Experimental Music Scene at Illinois Art Station” to provide required equipment support for IAS’s concert events, including a monthly experimental music salon and a multi-stage summer music festival. Funded by the David and Kay Williams Music Education Fund.

Illinois Shakespeare Festival – $2,000
“Music in the Courtyard Series” to offer varied and diverse free musical performances that will further develop the reputation of Illinois Shakespeare Festival as a community gathering space.

Illinois State University – $2,253
“Sunset on the Longest Day 2025” to mark the start of planting native species on the site of at the ISU Horticulture Center; the event is an outdoor community performance piece under construction at the site that is staged in dialogue with Ruth K. Burke’s land artwork “Domestic Rewilding.”

Illinois Symphony Orchestra – $3,500
“Concert for Kids” to present classical music in a free fun, engaging and educational format for 3,000 local elementary students; there will be at least two concerts in Bloomington-Normal.

Illinois Wesleyan University – $2,000
“51st Annual IWU Jazz Festival” to give clinics to are high school and middle school students and provide them with advice on being musicians, while also exposing the community to renowned professionals in the music field.

Illinois Wesleyan University – $3,000
“Illinois Wesleyan School of Music Chamber Music Festival” to provide intensive and professional training for young musicians, increasing their knowledge and skills while also providing a free public concert series in the Bloomington-Normal community.

Inside Out Accessible Art – $2,000
“Inside Out Accessible Art” to provide a variety of art experiences at a subsidized cost or for free providing all equipment and supplies to facilitate consistency; classes provide individuals with disabilities, seniors, LGBTQIA+, families and a diverse community with a wide variety of art experiences and education opportunities.

Kingsley Junior High School Drama Club – $1,000
“KJHS Drama Club” to help 6th-8th grade students express themselves, build confidence and encourage teamwork as they work together to create performances; club also enhances communication skills allowing students to convey their thoughts and feelings effectively.

LeRoy Elementary School – $1,250
“LeRoy Elementary Pre-Band Program” to provide pre-band instruments and curriculum for elementary students, allowing them to develop basic band skills in general music, providing a strong foundation for students to continue into our band program.

Lincoln Community High School – $3,000
“Piano and Music Theory for High School Students of Logan County and Beyond” to enhance music education by providing modern, accessible and high-quality instruments for students of all abilities; the lab will serve students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, enabling hands-on learning experiences and fostering musical creativity.

McLean County Arts Center – $3,000
“Sugar Creek Arts Festival” to provide free live musical performances to enhance the festival’s cultural appeal; the two-day event in Uptown Normal attracts thousands and offers music in various genres.

Poco a Poco – $3,500
“Summer Music Fest” to offer high-quality, accessible music education and performance opportunities for musicians of all ages and skills; grant will cover tuition waivers for low-income students from DeWitt, Livingston, Logan and McLean counties.

Prairie Fire Theatre – $3,600
“The Baker’s Wife (a Broadway Musical)” to produce this beautiful musical with a score by Stephen Schwartz, the composer of the popular musical “Wicked;” grant will cover cost to employ 10-14 professional musicians.

Prairie Fire Theatre – $2,750
“The Ghost in the Opera House (Touring Children’s Opera)” to produce a free professional one-act children's opera which will be performed at area elementary schools, libraries, churches and organizations throughout central Illinois from May 1-24, 2025, with 6 singers and a pianist. Funded by the David and Kay Williams Music Education Fund.

pt.fwd – $2,000
“Collaborative Concert with ISU Creative Technologies 2026” to produce a highly successful 2025 concert/residency with a visiting artist, in collaboration with the Illinois State School of Creative Technologies. Funded by the David and Kay Williams Music Education Fund.

pt.fwd – $3,000
“2025-2026 Concert Series” to organize its 7th season of contemporary music/sonic arts performances that celebrate the communal experience of listening to powerful new sonic art in Bloomington-Normal.

Ridgeview CUSD #19 – $775
“Ridgeview Elementary – Access for All” to provide the necessary accommodations for students with disabilities, ensuring they have equal access to music education programs and activities, fostering an inclusive learning environment that supports the needs of all students and encourages their meaningful and equal participation. Funded by the David and Kay Williams Music Education Fund.

Share the Music – $1,800
“Share the Music” to provide instruments to low-income students in grades 4-12 who want to participate in band and orchestra programs or music lessons through the Pratt Foundation, but whose families cannot afford to rent or purchase an instrument.

Sound of Illinois (SFPEBQA) – $1,000
“Youth in Harmony” to assemble more than 350 singers from 12 area high schools in October for a full day of choral instruction, with small group coaching and multiple performances, small ensembles and guest performers.

The Center for Creativity & Community – $1,900
“The Center for Creativity & Community” to offer creative opportunities for junior high school students who are not typically served through other school-sanctioned programs, helping students build confidence and self-expression while affirming their identity and developing a sense of shared community.

The Penguin Project of McLean County – $2,000
“The Penguin Project of McLean County” to provide unrestricted access to the performing arts for youth with disabilities, alongside their age-level peers, through community theater experiences, fostering inclusivity, empowerment and talent development.

Threshold to Hope, Inc. – $1,500
“Art Instruction and Exploration for Low-Income Artists” to offer art opportunities to those in our community in need of the healing power of art regardless of their ability to pay.

Town of Normal Children’s Discovery Museum Foundation – $2,400
“Makers & Musicians” to provide (in collaboration with Normal Live) free, creative art experiences partnered with live music in Uptown Normal weekly on Wednesdays from late spring to early fall.

32 Mirza/Arts & Culture Grants totaling $72,678.41 awarded in 2024

Board of Trustees of Illinois State University – $1,900
“2024 Concerts on the Quad” – To provide a summer concert series that is free and open to the public

Brass Band of Central Illinois – $1,500
“2025 Spring Concert” – To provide a free brass band concert, which will feature a guest brass soloist to help the band offer additional and unique musical arts and cultural value to the Bloomington-Normal community

City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department - SOAR – $4,048.41
“SOARing with Music” – To provide opportunities for individuals with disabilities to engage in music making through movement, song writing, interactive instrument play and relaxation strategies. Funded by the David and Kay Williams Music Education Fund

City of Bloomington - BPCA – $2,000
“2024 First Friday Concert” – To produce the August 2 First Friday concert featuring Tennessee Whiskey; this all-ages lawn concert series is part of an effort to show the arts are for everyone

Community Players Theater – $1,500
“Community Players Theater - Mary Poppins” – To provide an immersive and educational enrichment experience, including a talk back event, to all patrons especially those who may not otherwise be able to attend high-quality theatrical productions.

Cruisin’ Outta Poverty Services (C.O.P.S.) – $1,000
“Creativity Showcase with C.O.P.S.” – To create a weekly talk show with members of the community, including those who are homeless. Funded by the David and Kay Williams Music Education Fund

Cultural Fest Inc. – $2,000
“Saturday Stage Program” – To enhance awareness of community resources, promote diversity and foster community growth by embracing creativity and celebrating diversity, thereby creating an environment where individuals can come together and thrive

Further Jazz – $1,500
“3rd Annual Further Jazz Festival” – To present professional jazz concerts in a festival format to the general public, thereby perpetuating and promoting jazz as an art music which can also entertain

Girl Scouts of Central Illinois – $980
“Girl Scout Arts Programs - McLean County” – To offer 7 arts-focused programs serving 150 girls, age 5-17, in McLean County; 3 programs will focus on culinary arts, 3 will focus on visual arts and 1 will combine both mediums

Greater Livingston County Arts Council – $600
“Dave Herzog’s Marionettes” – To offer a free marionette show to children who have never seen marionettes in person, along with free interactive make-and-take art projects

Heartland Jazz Orchestra Foundation - $1,500
“Community Jazz Concerts” – To offer free “pop-up” jazz concerts within Central Illinois, including at Connie Link Ampitheatre, Charterwood Park, Luther Oaks and Bloomington Jazz Festival

Heartland Productions – $3,200
“Two New Play Programs” – To support for 2 programs related to new plays: New Plays from the Heartland, a play competition with staged readings, master class and playwriting forum, and The Play’s the Thing, which helps playwright develop a full-length play

Holiday Spectacular – $2,000
“Holiday Spectacular Celebrates America Holiday Spectacular” – To assist in moving the free July 4 show to the Bloomington Center for Performing Arts; bigger stage and bigger show requires new sets and backdrops

Holiday Spectacular - $2,000
“Free Tickets for Low Income Community Members 2024” – To offer free tickets to high-risk and low-income families and seniors for holiday performance on Dec. 7 or 8

Illinois Art Station – $2,000
“The Art of Voting: A Creation Station Collaboration between Illinois Art Station & Project XV Museum” – To integrate visual arts into Illinois’ first voting rights museum through an Art of Voting Creation Station, providing an outlet for learners to process the intellectually and philosophically challenging nature of voting rights in the United States

Illinois Chamber Music Festival at Illinois Wesleyan University – $3,000
“2024 Illinois Chamber Music Festival and Camp at IWU” – To offer an intensive educational experience for young musicians, who spend 2-3 weeks immersed in professional training to perfect their skills as chamber musicians; includes a series of free public performances

Illinois Shakespeare Festival – $2,000
“Courtyard Music Series at Ewing Cultural Center” – To support and promote live music through 15 live music performances in the courtyard of the Ewing Cultural Center

Illinois Symphony Orchestra – $4,000
“Illinois Symphony Orchestra Concert for Kids” – To perform a free entertaining and educational concert for elementary students

Illinois Voices Theatre - Echoes – $1,000
“Illinois Voice Theatre - Echoes” – To establish a stage for voices of the community that have gone unheard, been unspoken or are forgotten by producing performances highlighting history of the area, including the History Makers Gala and the Evergreen Cemetery Walk

Illinois Voices Theatre - Seedling – $1,500
“Illinois Voices Theatre - Seedling” – To provide a theatrical opportunity to young people and adults who are forgotten or marginalized due to their disabilities giving them the experience of presenting theater on their terms

