91´«Ã½

CHICAGO — The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½) are accepting applications for Latino Americans: 500 Years of History, a public programming initiative for libraries and other cultural institutions.

will support the American public’s exploration of the rich and varied history and experiences of Latinos, who have helped shape the United States over the last five centuries and who have become, with more than 50 million people, the country’s largest minority group.

The cornerstone of the project is the six-part, NEH-supported documentary film "Latino Americans," created for PBS in 2013 by the WETA public television station. The award-winning series chronicles Latinos in the United States from the 16th century to present day. (Learn more about the series at .).

Two hundred selected sites will receive:

• "Latino Americans" DVD set with public performance rights;
• cash grants of $3,000 to $10,000 to hold public film screenings, discussion groups, oral history initiatives, local history exhibitions, multi-media projects, performances and other programs about Latino history and culture;
• promotional materials to support local outreach;
• access to additional programming and humanities resources developed by national project scholars, librarian advisors and outreach experts.

The grant opportunity is open to public, academic and community college libraries; museums; community organizations and youth groups; state humanities councils; public television and radio affiliate stations; and other educational and cultural institutions.

The application deadline is May 1. Read the guidelines and apply online at .

Latino Americans: 500 Years of History is part of an NEH initiative, The Common Good: Humanities in the Public Square.

About the National Endowment for the Humanities

Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at .

About the 91´«Ã½

The 91´«Ã½ is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with approximately 58,000 members in academic, public, school, government and special libraries. The mission of the 91´«Ã½ is to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.

About 91´«Ã½’s Public Programs Office

91´«Ã½’s Public Programs Office provides leadership, resources, training and networking opportunities that help thousands of librarians nationwide develop and host cultural programs for adult, young adult and family audiences. The mission of the 91´«Ã½ Public Programs Office is to promote cultural programming as an essential part of library service in all types of libraries. Projects include book and film discussion series, literary and cultural programs featuring authors and artists, professional development opportunities and traveling exhibitions. School, public, academic and special libraries nationwide benefit from the office’s programming initiatives.