A directory of grant providers to support your artistic practice in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest.
A subscription-based resource from Candid providing “easy-to-use, self-service tools and resources to help nonprofits worldwide become more viable grant applicants and build strong, sustainable organizations.” This resource has free access at many locations across the country.
A subscription-based resource with information about philanthropic opportunities worldwide. The directory is accessible onsite at partner locations (including most public libraries) through IP recognition, which means you may be able to gain access to the link above without log-in credentials. Search here for the nearest location, or check with your local library branch for more information.
A publication produced by the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN), designed to help grantseekers by providing an overview of the state’s most active foundations and giving programs. The directory includes basic information on over 100 community foundations, corporate giving programs and private foundations. Copies can be purchased from MCN’s website for $80 for nonmembers, and $40 for members.
This program provides general operating support to high quality, established arts organizations that produce, present, or exhibit works of art; to organizations that provide a broad range of services to artists; and to community arts schools and conservatories that make arts learning available to Minnesotans of all ages and abilities.
Project grants to support activities that share, explore, pass on, express, or celebrate culture through the arts. Culture may be defined by a common ethnicity, tribal affiliation, geographic or regional identity, occupation, language, or recreation. Traditional and contemporary forms of cultural expression may be funded in this program. Funds could be used to support practicing a cultural art form; presenting cultural festivals, community celebrations, performances, media or exhibitions; offering demonstrations, etc. Funds could also be used to deepen or pass on cultural traditions through apprenticeships or documentation.
This program provides general operating support to high quality, established arts organizations that produce, present, or exhibit works of art; to organizations that provide a broad range of services to artists; and to community arts schools and conservatories that make arts learning available to Minnesotans of all ages and abilities.
This pilot program offers project grants to increase the capacity of the arts sector to make arts experiences more accessible.
Fellowship supporting artists whose work explores racial justice with a particular focus on mass incarceration. Annual December deadline for application.
Project-based grants and mentorship grants for US-based Latino artists across multiple disciplines. Annual fall deadline for application.
Award exceptional mid career artists with a grant intended to support their ability to freely work for six months to a year. Applications due in September.
Awards grants each year to organizations and individuals for audio preservation projects, as well as scientific research efforts. Letters of inquiry typically due in October.
The Creative Capital Award empowers individual artists with unrestricted project grants and professional services to bring bold, innovative, and impactful new works to life.
A global community “advancing the interest of awesome in the universe, $1000 at a time.” Each fully autonomous chapter supports awesome projects through micro-grants, usually given out monthly. In the Upper Midwest, there are chapters in North Minneapolis, Minnesota and Madison Wisconsin.
Minnesota Quilters, Inc. provides educational and service project grants as well as donations to promote interest and education in quilting, in amounts ranging from $50 to $500. They accept grant application each year between July 1 and September 16.
The Visual Arts Fund awards five $5,000 and three $10,000 grants to artists in the Twin Cities metro region. The VAF supports the development of experimental projects and/or new initiatives that engage the public with visual art.
Forecast Public Art offers a Mid-Career Project Grant, a Mid-Career Professional Development Grant, an Early-Career Artist Project Grant, and an Early-Career Artist Research & Development Grant. Applications typically open in late summer for a grant period of 11 months the following year.
The Joyce Award is the only regional program dedicated to supporting artists of color in major Great Lakes cities, including Minneapolis-St. Paul. Each award of $75,000 supports an artist in the creation and production of a new work and provides the commissioning organization with the resources needed to engage audiences, new partners, and their surrounding communities at large.
The McKnight Foundation offers fellowships in a variety of disciplines: Book Artists, Ceramic Artists, Choreography, Composers, Community-Engaged Artists, Dancers, Fiber Artists, Media Artists, Musicians, Playwrights, Printmakers, Theater Artists, Visual Artists, and Writers.
Film, Video, and Digital Production Grants: Production grants of up to $30,000 to early career film, video and digital production directors from Minnesota or New York City.
Jerome Hill Artist Fellowships: 60 early career artists (10 each in the disciplines of dance, film/new media, literature, music, theater and visual arts) will be awarded two-year Fellowships of $20,000 per year.
Sweet Relief Musicians Fund provides financial assistance to all types of career musicians who are struggling to make ends meet while facing illness, disability, or age-related problems.”
Society of Singers helps singers who have financial needs resulting from personal, medical, or financial crises. Qualified individuals are “any individual who has derived his/her primary income as a professional singer for 5 years and more.” (Southern California)
Music Maker Relief Foundation offers a Musician Sustenance program that includes an emergency needs funding program for income-eligible artists over the age of 55 facing an unexpected situation such as theft, illness, or natural disaster.
The Musicians Foundation helps professional musicians by providing “crisis relief to musicians in the wake of unexpected hardship or natural disaster.” (New York)
Jazz Musicians Emergency Fund through the Jazz Foundation of America helps “save musicians from eviction and provide emergency living expenses.” (New York)
New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) Rauschenberg Medical Emergency Grants are up to $5,000 support direct treatment expenses for medical, dental or mental health emergencies. Choreographers, those creating in the visual arts, and those creating in the film/video/electronic/digital arts are eligible.