Illinois Wesleyan University – $3,000
“50th Annual Illinois Wesleyan Jazz Festival” – To celebrate the rich tradition of jazz music while fostering music education among participants, thereby providing a platform for young aspiring jazz musicians

Inside Out Accessible Art – $2,500
“Inside Out Accessible Art” – To provide individuals with disabilities, seniors and members to the community with a wide variety of art experiences

McLean County Historical Society – $5,000
“2024 Evergreen Memorial Cemetery Walk” – To provide a historical theater event illustrating important aspects of local history and cemetery preservation through a unique, interactive experience for middle school students and the public

Music Connections Foundation – $4,000
“Niños y Música Kindermusik Class at Western Avenue Community Center” – To encourage language development for low-income Hispanic moms/children birth to 5. A weekly music class combines singing, movement, literature and instrument-playing

Prairie Fire Theatre – $3,450
“She Loves Me (A Broadway Musical)” – To produce this charming story with a glorious musical score (featuring 10-12 professional musicians), making it a perfect fit for families and avid music theater lovers alike

pt.fwd – $3,000
“pt.fwd Headliner Concert Series” – To present high-profile, established sonic artists to a local, appreciative audience

Share the Music – $2,500
“Share the Music” – To provide instruments to low-income students in grades 4-12 who want to participate in band and orchestra programs or music lessons, but whose families cannot afford to rent or purchase an instrument. Funded by the David and Kay Williams Music Education Fund

The Center for Creativity & Community – $2,100
“The Center for Creativity and Community” – To provide a creative outlet and personal growth opportunity for junior high students not served through typical programs, thereby developing confidence, identity, self-expression, and a sense of shared community

The Vault Community Center – $2,400
“Summer/After School Arts Enrichment Program” – To provide arts and craft lessons to rural youth students allowing them to express themselves, learn new skills and connect with others; grant to purchase art supplies

Threshold to Hope – $2,000
“Threshold to Hope” – To offer art opportunities to those in our community in need of the healing power of art, regardless of their ability to pay

Town of Normal Children's Discovery Museum Foundation – $2,000
“Makers & Musicians” – To provide creative, open-ended art experiences partnered with live music in Uptown Normal hosted by Normal Live every Wednesday May-September

West Bloomington Revitalization Project – $1,500
“Creativity Reclaimed” – To implement an art supplies library program with quarterly art supplies swap events to foster creativity and resourcefulness within the community while reducing waste and promoting sustainability

33 Arts and Culture Grants totaling $71,692 in 2023:

Bachs Choir - $500
"25th Anniversary Weekend Celebration & Alumni Concert" - To provide  current and former students of choral music an opportunity to gather, perform and remember their time in the program, and encourage others to consider the potential of a career in the field of music (whether choral, instrumental performance or teaching).

BCAI Cultural Arts & Humanities - $3,024
"Hip Hop Elemental Arts: Session 6" - To connect local youth with music industry professionals and professional artists to co-create a published song and complimentary music video from scratch, providing youth a unique, constructive avenue and outlet to explore and express their emotions, thoughts, desires and calls to action. Funded by the David and Kay Williams Music Education Fund.

BCAI Cultural Arts & Humanities - $2,000
"Summer Arts Exposure 2023" - Through a 3-week immersive experience for students (ages 7 and up with intern opportunities for ages 14-18) in which students rotate through programming in visual, media, business, performance, physics, survival and sustainability arts.

Bloomington-Normal YMCA - $1,000
"Teen Scene" - To allow youth to express themselves and grow through different activities, projects and art forms in a fun, safe and welcoming environment, while connecting with peers who share their same interests.

Boys & Girls Club of Livingston County - $1,600
"Lyricism 101" - To provide an opportunity for club teens to explore hip-hop as an art form and cultivate their creativity and critical thinking skills.

Brass Band of Central Illinois - $1,500
"2024 Spring Concert" - To enhance music and cultural arts opportunities throughout Central Illinois by increasing public awareness of, and creating further appreciation for, traditional brass band instrumental music at its Spring 2024 concert.

Chenoa Public Library District - $1,200
"Green Street Guitars and Art" - To provide the community with the opportunity to listen to quality music and to learn to create their own music at no cost to them through a one-day guitar clinic.

Children's Discovery Museum - $2,500
"Cross-Curricular Collaborations and Arts Integration Workshop" - To offer workshop where local teachers will learn best practices for implementing Arts Integration and receive professional resources (such as lesson plans) that they can use immediately upon return to their respective classrooms.

City of Pontiac - $3,500
"Rockin' at the River Summer Concert Series" - To provide accessible entertainment opportunities to underserved communities, expanding the musical knowledge of the community by providing a free, family friendly concert series in a variety of musical genres featuring musicians playing both original works and covers of other artists works.

Further Jazz - $1,500
"Further Jazz Festival" - To expose the Central Illinois public to the art of jazz in various forms by offering a free jazz festival.

Heartland Jazz Orchestra Foundation - $1,500
"Community Jazz Concerts" - To provide education, community enrichment and unique cultural experiences to all people - but especially young people - helping them appreciate that genre and teach the history of America's classical music through a series of pop-up concerts.

Holiday Spectacular - $2,000
"Free Tickets for Low Income Community Members 2023" - To provide quality holiday entertainment for the community by the community; grant will provide tickets to the least affluent members of our community giving an equal opportunity to enjoy this special home-grown holiday presentation.

Holiday Spectacular - $2,000
"Let's Celebrate America One More Time" - To bring together diverse segments of our polarized community in a festive holiday environment to share a free public performance featuring the common values of love of music, family and country.

Illinois Art Station - $1,500
"Unity in Art: Illinois Art Station @ Unity Community Center" - To provide regular, expert facilitated arts engagement to Unity Community Center students aims to empower these students to see themselves as young artists with vast potential and full permission to create, celebrate and showcase their work.

Illinois State University - $2,000
"2023 Concerts on the Quad" - To provide a summer concert series that is free and open to the public.

Illinois State University - $2,000
"Illinois Shakespeare Festival Courtyard Music Series" - To provide support for live music performances in the Ewing Cultural Center courtyard in conjunction with performances produced by the Illinois Shakespeare Festival in July and August 2023.

Illinois State University - $2,500
"ISU String Project" - To provide a quality string education to students who have no access to a public school program and to support existing public string programs while offering  practical teacher training for ISU string majors.

Illinois State University - $1,000
"Teen Art Group at University Galleries" - To increase teenagers' access to, and awareness of, visual arts-based opportunities.

Illinois Symphony Orchestra - $3,000
"Concert for Kids!" - To create an interactive and engaging concert experience that will introduce, engage and inspire elementary school students through a live orchestral performance; grant to allow up to 800 students in need to attend concert at no cost.

Inside Out Accessible Arts - $2,300
"IOAA Art Education" - To provide individuals with disabilities, seniors and members to the community with a wide variety of art experiences, allowing them to grow in skill level to develop life-long pursuits in the arts.

IWU-Chamber Music - $2,500
"Illinois Chamber Music Festival 2023" - To provide intensive and professional training for young musicians, increasing their knowledge and skills, while providing a free public concert series in the Bloomington-Normal community.

McLean County Art Association - $2,500
"Sugar Creek Arts Festival" - To continue providing quality cultural programming and experiences to the community at no cost through Sugar Creek Arts Festival.

McLean County Historical Society - $3,000
"2023 Evergreen Cemetery Walk" - To create a unique cultural experience for students while simultaneously teaching them that cemeteries are a repository of McLean County history and a place to be respected and preserved.

MIOpera - $3,000
"MIOperatunities Presents Read, See and Experience The Secret Garden" - To take its participants (both children and adults) on a literary, musical and theatrical journey through Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic The Secret Garden.

Music Connections Foundation - $3,000
"Niños y Musica" - To develop English language skills in parents and children, educate parents on how to interact actively with their children through music and promote positive parenting behaviors to foster optimal child development at home.

Olympia CUSD 16 - $3,500
"Breaking the Barriers: Music for All" - To remove systemic barriers for rural, low-income students so that they can reap the benefits of music education starting in elementary school, thus leading to increased numbers in the program. Funded by the David and Kay Williams Music Education Fund.

Poco A Poco - $3,009
"Poco a Poco's 7th Annual Summer Music Fest" - Through a week-long summer camp, young artists will receive core training in private voice, choir, piano, and theory, attend several concerts, and experience new facets of the music world through open discussions and unique electives.

Prairie Fire Theatre - $2,500
"Bright Star (a musical)" - To bring a professional great classic musical theater production to the community employing area musicians, artists, and technicians; grant will be used to hire professional musicians for pit orchestra and support a pay-what-you-can performance.

pt.fwd - $2,000
"Headliner Concert Series" - To create a new concert series, which will feature higher-profile, established sonic artists who are advancing alternative, underground and experimental musics, showcasing their work to our community and demonstrating that Bloomington-Normal is committed to cutting-edge creative projects.

Regional Alternative School - $3,009
"Digital Art Education Program at RAS" - To provide opportunities for students by equipping them with the technical skills necessary to pursue careers in digital art; students will develop their critical thinking abilities and become empowered to create original and compelling digital art that communicates their ideas effectively and reflects their unique perspectives.

Share the Music - $1,750
"Instrument Lending Program" - To provide an instrument for students who want to participate in school band or orchestra, but whose families don't have the resources to acquire an instrument.

Sound of Illinois - SFPEBQA - $1,800
"Central Illinois Youth in Harmony (YIH)" - To provide a quality daylong choral musical experience for area high school students at little or no cost to their schools.

Threshold to Hope - $2,000
"Art Instruction and Exploration for Low Income Artists" - To increase local artists' painting skills, allowing them to experience the emotional benefits of creating, and to assist them in creating paintings or other types of art that have the potential of selling for their financial benefit.

27 Arts and Culture Grants totaling $70,000 awarded in 2022.

BCAI School of Arts - $2,200
"Summer Arts Exposure 2022" - To provide materials and supplies for summer arts immersion experience for children (ages 7 and older), allowing them to experience programming in visual, media, business, performance and sustainability arts.

