The Joyce Foundation

It was an absolute thrill this year to highlight the work of #JoyceAwards honorees this year in commemorating the 20th anniversary of the awards. See below, the groundbreaking project of 2020 awardees Ty Defoe & Larissa FastHorse.

This year the Democracy team created "Democracy Desk" to highlight the work of grantee partners in the #GreatLakes region to ensure access to free and fair elections. The work of "Unlock Civics" launched by Chicago Votes and Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights is one of many inspiring features. ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/gEPTEwWk

Our Fall 2024 newsletter outlines much of the outstanding work of our grantees and staff in Q4. Click the link below to read all about it. Happy Holidays!

ICYMI: Please enjoy this #JoyceAwards 20th Anniversary Spotlight on 2023 Joyce Awards honoree and multimedia artist Marisa Moran Jahn's mobile art installation at the National Public Housing Museum.

We're wrapping up our 20th anniversary celebration of the Joyce Awards with a fascinating Q&A with 2014 honoree Lynn Nottage— arguably the nation's most prolific living playwright, whose plays are routinely among the most produced on stages nationwide and abroad each year. One of those Tony-nominated plays Clyde's actually started as a Joyce Awards-winning commission with Minneapolis' Guthrie Theater called Floyd's! Click the link below to read all about the legacy of Floyd's and Clyde's, the importance of awards programs like the Joyce Awards in developing new artistic works, and Lynn's advice for young playwrights. We're proud to have a connection to Lynn and to the development of Clyde's, which has become a beloved and enduring artistic feat. Read the full Q&A here: https://lnkd.in/gRwmBmYU  📷 Headshot courtesy of Lynn Savarese Photography #JoyceAwards #Theater #LynnNottage

Local #journalism is essential for keeping communities informed, engaged, and empowered. With the right safeguards, innovative public policies could have a significant impact in creating a better climate for news and information providers to succeed.   Hugh Dellios, director of Joyce's Journalism Program, shares his insights on the importance of these efforts and how they’re helping to revitalize local news.

After years of untreated sewage flooding streets, homes, and yards in Cahokia Heights, IL, a settlement was reached with the EPA and DOJ to begin addressing the issue. The city must invest $30M to repair its failing sewer system, which has violated the Clean Water Act and created significant public health and environmental risks. Joyce grantee Equity Legal Services, Inc. played a critical role in advocating for residents. Their efforts to document the issue, raise awareness, and push for accountability helped bring attention to the severity of the problem. While the settlement marks progress, significant work remains. Local officials must address the root causes of the sewer system failures to ensure meaningful and lasting improvements for the community. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gcDsEYCU #EnvironmentalJustice #PolicyWatch

20th Anniversary Spotlight on artist, writer, and educator Aram Han Sifuentes’s “Citizenship for All: Storytelling for Immigrant Justice through NongGi Making”—a project bringing together communities in Chicago’s Albany Park neighborhood through storytelling and hands-on artistic creation. Sifuentes, a 2022 #JoyceAwards recipient alongside HANA Center Chicago, has facilitated over 50 workshops where the public can learn a wide range of textile techniques to create protest banners modeled on traditional Korean “NongGi” flags, a symbol of political resistance with deep cultural and historical roots. “In these workshops, which are attended predominantly by first and second generation BIPOC immigrants and adoptees, we listen to participants share their stories. The support from the Joyce Award gave me a strong foundation to build this project on and really deepened my commitment to community-centered work. I feel so lucky to be working with such an incredible organization like HANA Center, whose mission and work I truly believe in.” — #AramHanSifuentes 🎥: Jonni Pepper #JoyceAwards #JoyceAwards20 #Community #AlbanyPark #KoreanArt #NongGi

Join us at 11AM CST, 1/14/2025 with researchers Ali Rowhani-Rahbar & Elizabeth Weybright exploring handgun carrying habits among rural youth & gun violence prevention programming targeted to them. The latest in a series commissioned by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Register ⬇️ #MarkYourCalendars https://lnkd.in/gM9pmxFJ

We recently created a rapid response "Safety Fund" to help state #Democracy grantee partners with safety and security planning before and after election season. With an uptick in threats directed at election officials and civic groups working on elections during a particularly contentious election season, the fund was needed, Democracy Program Director Carrie Davis said. Read more ⬇️ in the latest installment of "Democracy Desk". https://lnkd.in/gtQy5STH