Artists+ Material Grant from Visual AIDS is for artists living with HIV in need of financial assistance for materials to create their work. Must be a member to apply. (New York)
The Pollock-Krasner Foundation offers grants to artists based on “recognizable artistic merit and demonstrable financial need, whether professional, personal or both.” (New York)
CERF+ has an emergency assistance program that includes grants and/or brokered assistance, such as booth fee waivers and discounts or donations on supplies and equipment to artists facing recent, career threatening emergency, such as an illness, accident, fire or natural disaster. CERF+ also has a wide variety of emergency resources for artists. (Vermont)
The Artists’ Fellowship, Inc. is a private, charitable foundation that “assists professional fine artists (painters, graphic artists, printmakers, sculptors) and their families in times of emergency, disability, or bereavement.” (New York)
Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation, Inc. has an Emergency Grant program that is intended to provide qualified artists with one-time interim financial assistance in the event of an unforeseen, catastrophic event. (New York)
Rauschenberg Dancer Emergency Grants are one-time grants of up to $5,000 to professional dancers who have experienced dire financial emergencies due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences, including lack or imminent endangerment of essentials such as housing, medicine/healthcare, utilities, and food.
The Foundation for Contemporary Arts offers an Emergency Grant program for performing artists who have sudden opportunities to publicly present work without enough time to seek other funding or “incur unexpected or unbudgeted expenses” for works that are almost completed and have showing dates. (New York)
The Actors Fund also offers an Entertainment Assistance Program, which functions as an entryway and guide through The Fund’s many programs when facing personal or work-related problems. It is also a conduit for emergency financial assistance in times of pressing need or in response to catastrophic events. The Fund also offers a Dancers Resources Program that provides aid and resources for dancers in the event of significant injury. (New York, Chicago, Los Angeles)
The Writers Emergency Assistance Fund helps established freelance writers across the country who, because of “advanced age, illness, disability, a natural disaster, or an extraordinary professional crisis are unable to work.” (New York)
PEN American administers two emergency funds: the PEN Writers’ Emergency Fund and the PEN Fund for Writers and Editors with HIV/AIDS. (New York)
Serving Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington counties. Two individual artist grant, the Next Step Fund and Arts Impact for Individuals.
Three available grant categories. Deadlines in October, April, July, February, and on an ongoing basis. Serving Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Houston, Olmsted, Mower, Rice, Steele, Wabasha, and Winona counties.
Four available grant categories. Serving Blue Earth, Brown, Faribault, LeSueur, Martin, Nicollet, Sibley, Waseca, and Watonwan counties.
Five available grant categories. Serving Benton, Sherburne, Stearns, and Wright counties.
Application deadlines for five grant categories, November 1st, February 1st, April 1st, and March 1st. Serving Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, and Pine counties.
Four available grant categories. Serving Big Stone, Chippewa, Cottonwood, Jackson, Kandiyohi, Lincoln, Lac qui Parle, Lyon, McLeod, Meeker, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone, Redwood, Renville, Rock, Swift, and Yellow Medicine counties.
Deadlines in January, April, July, October, monthly, and ongoing in three available grant categories. Serving Cass, Crow Wing, Morrison, Todd, and Wadena counties.
Five available grant categories. Serving Becker, Clay, Douglas, Grant, Otter Tail, Pope, Stevens, Traverse, and Wilkin counties.
Five available grant categories with deadlines in October, January, March, April, and July as well as rolling deadlines, though programs are temporarily on hold for FY21. Serving Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, and Saint Louis counties. A COVID-19 emergency relief grant has been offered in 2020; check back for more information.
Grant deadlines available August through March. Serving Beltrami, Clearwater, Hubbard, Lake of the Woods, and Mahnomen counties. Four available grant categories, though some have been suspended for 2020-21, including the R2AC fellowship. Region 2 offers a COVID-related relief grant for eligible artists whose income has been impacted by the pandemic.
Applications are generally due in October, March, and on a monthly basis. Serving Kittson, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, and Roseau counties. Five available grant categories with rolling, monthly, and annual application deadlines, including Legacy, Artist projects and quarterly “Quick Turn Around” grant on a first come first serve basis.
Project grants to help individual artists and culture bearers develop or sustain their creative practices and meaningfully engage with Minnesotans. Grantees may use funds to support their creative practice and meaningfully connect to and engage with audiences, participants, students, and/or communities during the grant period.
Project grants to support activities that share, explore, pass on, express, or celebrate culture through the arts. Culture may be defined by a common ethnicity, tribal affiliation, geographic or regional identity, occupation, language, or recreation. Traditional and contemporary forms of cultural expression may be funded in this program.
Project grants to support individuals and organizations in providing meaningful arts experiences for Minnesotans within their communities. Funds may be used for a variety of arts programming such as creating and/or presenting concerts, plays, tours, exhibitions, arts festivals, public art, or other kinds of activities that provide Minnesotans opportunities to engage in arts activities that are instilled into community or public life.
Project grants to help Minnesotans develop personal relationships with an art form(s) by supporting learning experiences for individuals of all ages and abilities. Project grant funds may be used for age-appropriate classes, workshops, camps, after-school programs, online education programs, community arts education, school residences or partnerships, etc.
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