Boys & Girls Club of Livingston County - $1,500
"Fashion Forward" - To encourage individuality and creativity, while educating youth about resource sustainability; participants will gain valuable planning and problem-solving skills as well as the ability to sew and mend.

Brass Band of Central Illinois - $2,000
"2023 Spring Concert" - To enhance music and cultural arts opportunities throughout Central Illinois by increasing public awareness of, and creating further appreciation for, traditional brass band instrumental music.

Children's Discovery Museum - $1,500
"Art Around You: Exploring Contemporary Art in the Community" - To provide children in 2^nd to 5^th grades an opportunity to view, discuss and create contemporary art; partnership with Illinois State University Galleries.

City of Pontiac - $3,600
"Rockin' at the River Summer Concert Series" - To expose the citizens of Livingston County to a broad range of musical styles and genres while providing free, family friendly entertainment.

Community Concert Band - $4,000
"New Music for the People" - To bring a new, original piece of concert band music to as many people as possible, including both musicians and audience members. Funded entirely by the David and Kay Williams Music Education Fund.

Cultural Festival - $2,000
"Variety Saturday - A Diverse Showcase of Talent & Culture" - To showcase different genres of entertainment/talent to foster diversity and understanding by using entertainment to educate and expose individuals to something that may be culturally new to them.

Further Jazz - $2,500
"Jazz Film Series at the Normal Theatre" - To produce a series of films and concerts that will focus on jazz films and jazz-influenced films; each film will be followed by a concert featuring the music of the artist featured in the film.

Heartland Jazz Orchestra Foundation - $2,500
"Community Jazz Concerts" - To help community learn to appreciate the jazz genre through free "pop-up" neighborhood jazz concerts within IPCF's 4-county geographic area.

Heartland Productions - $1,500
"The Play's the Thing" - To assist playwrights in improving their work while at the same time helping Central Illinois audiences become better responders to original and new plays.

Holiday Spectacular Inc. - $2,000
"Free Tickets for Low-Income Community Members 2022" - To underwrite the cost of free tickets to weekend afternoon performances of 2022 Holiday Spectacular; Western Avenue Community Center and Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church of Bloomington will target families to receive tickets.

Holiday Spectacular Inc. - $2,000
"Time to Celebrate America Again" - To bring together diverse segments of our community in a festive holiday environment to share a free public performance featuring the common values of love of music, family and country.

Illinois Art Station - $3,000
"Empowerment Through Art: A Visual Arts Day Camp for At-Risk Youth" - To capitalize on the transformative impact of the visual arts to empower traumatized youth, by strengthening their capacity to recognize, understand and adaptively regulate their emotions so they can successfully learn, engage in personally satisfying skill-building and grow in self-confidence and self-esteem.

Illinois State University - $3,000
"2022 Concerts on the Quad" - To provide free summer concert series that focuses on interesting and accessible music of the highest quality.

Illinois State University - $2,500
"Illinois Shakespeare Festival Courtyard Music Series" - To support live music performances in the Ewing Cultural Center courtyard in conjunction with performances produced by the Illinois Shakespeare Festival.

Illinois State University - $4,000
"ISU String Project" - To provide a quality string education to students who have no access to a public school program and support existing public string programs, while providing practical teacher training for ISU string majors.

Illinois State University - $2,000
"Teen Arts Group at University Galleries" - To provide 15 Bloomington High School students with free opportunities to engage with contemporary art, interact with arts professionals and gain professional gallery experience.

Illinois Symphony Orchestra - $4,000
"Concert for Kids" - To create a highly interactive and engaging concert experience that will introduce, engage and inspire students in grades K-5 through live orchestral performance in Bloomington.

Illinois Wesleyan University - $2,100
"48th Annual Jazz Festival at Illinois Wesleyan" - To provide professional training for young musicians, increasing their knowledge and skills while also helping local music educators who lead jazz groups by providing clinics and workshops in skills needed by educators.

Illinois Wesleyan University - $3,500
"Illinois Chamber Music Festival 2022" - To provide intensive and professional training for young musicians, increasing their knowledge and skills, while providing a free public concert series in the Bloomington- Normal community.

Inside Out Accessible Art Cooperative - $2,000
"IOAA Art Education" - To develop a lifelong pursuit of the arts by providing a variety of art classes at reduced cost to youth, seniors, adults and individuals with disabilities.

McLean County Arts Center - $2,000
"Sugar Creek Arts Festival" - To present an opportunity for artists to support their business practice, musicians to perform and be paid, the public to gather socially and area businesses to have increased foot traffic.

McLean County Historical Society - $4,400
"2022 Evergreen Cemetery Walk" - To enable schoolchildren to experience live theater while teaching them about their community's history and the importance of respecting cemeteries.

Music Connections Foundation - $4,200
"Niños y Música" - To develop English language skills in parents and children; to educate parents on how to interact actively with their children through music; and to promote positive parenting behaviors to foster optimal child development at home. Funded in part by the David and Kay Williams Music Education Fund.

Prairie Fire Theatre - $3,000
"The Man of La Mancha - The Musical" - To bring a professional great classic musical theater production to the community, employing area musicians, artists and technicians - the way show music was meant to be heard.

Share the Music - $1,500
"Instrument Lending Program" - To enable participation in music programs at schools, by making instruments available to those who cannot afford them.

Threshold to Hope Inc. - $1,500
"Art Instruction and Exploration for Low-Income Artists" - To increase low-income artists' skills, allowing them to experience emotional benefits of painting and assisting them in selling paintings for their financial benefit.

22 Mirza/Arts and Culture Grants totaling $54,031 awarded in 2021

Children's Discovery Museum - $1,000
"Art Around You: Exploring Contemporary Art in the Community" - To provide children in 2^nd to 5^th grades an opportunity to view, discuss and create contemporary art; partnership with Illinois State University Galleries.

Further Jazz - $1,700
"Jazz Film Series at the Normal Theatre" - To produce a series of films and concerts that will focus on jazz films and jazz-influenced films; each film will be followed by a concert featuring the music of the artist featured in the film.

Heartland Jazz Orchestra Foundation - $1,500
"Community Jazz Concerts" - To help community learn to appreciate the jazz genre through free "pop-up" neighborhood jazz concerts within IPCF's 4-county geographic area.

Holiday Spectacular Inc. - $2,000
"Free Tickets for Low-Income Community Members 2021" - To underwrite the cost of free tickets to weekend afternoon performances of 2021 Holiday Spectacular; Western Avenue Community Center and Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church of Bloomington will target families to receive tickets.

Illinois Art Station - $3,000 
"Art Perspectives" - To help children (K-5) explore different artists from a variety of backgrounds using a wide range of techniques and mediums; children will develop their own creative voice and learn how to visually express themselves; grant to purchase art materials and supplies.

Illinois State University - $3,500
"2021 Concerts on the Quad" - To provide free summer concert series that focuses on interesting and accessible music of the highest quality.

Illinois State University - $4,000
"Bard in a Box" - To engage elementary, middle school and high school students with Shakespeare's plays and demonstrate that Shakespeare's works are still accessible and entertaining; grant to help increase the number of Bard in a Box performances in McLean, DeWitt, Livingston and Logan counties.

Illinois State University - $2,500
"ISU Community School for the Arts Outreach" - To support three programs: Traditional Music Lessons taught by ISU music students; Redbird Road Concerts where free performances are given in area venues; and MusicScores! instruction on the violin at one area Head Start location.

Illinois State University - $1,700
"Teen Arts Group at University Galleries" - To provide 15 Bloomington High School students with free opportunities to engage with contemporary art, interact with arts professionals and gain professional gallery experience.

Illinois Symphony Orchestra - $3,922
"Concert for Kids" - To create a highly interactive and engaging concert experience that will introduce, engage and inspire students in grades K-5 through live orchestral performance in Bloomington.

Illinois Voices Theatre, ECHOES - $500
"ECHOES Theatre Pilot Internship Program" - To create a fieldwork internship for a student pursuing a career in theatrical design by offering a design and creation opportunity with the 2021 Evergreen Cemetery Walk, which ECHOES produces for the McLean County Museum of History.

Illinois Wesleyan University - $2,100
"47th Annual Jazz Festival at Illinois Wesleyan" - To provide professional training for young musicians, increasing their knowledge and skills while also helping local music educators who lead jazz groups by providing clinics and workshops in skills needed by educators.

Illinois Wesleyan University - $3,600
"IWU School of Music Summer Music Program" - To provide intensive and professional training for young musicians, increasing their knowledge and skills, while providing a free public concert series in the Bloomington- Normal community.

Inside Out Accessible Art Cooperative - $2,500
"IOAA Art Education" - To develop a lifelong pursuit of the arts by providing a variety of art classes at reduced cost to youth, seniors, adults and individuals with disabilities.

McLean County Historical Society - $5,000
"2021 Evergreen Cemetery Walk" - To enable schoolchildren to experience live theater while teaching them about their community's history and the importance of respecting cemeteries.

Music Connections Foundation - $4,000
"Niños y Música" - To develop English language skills in parents and children; to educate parents on how to interact actively with their children through music; and to promote positive parenting behaviors to foster optimal child development at home.

Poco a Poco Inc. - $2,000
"Poco a Poco 2021 Summer Music Fest" - To produce a summer music festival in Streator, including intensive and interactive music training and live concerts.

Prairie Fire Theatre - $2,500
"An Evening of Opera Favorites Under the Stars" - To provide a quality, free and professional operatic performance for the community the Connie Link Auditorium in Normal.

Salem4Youth - $1,500
"Music is Good for the Soul" - To provide boys in program with the chance to channel a portion of their angst into an instrument, primarily guitar or percussion instrument; boys will learn sound design and build or restore guitars.

Share the Music - $1,809
"Instrument Lending Program" - To enable participation in music programs at schools, by making instruments available to those who cannot afford them; grant made from David & Kay Williams Music Education Endowment.

Sound of Illinois, SFPEBQSA - $2,200
"2021 Central Illinois Youth in Harmony" - To draw singers from area high schools for a full day of choral instruction, small group coaching and performances.

