General Grants and
Project Civil Discourse

AHC has a long history of funding projects that use the humanities to explore and engage with contemporary issues. Through competitive awards, called General Grants, funds are available for community-initiated projects that have as their primary purpose to help Arizonans understand and appreciate the humanities.

Project Civil Discourse, an AHC special initiative for 2008, developed in collaboration with organizations from around the state, seeks to widely share proven skills that can enhance and improve dialogue and discourse about the important issues that affect our collective future. AHC will give special consideration to General Grant proposals in the June 2008 grant cycle that unite a humanities perspective with civil discourse techniques for public discussion of contemporary issues.

Projects Funded

AHC awarded General Grants to the following projects, which serve as examples of contemporary issues addressed though the humanities. You may find it useful to review these descriptions for Project Civil Discourse project ideas and contacts.

Awarded June 2008
Arizona Historical Society/Northern Arizona Pioneers' Historical Society, Flagstaff. The History and Tradition of Indigent Care in Flagstaff, $975. Two presentations and a panel/public forum in September 2008 on the history and current status of indigent health care in Flagstaff. Project Director: Tom Carpenter, 928/523-8927.

Arizona State University West Department of Integrative Studies, Glendale. Civil Discourse Through Public Debate: Religious Diversity, $813. A public forum in Fall 2008 that explores religious diversity in the contemporary world. Project Director: Owen Anderson, 602/543-6027.

Hualapai Tribe Department of Cultural Resources, Peach Springs. 125 Years of Reservationhood: A Hualapai Retrospective, $3,000. A lecture-and-discussion series in late 2008/early 2009 that examines tribal history and its impact on contemporary social concerns. Project Director: Loretta Jackson Kelly, 928/769-2223.

Awarded November 2006
ASU Institute for Humanities Research, Tempe. Place of Refuge: Humanities Perspective on the Refugee Experience in Arizona. $3,000. A panel discussion series in 2006/2007 to explore historical and contemporary representations of the refugee experience through history, literature, and the arts. Project Director: Brian Gratton, 480/965-4300.

U of A Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Studies, Tucson. New American Destinies: Stories of Lesbian & Gay Migration, $2,345. A film-and-discussion event in March 2007 exploring the lesbian/gay migrant experience through a film set in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Project Director: Eithne Luibheid, 520/626-0029.

Awarded June 2006
ASU Department of Political Science, Tempe. Garfield Neighbors, $3,025. A documentary on the historic Garfield neighborhood of Phoenix, with four local viewings/discussions in February 2007, followed by wider Valley distribution. Project Director: Marilyn Dantico, 480/965-1316.

Awarded March 2005
Community Food Bank, Tucson. Fields to Tables. $5225. A photographic exhibit, with an opening event, demonstrating the impact of history, culture, language, and literature on the local food system using the stories of three families participating in CFB's "fields to tables" services. Project Director: Anita Fonte.