Threshold to Hope Inc. - $1,500
"Art Instruction and Exploration for Low-Income Artists" - To increase low-income artists' skills, allowing them to experience emotional benefits of painting and assist them in creating paintings that have the potential to be sold for their financial benefit.

30 Mirza/Arts and Culture Grants totaling $59,596 awarded in 2020

Atlanta Public Library District - $5,000
"Community Arts and Culture Program" - To provide access to arts and culture events and activities at little or no cost to residents of Atlanta.

BCAI School of Arts - $2,000
"BCAI Summer Arts Exposure" - To awaken and strengthen participants' innate interests and skills through vast sampling of traditional and nontraditional arts during 3-week summer arts camp.

Bloomington Center for Performing Arts - $2,000
"Taste of Broadway Performing and Visual Arts Workshop" - To provide an in-depth theater and visual arts summer camp for 40 students, ages 8-15 years old, with a performance on the BCPA main stage.

Brass Band of Central Illinois - $1,000
"2021 Spring Concert" - To help offset the cost of the 2021 spring concert that is free and open to the public and features a guest artist/soloist.

Chenoa Public Library District - $500
"Music at the Library" - To introduce children and adults to the music education opportunities available at the new library.

Children's Discovery Museum - $1,500
"Art Around You: Exploring Contemporary Art in the Community" - To provide children in 2^nd to 5^th grades an opportunity to view, discuss and create contemporary art; partnership with Illinois State University Galleries.

City of Pontiac - $2,000
"Rockin' at the River Summer Concert Series" - To expose the citizens of Livingston County to a broad range of musical styles and genres while providing free, family friendly entertainment.

Cultural Festival Inc. - $1,000 
"A Musical Genre Showcase" - To present a variety of live music performances featuring the several genres that will be hosted by a narrator who will discuss the influences and similarities that exist among the different styles of music.

Further Jazz - $1,500
"Jazz on Film Concert Series" - To produce a series of films/concerts that will focus on jazz films and jazz-influenced films; each film will be followed by a concert featuring the music of the artist featured in the film.

Heartland Jazz Orchestra Foundation - $1,500
"History of Jazz Concert for Young People" - To expose young people to jazz and teach them the history of America's classical music to enrich their artistic appreciation of all music and jazz in particular.

Heartland Productions Inc. - $3,000
"Two New Play Programs" - To assist with the Mike Dobbins Memorial "New Plays from the Heartland" one-act play competition and "The Play's the Thing" which helps a playwright refine a full-length play.

Holiday Spectacular Inc. - $2,000
"Free Tickets for Low-Income Community Members 2020" - To underwrite the cost of free tickets to weekend afternoon performances of 2020 Holiday Spectacular; Western Avenue Community Center and Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church of Bloomington will target families to receive tickets.

Illinois State University - $1,000
"Rivulets: Fostering Engagement with Literary Arts through Spoon River Poetry Review (SRPR)" - To enrich literary arts instruction for secondary school students in contemporary poetry and creative writing practices via SRPR and workshops, as well as foster student engagement and investment in literary arts.

Illinois State University - $1,500
"Teen Arts Group at University Galleries" - To provide 15 Bloomington High School students with free opportunities to engage with contemporary art, interact with arts professionals and gain professional gallery experience.

Illinois Symphony Orchestra - $3,000
"Concert for Kids" - To create a highly interactive and engaging concert experience that will introduce, engage and inspire students in grades K-5 through live orchestral performance in Bloomington.

Illinois Voices Theatre - $2,500
"Seedling Theatre (including Seedling Encore)" - To provide a range of theater opportunities for special needs populations and their able-bodied peers.

Illinois Wesleyan University - $2,100
"46^th Annual Jazz Festival at Illinois Wesleyan" - To provide professional training for young musicians, increasing their knowledge and skills while also helping local music educators who lead jazz groups by providing clinics and workshops in skills needed by educators.

Illinois Wesleyan University - $2,400
"IWU School of Music Summer Music Program" - To provide intensive and professional training for young musicians, increasing their knowledge and skills, while providing a free public concert series in the Bloomington- Normal community.

Inside Out Accessible Cooperative - $1,500
"IOAA Art Education" - To develop a lifelong pursuit of the arts by providing a variety of art classes at reduced cost to youth, seniors, adults and individuals with disabilities.

McLean County Arts Center - $1,000
"Sugar Creel Arts Festival" - To present festival that features artists in a variety of disciplines, children's art activities and live music.

McLean County Historical Society - $3,000
"Evergreen Memorial Cemetery Walk" - To enable schoolchildren to experience live theater while teaching them about their community's history and the importance of respecting cemeteries.

MIOpera Inc. - $2,000
"MIOperatunities Presents Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music" - To increase and enhance arts education through opera and musical theater in McLean County with affordable, professional and accessible performance opportunities for children and young adults.

Mt. Pulaski CUSD 23 Music Department - $2,696
"Risers for Mt. Pulaski Concerts and Logan County Music Festival"- To purchase risers, providing ample room and a safe place for students to perform; grant made from David & Kay Williams Music Education Endowment.

Music Connections Foundation - $3,000
"Niños y Música" - To develop English language skills in parents and children; to educate parents on how to interact actively with their children through music; and to promote positive parenting behaviors to foster optimal child development at home.

Normal Township Activity & Recreation Center - $2,400
"ARC Glee Club" - To combat seniors' isolation by providing an opportunity for social bonding, allowing them to experience positive emotional energy and mutual pride in the shared performance of music.

Poco a Poco Inc. - $1,500
"Poco a Poco 2020 Summer Music Fest" - To produce a summer music festival in Streator, including intensive and interactive music training and live concerts.

Prairie Fire Theatre - $2,000
"Mad About Broadway" - To bring a professional-grade classic musical theater production in September to Bloomington-Normal employing area musicians, artists and technicians.

Pt.fwd - $1,500
"Pt.fwd Artist in Residency Program" - To increase access to equitable opportunities for musicians and sound artists in McLean County and to share these opportunities with the public.

Share the Music - $1,500
"Instrument Lending Program" - To enable participation in music programs at schools, by making instruments available to those who cannot afford them.

Threshold to Hope Inc. - $2,000
"Art Instruction and Exploration for Low-Income Artists" - To increase low-income artists' skills, allowing them to experience emotional benefits of painting and assist them in creating paintings that have the potential to be sold for their financial benefit.

28 Mirza/Arts and Culture Grants totaling $61,097 awarded in 2019

Atlanta Public Library District - $4,000
"The Discovery Box: Atlanta Public Library Community Programming" - To inspire creativity and experimentation with arts and cultural programs for children and adults at The Discovery Box, located in the newly acquired Union Hall Building which now houses APLD's community cultural programs.

BCAI School of Arts - $3,000
"BCAI Summer Arts Exposure" - To provide a 3-week arts immersion experience for up to 60 students (ages 8-14) in collaboration with District 87 schools; students will rotate through programming in visual, media and performance art.

Bloomington Center for Performing Arts - $2,000
"Miller Park Summer Theater" - To provide an opportunity for community performers to present a live performance free to the public in outdoor theater at Miller Park.

Brass Band of Central Illinois - $1,000
"2020 Spring Concert" - To help offset the cost of the 2020 Spring concert that is free and open to the public and features a guest artist/soloist.

Children's Discovery Museum Foundation - $1,500
"Art Around You: Exploring Contemporary Art in the Community" - To provide children in 2^nd to 5^th grades an opportunity to view, discuss and create contemporary art; partnership with Illinois State University Galleries.

Cultural Festival - $1,000
"Live Music Stage & Workshop" - To conduct a music segment during 40^th Annual Cultural Festival featuring bands performing three distinct music genres (jazz, country and rhythm & blues) and a workshop on similarities/differences of music styles.

Further Jazz - $1,500
"Jazz on Film Concert Series at the Normal Theatre" - To produce a series of films/concerts that will focus on jazz films and jazz-influenced films; each film will be followed by a concert featuring the music of the artist featured in the film.

Heartland Productions - $4,000
"Two New Play Programs" - To assist with the Mike Dobbins Memorial "New Plays from the Heartland" one-act play competition and "The Play's the Thing" which helps a playwright refine a full-length play.

HeART Arts Council - $3,300
"Bringing an Array of Art Experiences to Heyworth and Randolph Township in 2019-20" - To support three programs: Heyworth Youth Summer Art and Music Camps, inaugural Heyworth and Randolph Township Arts Festival for local artists to show their work, and new HeART Planter Project to create community planters for streetscapes in Heyworth.

Holiday Spectacular - $2,000
"Free Tickets for Low-Income Community Members" - To underwrite the cost of free tickets to Friday night and Saturday afternoon performances of 2019 Holiday Spectacular; Western Avenue Community Center and Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church of Bloomington will target families to receive tickets.

Illinois Symphony Orchestra - $3,500
"ISO Concert for Kids!" - To create a highly interactive and engaging concert experience that will introduce, engage and inspire students in grades K-5 through live orchestral performance in Bloomington.

Illinois Voices Theatre - $2,500
"Seedling Theatre and Seedling Encore Performances" - To provide a range of theater opportunities for special needs populations and their able-bodied peers.

Inside Out Accessible Art (IOAA) - $2,000
"IOAA Art Education" - To develop a lifelong pursuit of the arts by providing a variety of art classes at reduced cost to youth, seniors, adults and individuals with disabilities.

Illinois State University - $4,000
"2019 Concerts on the Quad" - To provide free summer concert series that focuses on interesting and accessible music of the highest quality.

Illinois State University - $2,000
"ISU Community School for the Arts" - To support three programs: Traditional Music Lessons taught by ISU music students; Redbird Road Concerts where free performances are given in area venues; and MusicScores! instruction on the violin at two area Head Start locations.

Illinois State University - $1,000
"Teen Arts Group at University Galleries" - To provide 15 Bloomington High School students with free opportunities to engage with contemporary art, interact with arts professionals and gain professional gallery experience.

Illinois Wesleyan University - $2,000
"45^th Annual Jazz Festival at IWU" - To expand program by adding additional day to the festival offering master classes and a concert on opening day.

Illinois Wesleyan University - $2,000
"The IWU Summer Music Composition Institute" - To provide an opportunity to learn about a variety of subjects in music for high school students interested in music composition.

Illinois Wesleyan University - $3,500
"IWU School of Music Summer Music Program" - To allow young musicians (ages 12-19) to perfect their skills as individual and ensemble musicians through an intensive educational experience.

Lincoln's Festival in Bloomington - $2,000
"Lincoln's Festival on Route 66" - To entertain and educate audiences with stories of Abraham Lincoln's life and times in McLean County; new this year are vintage baseball games and performances of Shakespeare works which were key to Lincoln's education.

McLean County Arts Center - $1,000
"Sugar Creek Arts Festival" - To present festival that features artists in a variety of disciplines, children's art activities and live music.

McLean County Historical Society - $2,000
"Evergreen Memorial Cemetery Walk" - To enable schoolchildren to experience live theater while teaching them about their community's history and the importance of respecting cemeteries.

Normal Township Activity & Recreation Center - $2,000
"ARC Music Enrichment Series" - To promote social engagement and well-being in older people through participation in musical activities; classes are led by music educator/music therapist and focus on a topic of mutual interest.

Prairie Central Elementary School CUSD #8 - $1,985
"General Music" - To get students to move, create, think, dance and make music using a combination of instruments and method  music learning; grant will purchase instruments; grant is given through the David & Kay Williams Music Education Endowment.

Regional Alternative School/ROE 17 - $2,000
"RAS Plaza" - Sidewalk reconstruction which doubles as an art installation in collaboration with City of Bloomington; AltAction (a student/staff leadership team) and field technician from Bloomington Public Works will design the project around the theme "Where the Sidewalk Ends," a poetry book by Shel Silverstein.

Society for Preservation & Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America - $2,000
"2019 Central Illinois Youth In Harmony Festival" - To draw singers from area high schools for a full day of choral instruction, small group coaching and performances.

Threshold to Hope - $1,000
"Painting Instruction for Low-Income Artists" - To increase low-income artists' skills, allowing them to experience emotional benefits of painting and assist them in creating paintings that have the potential to be sold for their financial benefit.

West Bloomington Revitalization Project - $1,312
"Westside Mural" - To create a mural on the side of WBRP building with input from community residents, thereby beautifying the neighborhood and reflecting its unique identity to visitors and residents.

31 Mirza/Arts and Culture Grants totaling $75,000 were awarded in 2018 

Atlanta Public Library District-Atlanta Library - $5,000
"Community Arts & Culture Programs" - To inspire creativity and experimentation with arts and cultural programs for children and adults, including Arts Discovery Camps for K-8th grade children, library's summer reading and STEM programs, arts & crafts programs, and This Golden Age for community seniors.

Atlanta Public Library District-Atlanta Library - $2,000
"Museums on Main Street: Changes in America" - To host the Smithsonian Museums on Main Street exhibition from Feb. 1-March 16, 2019.

Bloomington-Normal Community Bells - $1,255
"Two Octave Set of Choirchimes" - To complete the necessary instruments for a complement of four octaves of hand bells and three octaves of choirchimes necessary for optimum performance of compositions.

Brass Band of Central Illinois - $1,000
"Spring 2019 Concert" - To help offset costs associated with concert that is free and open to the public.

Children's Discovery Museum Foundation - $2,500
"Art Around You: Exploring Contemporary Art in the Community" - To provide an opportunity for children in 2nd-5th grades to view, discuss and create contemporary art in collaboration with ISU University Galleries.

Corpus Christi Catholic School - $1,600
"PreK-8th Grade General Music Program" - To increase knowledge of rhythmic playing through the purchase of world drums and student guitars.

Cultural Festival Inc. - $2,000
"Arts Voices Matter (Workshop & Jazz Concert)" - To provide opportunity for musicians to gain valuable insight, advice and knowledge about pursuing a career in the music field through workshop facilitated by Kenya M. Johnson.

Further Jazz Inc. - $1,750
"Jazz Films Series at the Normal Theater" - To educate the community about jazz musicians through films on their lives followed by live concerts featuring the artist's music at the Normal Theater.

Heartland Head Start Inc. - $2,630
"Enhancing Art & Culture at Heartland Head Start" - To enhance awareness and knowledge of the arts and cultural activities for children and families at Heartland Head Start through a theater experience for preschoolers, poetry books in each classroom and a lending library of books about culture and the arts.

Heartland Jazz Orchestra Foundation - $2,000
"History of Jazz Concert for Young People" - To spark K-12 students' appreciation of jazz music by experiencing high-level performances while encouraging students to learn a musical instrument.

Heartland Productions Inc. - $2,000 
"Play Reading Program - New Plays from the Heartland" - To encourage playwrights through the Mike Dobbins Memorial "New Plays from the Heartland," a one-act play competition for short plays.

Heyworth and Randolph Township Arts Council (HeART) - $3,000
"Expanding Arts Programming for Heyworth and Randolph Township" - To improve the cultural life in greater Heyworth area through Heyworth Youth Summer Art Camp and creation of community artwork to be displayed publicly.

Illinois State University - $3,300 "2018 Concerts on the Quad" - To fund performance fees for two free concerts - Ashley Lewis and Creole Stomp. Concerts provide audiences with a wide range of musical genres, broadening their musical horizons.

Illinois State University - $4,000
"CPA Lighting Enhancement" - To enhance lighting at ISU's Center for Performing Arts, a new indoor venue for one of Illinois Shakespeare Festival's plays in 2018.

Illinois State University - $3,500
"ISU Community School for the Arts" - To promote the arts in the community through various music programs and improve children's attitudes toward the study of music.

Illinois State University - $2,900
"ISU String Project" - To provide quality string education to students in McLean and Livingston counties who have no access to a public school program and to provide practical teacher training for ISU string majors. Grant will fund one graduate assistant and purchase of a new half-size cello.

Illinois State University - $3,000
"MIOperatunities Presents Pirates of Penzance" - To educate the community about opera by funding Midwest Institute of Opera's performance of "Pirates of Penzance."

Illinois State University - $1,865
"Teen Arts Council at University Galleries of ISU" - To increase high school students' access to visual arts-based opportunities. This pilot program will provide 15 students with curator-led tours of exhibits, allow them to make their own art projects and learn about professional development and career planning.

Illinois Symphony Orchestra Inc. - $5,000
"Concerts for Kids - Peter and the Wolf with the Magic Circle Mime Company" - To provide more than 800 free tickets to Concert for Kids to McLean County elementary students from low-income neighborhoods; grant partially funded by the David & Kay Williams Music Education Endowment.

Illinois Voices Theatre - $1,500
"All You Need is Love - Seedling's Summer Lovin' Theatre Camp" - To deliver a two-week summer theater camp where adults with disabilities will develop, rehearse and perform a theatrical showcase of scenes featuring the theme of love.

Illinois Voices Theatre - $1,000
"Seedling Encore, Fall 2018 and Spring 2019" - To provide an opportunity for all adults with disabilities to enjoy and learn more about the process of performing theater through two sessions culminating in theater productions.

Illinois Wesleyan University - $1,200
"44th Annual Illinois Wesleyan Jazz Festival" - To expand jazz festival from a one-day event to a two-day event for middle and high school students. The festival will support 800 students and 50-100 adults.

Illinois Wesleyan University - $3,800
"IWU School of Music Summer Music Program" - To provide intensive, professional training for young string and chamber music musicians and a free public concert series in Bloomington-Normal.

Inside Out Accessible Art - $1,500
"IOAA Art Education" - To provide "building block" art experiences to the community that are accessible to all while integrating all ages, abilities and levels of artists in order to recognize the potential of individual expression through art.

Lincoln's Festival in Bloomington - $2,000
"Lincoln's Festival on Route 66" - To host and promote existing and new programs celebrating Abraham Lincoln's connections to the Route 66 corridor while exploring the influence of Shakespeare's literature on Lincoln's life.

McLean County Arts Center - $2,000
"Sugar Creek Arts Festival" - To showcase the artists to residents of Central Illinois by providing a venue for working artists, craftspeople and musicians in a variety of disciplines, in addition to providing children's art activities and live music on two stages.

McLean County Historical Society - $2,500
"2018 Evergreen Memorial Cemetery Walk" - To enable schoolchildren to experience live theater while teaching them about their community's history and the importance of respecting cemeteries.

Music Connections Foundation - $4,000
"Niños y Música" - To help Spanish-speaking parents and children develop English language skills, to educate parents on how to interact actively with their children through music and to promote positive parenting behaviors to foster optimal child development.

Prairie Fire Theatre - $3,000
"Free Children's Tickets to The Secret Garden Performance" - To provide free tickets to children (age 12 and younger) to attend two matinee performances of the musical "The Secret Garden" by Lucy Simon.

Share the Music - $1,500
"Share the Music Instrument Lending Program" - To collect quality, serviceable musical instruments through an instrument recycling program and loan them at low (or no) cost to music education students in elementary school through high school who cannot afford instrument rentals.

Sheridan School - $700
"Bum-Bah, Bum-Bah, Bum, Bum, Bum … Drumming Resources for Rhythmic Competency" - To purchase supplies for 30 can drum kits for classroom and resources for teaching the rhythm material to students; grant fully funded by the David & Kay Williams Music Education Endowment.

23 Mirza/Arts and Culture Grants totaling $71,672 were awarded in 2017 

Atlanta Public Library District - $6,000
"Eureka!" to draw together children in grades K - 9 in a collaborative environment that will develop their appreciation for both created works of art and the creative process. Curriculum is tailored to three different age groups.

Bloomington #1 Chapter of SPEBSQSA (Sound of Illinois Chorus) - $4,500
"Youth in Harmony Festival" to increase the quality and enjoyment of a cappella singing as a lifelong activity that builds self-esteem, encourages teamwork and demonstrates how our differences increase the quality and value of the performance.

Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts - $3,000
"Student Spotlight Series" to present six professional touring educational shows that will meet Illinois Learning Standards and complement area educators' curriculum while introducing or expanding the experience of theater arts in a professional theater venue to over 5,000 area youth and educators.

Central Elementary School, Pontiac - $1,200
"Student Enrichment Activities" to enable 416 students and teachers in grades pre-K - 1 to attend a professional theater production of "Harry the Dirty Dog". The activity will provide an introductory theater experience, both as an audience member and behind the scenes, while the content of the play promotes making good choices. The program meets several Illinois State Learning Standards.

Children's Discovery Museum - $2,000
"Art Around You: Exploring Contemporary Art in the Community" to support a partnership with University Galleries that provides approximately 250 children in grades 2 -5 the opportunity to view and discuss contemporary art and to participate in art-making activities.

DeWitt County Museum Association - $2,000
"Photograph Collection Preservation Project" to organize and safely store the museum's photograph collection in archival quality folders and boxes to prevent the photos from deteriorating.

Further Jazz - $2,500
"Jazz at the Illinois Shakespeare Festival-40th Anniversary Season" to provide free, high-quality jazz programs to the general public in the courtyard of Ewing Cultural Center before Friday evening performances of the Illinois Shakespeare Festival.

Heartland Jazz Orchestra Foundation - $2,500
"History of Jazz Concert for Young People" to provide concert/workshops for students in grades K-12 that explore the history and development of jazz as America's classic music. Students will learn about various jazz styles, the sounds of various instruments, and how they interact in an ensemble.

HEART-Heyworth and Randolph Township Arts Council - $3,985
"Heyworth Youth Summer Art Camp and Community Mural Rejuvenation" to provide four week-long summer arts camps that provide art enrichment, development of art skills, and positive social experiences. Funds will also be used to preserve and improve a mural that was completed by high school students a decade ago.

Heartland Theatre Company - $4,500
"Assistive Listening for Heartland Theatre" to provide audience members who are hearing impaired a full theatre experience and to comply with ADA guidelines. Funds will pay for purchase and installation of a system that can accommodate 12 people per performance.

Illinois State University - $3,000
"ISU String Project" to provide quality string education to students in McLean and Livingston Counties who have no access to a public school program and to provide practical teacher training for ISU string majors. The grant will serve 130 students and 25-30 ISU undergraduate and graduate teaching assistants.

Illinois State University - $3,500
"ISU Community School for the Arts" to engage students at Heartland Head Start in activities through the MusicScores! Program that will foster the development of appreciation for music and the arts and promote their cognitive growth.

Illinois State University - $3,400
"2017 Concerts on the Quad" to fund performance fees for two free concerts - Ameranouche and the April Verch Band.  Concerts provide audiences with a wide range of musical genres that broaden their musical horizons.

Illinois Symphony Orchestra - $5,000
"The ISO Concert for Kids" to provide the opportunity for over 700 low income students from McLean County to attend the concert at no cost.

Illinois Theatre Consortium - $2,500
"Seedling Encore: Theatre Program for Adults with Disabilities" to provide actor training, prepare a polished public performance, and provide community and social engagement for adults with disabilities.

Illinois Wesleyan University - $1,200
"43rd Annual Illinois Wesleyan Jazz Festival" to provide intensive and professional training for middle school and high school musicians, increasing their knowledge and skills, while providing fee public concerts in the Bloomington-Normal community.

Illinois Wesleyan University - $4,548
"IWU School of Music Summer Music Programs" to provide intensive, professional training for young string and chamber music musicians and a free public concert series in Bloomington-Normal.

 Lincoln's Festival in Bloomington Committee - $2,000
"Lincoln's Festival on Route 66" to host and promote existing and new programs related to McLean County's Abraham Lincoln and Route 66 stories that will entertain and engage the public and generate economic activity in participating communities along the Route 66 White Carpet Corridor.

 McLean County Historical Society - $5,000
"2017 Evergreen Cemetery Walk" to enable schoolchildren to experience live theater while teaching them about their community's history and the importance of respecting cemeteries.

Milestones Early Learning Center & Preschool - $2,500
"Celebrate the Artist in You" to provide a summer arts program for the school's 100 children. Funds will purchase age-appropriate curricula, supplies for art projects, and transportation for field trips.

Music Connections Foundation - $4,339
"Niños y Música" to help Spanish-speaking parents and children develop English language skills, to educate parents on how to interact actively with their children through music, and to promote positive parenting behaviors to foster optimal child development.

Penguin Project of McLean County - $1,000
"Penguin Project" to provide an opportunity for young people with disabilities to develop creative skills related to the theater arts.

Share the Music - $1,500
"Music Instrument Lending Program" to collect quality, serviceable musical instruments through an instrument recycling program and loan them at low (or no) cost to music education students in elementary school through high school who cannot afford instrument rentals.

28 Mirza/Arts and Culture Grants totaling $76,434 were awarded in 2016 

Atlanta Public Library District - $5,000
"Eureka!" to support a program that aims to increase understanding and appreciation of the creative process and art-making among children and young people through a 3-week summer arts program with foci on theatre, visual art, and vocal music/dance.

Brass Band of Central Illinois - $2,000
"Spring 2017 Concert" to help offset the facility fee for the 2017 Spring concert that is free and open to the public.

Chenoa Public Library District - $1,360
"Acting Out at the Library" to support a program that links the world of books with creative play-writing and performance by children and teens.

Children's Discovery Museum - $4,000
"Hello From Japan" to support Art Studio activities centering on kawaii style art in conjunction with a visiting exhibition that explores the co-existence of traditional and modern Japanese cultural values and attitudes.

Conexiones Latinas de McLean County - $2,500
"Ballet Folklorico de Central Illinois" to support expansion of the Ballet Folklorico as a means of enriching the cultural experience of local Latinas and the community at large through native Mexican dance.

Cultural Festival, Inc. - $3,000
"Jazz Appreciation & Workshop" to fund the performance fee for Adam Larson & The Manhattan Project Band at the 2016 Cultural Festival.

Heartland Head Start - $5,000
"Put the Arts Back in Head Start" to expand exposure to art and culture by providing art supplies, costumes for dramatic play, and simple musical instruments for children ages infant to 5.

Heartland Theatre Company - $1,000
"Young at Heartland Senior Acting Program" to subsidize program fees to keep them at an affordable price for seniors who wish to participate in the program.

Illinois State University - Illinois Shakespeare Festival - $4,000
"ISF 2016 Fun For Families Brochure" to help a larger audience have access to free and deeply discounted arts programming for families and young audiences through wide distribution of a "Fun for Families" brochure.

Illinois State University - $5,000
"MIOperatunities" to expose children, families, senior citizens, and people with special needs to the opera genre and to foster appreciation and understanding of opera.

Illinois State University - $2,300
"2016 Concerts on the Quad" to fund performance fees for two concerts. "Harpeth Rising" fuses folk, newgrass, rock and classical into a unique musical experience. "The 33rd Illinois Regiment Band" is an authentic re-creation of the actual Civil War Era band that was mustered at Illinois State Normal University in 1861.

Illinois State University - $3,495
"ISU String Project" to provide quality string education to students who have no access to a public school program and to provide practical teacher training for ISU string majors. (Operates primarily in McLean County and Fairbury in Livingston County.)

Illinois State University, College of Fine Arts - $2,500
"Festival of India" to showcase aspects of Indian culture to the community at large to foster understanding, acceptance, and mutual respect.

Illinois State University, College of Fine Arts - AsiaConnect - $1,400
"The 2017 Asian Film Festival" to enhance understanding and appreciation of Asian cultures, increase interaction and communication between the Asian and local communities, and create an awareness of intercultural perspectives.

Illinois Symphony Orchestra - $5,000
"Free Tickets to Concert for Kids to Low-Income Students" to help enable all McLean County students in 3rd through 5th grades to attend the ISO Concert for Kids in November 2016.

Illinois Theatre Consortium - $1,000
"Seedling Encore: Theatre Program for Adults with Disabilities" to provide actor training, prepare a polished public performance, and provide community and social engagement for adults with disabilities.

Illinois Wesleyan University - $2,000
"IWU Civic Orchestra Conductor's Institute" to promote opportunities for junior high and high school orchestral music students to receive professional instruction, and to provide training and access to best practices to their school music directors and conductors.

Illinois Wesleyan University - $4,800
"IWU School of Music Summer Music Programs" to provide intensive, professional training for young musicians and a free public concert series in Bloomington-Normal.

Inside Out Accessible Art - $3,000
"IOAA Art Education Program" to pay for art supplies needed to provide affordable, integrated and accessible basic level art education to individuals with disabilities, seniors, and the community at large.

Labyrinth Outreach Services to Women - $2,524
"Art Therapy for Recovery" to expose clients of Labyrinth to art mediums which they may embrace as part of their "healing tool box" to help them gain healthier living strategies.

Lincoln's Festival in Bloomington - $2,500
"Lincoln's Festival in Bloomington" to create programs and activities that will tell and preserve the local stories of Abraham Lincoln's life and times.

Odell Public Library District - $1,200
"How Does Your Garden Grow?" to promote reading over the six-week period when school is not in session to help students maintain reading skills.

Share the Music - $2,000
"Share the Music" to collect quality, serviceable musical instruments through an instrument recycling program and loan them at low (or no) cost to music education students in elementary school through high school who cannot afford instrument rentals.

St. Mary's Catholic School - $3,000
"St. Mary's Catholic School Music Education Program" to increase student knowledge of multi-cultural music so as to promote acceptance and appreciation of diversity; drum circles provide a safe place for children to experience improvisation, community, and team-building.

Sugar Grove Nature Center - $2,355
"Pigs on the Prairie Puppet Show" to share the art of puppetry and live theatre with youth and families while in an environment that fosters nature stewardship and awareness and appreciation of wild animals.

USA Ballet (Prairie Dance Theatre) - $1,500
"ABC…Dance" to introduce and expand awareness of dance and its benefits to pre- and elementary-school students at five schools in McLean and DeWitt Counties.

YWCA McLean County - $3,000
"Young Wonder Early Learning" to provide art experiences and exploration necessary for children to fully develop cognitive, social and motor abilities.

28 Mirza/Arts and Culture Grants totaling $76,750 were awarded in 2015

Atlanta Public Library District - $5,000
"Eureka!" - To develop a sense of artistic discovery in children and young people through a 3-week summer arts discovery camp, a monthly reading and art program, and after-school art clubs in creative writing and visual art.

Bandsavers - $3,250
"Instrumental Music in District 429 Pontiac Community Consolidated Schools" - To support the instrumental music programs in grades 5 through 8 and an after school glee club for 7^th and 8^th grade students.

Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts - $3,000
"BCPA Student Spotlight Series" - To engage Pre-K through 12^th grade students in the arts through live theatrical performance and residency programming that will compliment and expand in-classroom programs and activities that meet Illinois Learning Standards.

Brass Band of Central Illinois - $1,700
"New Music and Arrangements for 2015/2016 Concert Season" - To purchase new music and arrangements to increase the music library and enhance and expand concert selections.

Children's Discovery Museum - $3,000
"Creative Arts Camps" - To expose children K through 6^th grade in creative arts elements and experiences related to puppetry, musical theater, dance, set design, prop development and costume creation.

Children's Home + Aid - $2,000
"Art Education at the Scott Early Learning Center" - To enrich the care and education children receive through weekly expressive or multicultural art activities and a monthly visit by a community artist.

Clinton Community YMCA - $1,000
"Arts & Humanities Program" - To provide seven weekly classes for 6^th through 8^th grade students that will introduce and engage them in sculpting, painting and/or drawing.

Cultural Festival - $2,000
"Cultural Festival African Dance Workshop" - To provide a free summer African Dance Workshop which provides youth of various ages professional instruction on the art and history of African dance and incorporates the teaching of African drumming.

David Davis Mansion - $1,950
"Historic Costume Collection" - To purchase men's costumes that accurately reflect the styles from the 1870s to be used in history education programming that uses live actors.

Heartland Theatre Company - $3,000
"Tribes" - To hire an interpreter for the deaf at performances of "Tribes" and to teach sign language to cast members to be used within a play that deals with conflicts between deaf and hearing cultures.

Home Sweet Home Ministries - $1,000
"Accessible Art: Engaged in Community" - To introduce community-based arts education opportunities to men, women, and children who are clients of HSHM.

Illinois State University's Midwest Institute of Opera - $4,000
"MIOperatunities" - To enrich the community through high quality, accessible, free opera performances, presentations and hands-on activities.

Illinois State University's School of Music - $2,900
"2014 Concerts on the Quad" - To fund performances by the musical groups Panoramic and the Jodi Beach Trio.

Illinois State University - $3,300
"ISU String Project" - To offer low-cost instruction from ISU School of Music faculty and undergraduate and graduate students on orchestral stringed instruments to children primarily in McLean and Livingston Counties.

Illinois Symphony Orchestra - $4,000
"Free Tickets for Low Income Students to ISO Concert for Kids" - To provide tickets and transportation for low income students and schools to attend ISO's "Concert for Kids" in April, 2016.

Illinois Theatre Consortium's Seedling Theatre - $1,500
"Seedling Encore" - To begin a new aspect of Seedling Theatre's mission by extending participation in theatrical productions to adults with disabilities who are 18 years of age or older where previously this experience was only available to children and youth with disabilities. 

Illinois Wesleyan University - $1,500
"Civic Orchestra Conductor's Institute" - To conduct a one-day intensive program of instruction, guidance, and collaboration for junior high and high school music directors and their students.

Illinois Wesleyan University - $3,000
"Summer Music Program" - To provide a two- to three-week intensive educational experience for musicians aged 12 to 17 in which they are immersed in professional training with music faculty and professional guest artists.

Lincoln's Festival in Bloomington - $2,000
"Lincoln's Festival in Bloomington" - To produce an annual event that celebrates Abraham Lincoln's connection to Bloomington-Normal and surrounding communities through Civil War reenactments, tours of historic sites, lectures, and theatrical, cultural, and musical presentations.

Marcfirst - $4,000
"Marc Making" - To provide self-employment opportunities to individuals with developmental disabilities to create and market their artwork through assistance in technique and the business aspects of being a professional artist.

McLean County Arts Center - $4,000
"ROVER Mobile Arts Center" - To provide three-week teaching residencies at 10 high schools and junior high schools in McLean County that do not typically offer art classes, culminating in a professional gallery exhibition of the students' work.

McLean County Diversity Project - $1,000
"The Laramie Project" - To stage two performances of "The Laramie Project" at the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts by high school students who participate in MCDP.

Music Connections Foundation - $4,450
"Ninos y Musica" - To provide a bilingual Kindermusik early childhood music education program for low-income Hispanic children which encourages learning English in the home to aid language development necessary for success in school and community.

Odell Public Library District - $1,000
"Summer Reading - Read to the Rhythm" - To provide a six-week summer reading program primarily to help K through 6^th grade children retain reading skills through books, activities, and programs related to music.

Penguin Project of McLean County - $5,000
"Penguin Project" - To enable a theatrical troupe of young artists with developmental delays and disabilities, and their peer mentors, to perform modified versions of Broadway musicals.

Regional Alternative School - $4,000
"Westside Story: Creating a Public Work of Art" - To produce a public work of art created by RAS students under the tutelage of professional mural artist, Joel Bergner, that bridges Downtown Bloomington with the West Side.

Share the Music - $1,200
"Share the Music" - To collect quality, serviceable musical instruments through an instrument recycling program and loan them at low (or no) cost to music education students in elementary school through high school who cannot afford instrument rentals.

YWCA McLean County - $3,000
"Young Wonders Music Program" - To educate young children about different types and origins of music and encouraging self-expression through music.

22 Mirza/Arts and Culture Grants totaling $57,600 were awarded in 2014

Atlanta Public Library District - $5,000
"Arts Discovery Camp" - Program provides up to 90 children K-5 the opportunity to work with professional artists in theater, music and visual arts and to perform or display their works for the public.

Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts - $3,000
"BCPA Student Spotlight Series" - Goal is to engage 5,000 students and teachers Pre-K through 12 with live theatrical performance and residency programming that will compliment and expand in-classroom programs and activities that meet Illinois Learning Standards.

Brass Band of Central Illinois - $3,000
"Spring 2015 Concert" - Group's mission is to increase awareness and appreciation of the traditional British brass band style of instrumental music. Grant will pay for a visiting artist to perform at the Spring 2015 concert.

Community Players Theatre - $1,720
"Of Mice and Men School Production" - Students from middle school up will be able to attend a live performance during the school day and to participate in a Q&A session with the actors. Teachers will have access to curriculum and lesson plans aligned with the play's themes.

Conexiones Latinas de McLean County - $4,142
"Ballet Folklorico de Central Illinois" - This new program will use qualified instructors to teach up to 20 students traditional Mexican dance, history and geography with a public performance planned at the end of 8 weeks. Primary expense is start-up costs for costumes and equipment.

Girls Scouts of Central Illinois- $2,000
"Art at Peairs" - Program is a multi-disciplinary summer camp where 90-150 girls in grades 1-5 will work with local arts professionals, volunteers, and Girl Scouts staff to expand their creative capacities and learn to collaborate with one another.

Heartland Theatre Company - $2,310
"The Glass Menagerie" - HTC will provide an opportunity for area high school students to attend a special showing of the production with a talk-back afterwards. Students will receive information about the play from local experts in drama and in family dynamics.

Home Sweet Home Ministries - $700
"Creative Expressions" - Program will provide opportunities for homeless men, women and children to express themselves through creative arts in order to promote self-expression and build self-esteem among individuals who often lack confidence in their abilities and self-worth.

Illinois Shakespeare Festival - $2,500
"Modern Shakespeare for Modern Youth" - Disadvantaged youth from the Regional Alternative School will adapt Shakespeare's work into a contemporary and accessible form while earning academic credit in a school where there are no formal arts courses.

Illinois State University - $699
"Boys and Girls Club Friday Arts Experience" - ISU teacher candidates teach seven 1½-hour open-ended arts lessons to a multi-aged group of 20-35 children. Funding is for supplies.

Illinois State University - $3,250
"2014 Concerts on the Quad" - Grant will pay for performances at two concerts by the groups L'Esprit Creole and Switchback.

Illinois State University - $2,000
"Saturday Creative Drama for Kids" - Program will teach approximately 200 children K-6 about the elements of drama and will gain a stronger social awareness, skills in empathy, enhanced creativity and appreciation of theater.

Illinois State University - $2,000
"ISU String Project" - Program offers low-cost instruction from ISU School of Music faculty and undergraduate and graduate students on orchestral stringed instruments to children primarily in McLean and Livingston counties.

Illinois Symphony Orchestra - $3,500
"Free Tickets for Low Income Students to ISO Concert for Kids" - Grant will provide tickets and transportation for elementary school students to attend ISO's The Concert for Kids.

Illinois Wesleyan University - $1,500
"Summer Music Program" - Program provides intensive music camps for junior and senior high school students with instruction from professional musicians. The camps present faculty and student concerts for the community.

Labyrinth Outreach Services to Women - $2,559
"A New Vision of Me" - Program will provide women the opportunity to deal with the issues that resulted in their court involvement through creative channels and to facilitate therapeutic conversations with the case worker. A public art show is planned.

McLean County Arts Center - $5,000
"ROVER: Mobile Arts Center" -A rural outreach program designed to encourage, promote, and practice visual arts for youth and adults who reside in McLean County. Thirty workshops will conclude with an all-inclusive exhibition of the participant's' works.

Midwest Institute of Opera - $3,500
"MIOpportunities" - Program seeks to enrich the community through high quality, accessible, free opera performances, presentations and hands-on activities. Grant will help pay for production costs.

Odell Public Library District - $1,000
"Paws to Read Summer Reading 2014" - Summer reading program designed to help K-6 children maintain their reading skills over the summer. Activities will include photography projects and a pictorial project using drawings, collage or photography of their favorite animals.

Share the Music - $3,000
"Share the Music" - An instrument recycling program that accepts quality, serviceable musical instruments, rehabilitates and refurbishes them, and provides them at low (or no) cost to financially qualified El-Hi students in music education

University Galleries at ISU - $4,086
"All Around Art" - Program provides free visual arts workshops that encourage use of a range of materials. The focus is on middle- and high school-aged students but will include age appropriate lessons for K-5. Adults will be encouraged to participate during community engagement activities.

Western Avenue Community Center - $1,134
"Summer Camp" - Program brings 6 different local artists to discuss their art. Campers then participate in a workshop in which they create a piece of art similar to the visiting artist's.

21 Mirza/Arts and Culture Grants totaling $51,364 were awarded in 2013 

Atlanta Public Library and Museum - $3,500
"Children's Discovery Camp" - To support a three-week arts day camp for children from 1^st through 6^th grades.

Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts - $2,500
"Summer Concert Series" - To assist with artist fees for Bayou Blowout, a Mardi Gras/Louisiana- themed event on June 22, 2013.

Blues Blowtorch Society - $1,000
"Keeping the Blues Alive: Blues in the Schools" - To support interactive programming for children aged 17 years and younger that fosters an appreciation of the American heritage known as "The Blues."

Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington-Normal - $940
"Mini Masters" - To purchase music and guitar stands, recorders, harmonicas and a music library for free music lessons taught by Illinois Wesleyan University students.

Community Cancer Center - $3,000
"Wall of Hope" - To purchase canvases, mounting panels, framing, paint, and other supplies for patients, families, staff and local artists to create images of hope and promote healing and well-being. Approximately 150 works will be permanently displayed.

Downtown Bloomington Association - $5,000
"Downtown Bloomington Mural Project" - To assist with visiting artist expenses in creating a high-quality work of public art. A group of local youth will participate and have unique opportunities to learn about mural painting and artistic collaboration.

Girl Scouts of Central Illinois - $2,000
"Art at Peairs" -  To support 40 girls in grades 1 through 8 in their exploration of various art media including portraiture, collaborative book-making, and sculpting at Camp Peairs.

Illinois Symphony Orchestra - $3,000
"Education Concerts for Kindergarten - 6^th Grade" - To help provide free tickets and busing to the Education Concerts in 2014 for those students/schools unable to pay.

Illinois Wesleyan University - $1,500
"Summer Music Program" - To support scholarships to local junior and senior high school students for intensive summer music study at the Chamber Music and Cello Camps.

ISU School of Art - $5,000
"Friday Arts Experience" - To purchase supplies for 14 art lessons, 40 children per session, taught by ISU student volunteers at the Bloomington-Normal Boys and Girls Club.

ISU School of Music- $3,000
"2013 Concerts on the Quad" - To pay artist fees for the group Tangleweed, a quartet of musicians from Chicago.

ISU School of Theatre and Dance - $1,500
"Creative Drama and Puppetry Programs for Kids" - To support creative drama classes for youth in grades K-6 in which students explore literature, world issues, and social/personal awareness through the art of drama and puppetry.

ISU String Project - $1,000
"ISU String Project Development and Expansion" - To assist the ISU String Project to continue to develop and expand its offerings, particularly at its outreach classes in Fairbury.

McLean County Arts Center - $3,000
"ROVER: Mobile Arts Center Workshops" - To support a 10-month program of three visual art workshops a month throughout McLean County that build on foundations created from past Mirza grant opportunities.

Moses Montefiore Congregation - $1,350
"Stories for a Soul: A Journey through Israel with Artist-in-Residence Noa Baum" - To help with artist fees for a weekend community event.

Music Connections Foundations - $3,104
"Niños y Música: A Bilingual Early Childhood Music Education Program" - To partially fund two 12-week semesters of classes that serve approximately 20 children aged three months to five years and 24 to 35 adults who attend with their children.

Salvation Army - $2,500
"Youth Night" -  To support programming designed to broaden the horizons of 30 to 40 youth by providing them the opportunity to learn music, dance, and arts and crafts.

Twin Cities Ballet - $1,000
"Nutcracker" - To help with expenses for matinee productions so that Twin Cities Ballet can expand the audience of school children and other groups who otherwise could not afford to attend a performance.

University Galleries of Illinois State University- $3,250
"Rural Documentary Collection Youth Project" - To provide trained documentary photographers and materials for workshops for approximately 100 youth and to mount photo exhibitions of the youths' work at ISU Galleries and the McLean, Livingston and Woodford County Fairs.

USA Ballet - $2,500
"Summer Dance" - To provide 10 full scholarships for the entire summer term - unlimited classes - for eligible students ages 3 through 17 and help with fees for the performance venue.

Western Avenue Community Center - $1,720
"Western Avenue Summer Academy" - To provide art instruction and materials for 12 ninety-minute workshops at the McLean County Art Center for 25 low-income, at-risk students.

17 Mirza/Arts and Culture Grants totaling $26,200 were awarded in 2012

Atlanta Public Library and Museum - $2,000
"Saturdays on the Lawn" - To support five days of visual and performing arts activities on the grounds of the Library. The recommended grant will pay for two days of activities.

Community Players - $540
 To provide sign language interpretation once for each of the season performances, Theatre for Youth production, the Lab Show and the 90^th anniversary event. The recommended grant will pay for two performances as a pilot program to assess need and usage.

Cultural Festival - $1,000
To sponsor a performance by virtuoso violinist Lee England, Jr. at the 33^rd annual Cultural Festival Weekend. The recommended grant will provide partial payment for Lee England or funding for a separate opera program outlined in the proposal.

Illinois Shakespeare Festival - $3,000
"Hispanic Theatre Puppet Troupe" - To establish, in collaboration with Western Avenue Community Center, a Hispanic puppet troupe to perform bilingual shows about Shakespeare's work, classical theatre, and Hispanic culture. The recommended grant will partially fund the project.

ISU School of Art - $725
To purchase supplies for fourteen art lessons, forty children per session, taught by ISU student volunteers at the Bloomington-Normal Boys and Girls Club.

ISU School of Music - $1,800
"2012 Concerts on the Quad" - To pay artists' fees for Ashley Lewis and Ashton Gap, a bluegrass band, and Jimmy's Bavarians, a traditional family-oriented show band. Recommended grant will pay for the bluegrass performance.

ISU School of Music- $1,000
"String Project" - To expand offerings of the ISU String Project at outreach classes in Fairbury.

Illinois Symphony Orchestra - $3,000
To provide up to 25 buses, up to 1,000 free tickets, or a combination of both for students/schools, unable to pay, to attend ISO's Education Concerts. Recommended grant will partially fund the program.

Illinois Theatre Consortium - $300
To purchase T-shirts for campers and staff at Seedling Summer Lovin' Theatre Camp for special needs children and young adults.

IWU Summer Music Program - $1,500
To support more than 25 free concerts to the public and scholarships to low-income students for intensive summer music study.

McLean County Arts Center - $2,650
To provide support and materials for 25 pen and ink workshops throughout the community in collaboration with a group exhibition titled "In Your Neighborhood." 

McLean County Diversity Project - $500
To assist with the rental fee of the Bloomington Center for Performing Arts for the Diversity Project's production of "The Miracle Worker."

Music Connections Foundation - $2,245
"Ninos y Musica: A Bilingual Early Childhood Music Education Program" - To fund two 12-week semesters of classes for 12-15 students aged three months to five years and their mothers. Recommended grant will pay for one semester.

Odell Public Library District - $500
To fund two arts-related programs for the Reading Is So Delicious summer program.

UNITY Community Center - $800
To provide ballet instruction, dance slippers, and exercise clothing for 30 to 50 at-risk youth.

University Galleries - $2,740
"Mobile Projects Unit: TEAM (Teen Education & Art Mentors)" - To fund school travel to and from the gallery and art materials for approximately 300 students. Recommended grant will partially fund program.

Western Avenue Community Center - $1,900
To support the Summer Academy's percussion and art sessions for approximately 25 low-income, at-risk students. Recommended grant will pay for percussion sessions.

11 Mirza/Arts and Culture Grants totaling $20,000 were awarded in 2011 

Bloomington-Normal Youth Symphony - $1,000
To provide clinicians for a musician workshop in Fall 2011 as part of preparation for the youth symphony's fall concert.

Girl Scouts of Central Illinois - $1,500
To fund "Artrageous!," a five-day program to introduce 40 to 100 girls in grades 1 to 6 to various art media including dance, theatre, creative writing, painting, sculpting, and photography.

Illinois Shakespeare Festival - $900
To fund "Bard on the Air," broadcast programming based on Shakespeare to be aired on WXRJ to expose new populations and generations to the arts.

Illinois State University - $2,100
"Concerts on the Quad" - To pay artists' fees for outdoor summer concerts.

McLean County Arts Center - $3,500
To provide funding for a juried watercolor exhibition and watercolor classes and workshops in conjunction with the exhibition. To provide classes and workshops for underserved youth and promotion of the event.

McLean County Dance Association- $750
To purchase three mirrors to better utilize dance studio space.

McLean County Diversity Project - $500
To help fund the May 2011 performance by program participants of "The Diary of Anne Frank" at the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts.

Music Connections Foundation - $2,200
To help fund a unique bilingual Kindermusik program for low income Hispanic children to encourage learning English in the home and to aid language development necessary for success in school.

Penguin Project of McLean County - $750
To support a program in which young persons with disabilities are partnered with peer age mentors in performing a junior version of a Broadway production.

Prairie Fire Theatre - $3,000
To fund a tour of approximately 30 Central Illinois elementary schools and organizations with a one-act opera production of "The Ugly Duckling."

University Galleries - $3,800
To fund "Picture This," a research-driven, standards-based educational program for regional junior/senior high students to use visual art to excite critical/creative thinking.

2 Mirza/Arts and Culture Grants totaling $2,006 were awarded in 2010 

Community Players - $1,506
"Hearing Assistance Program" - To provide free hearing assistance system that will be integrated with sound system to better serve patrons.

Illinois State University - $500
"String Project" - To provide low-cost instruction on stringed instruments to students who have no access to school programs.