Arts Ecosystem Grant

Important Deadlines for FY22:

Friday, Sept. 24, 2021 at 4:30 p.m. for projects beginning December 1, 2021
Your project must be completed, and grant funds spent by June 30, 2023.

For Fiscal Year 2022, ARAC has budgeted $20,000 for this round of grants

We are not making many rules for this program because we want to encourage innovation and experimentation. In our discussions with artists, arts organizations, and community leaders, we have found that creating networks of support for artists and the work they do is a real need and that our existing grant programs were not necessarily helpful to these ideas. We are happy to talk through your ideas before you get too far. Please feel free to email us at info@aracouncil.org or call us at (218) 722-0952 to start a conversation.

We would love to support projects that continue or expand the work of events like the Cool and Creative Get Together, the Creative Communities Leadership Institute, or the Twin Ports Arts Align project. But there is no requirement that you participated in one of these events to propose a project.

We encourage you to research ideas that have worked in other locations. Springboard for the Arts’ Creative Exchange website is a good place to look to see what has worked in other places. They have a number of toolkits for artists, organizations, and communities that are worth reviewing. https://springboardexchange.org

This is not a program to support festivals or similar activities. Only one of the projects may be located in Duluth.

Criteria:

Impact (60%): The value that your project has to the artistic community it is supposed to support. This will include how much community support (both of artists and of the arts-interested public) that you can demonstrate in your application.

Ability and Evaluation (40%): Your organization’s capacity to undertake your project. This includes: providing a budget that is realistic, feasible, and demonstrates a clear understanding of the scope of your project; and adequate support materials, including letters of commitment and support as necessary. Your plan should have a measurable outcome and a reasonable way to show that you were successful or ways to improve your project if you’d like to continue it.

Eligibility:

Organizations and Individuals are both eligible for this program.

Individuals
To be eligible to apply for this program, you must be at least eighteen years old, a U.S. citizen or have permanent resident status, and be a resident of Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, or St. Louis County or of the four Tribal Nations within our region including Bois Forte, Fond du Lac, Grand Portage, or Leech Lake (within Itasca County) for at least six months, and remain a Minnesota resident for the duration of the project. Individuals enrolled in arts-related degree programs are INELIGIBLE to apply.

Organizations
To be eligible, your organization must be located in the following Arrowhead counties: Aitkin, Cook, Carlton, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, or St. Louis or one of the four Tribal Nations within our region including Bois Forte, Fond du Lac, Grand Portage, or Leech Lake (within Itasca County).

What Kind of Organizations?

• State-registered and federally recognized non-profit, tax-exempt organizations

• Accredited schools

• Tribal governments

• Units of government

 To be eligible, your organization must be located in the following Arrowhead counties: Aitkin, Cook, Carlton, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, or St. Louis.

If your group has not yet received non-profit, tax-exempt status, you may apply by using a non-profit organization, accredited school, tribal government, or other unit of government as a fiscal sponsor. For information on how to use a Fiscal Sponsor, see the Fiscal Sponsor Guidelines page on our website, or contact us directly.

What Kinds of Things are INELIGIBLE for Funding?

•   The project attempts to influence any state or federal legislation

•   The activity involves out-of-state travel

•   The project requires excessive entry or exhibition fees, includes tuition, fees or work toward a degree

•   The project primarily involves developing school curriculum plans or teaching materials

•   The project promotes religious socialization

•   The project was once supported by state general fund appropriations

•   The project is designed for a private audience and is not open to the general public

•   The project is for capital improvement or construction

•   The funds are requested to purchase more than $600 worth of equipment or to purchase real property

•   The funds are requested for general operating support

•   The funds are requested for a project that serves as a benefit or fundraiser

How to Apply:
Please read the following guidelines completely before beginning your application, and feel free to contact the Grants Manager with questions.

Arts Ecosystem Grant Guidelines

Applications must be completed and submitted using the ARAC Grant Portal. Submissions in any other format, including email, will not be accepted. Instructions for navigating the online system can be found by clicking on the ‘Apply Now’ button below.

• The online application process will walk you through submitting your application.

• To be eligible, your application must include all materials listed as required in the online application.

• Applications must be received into the online system by 4:30 p.m. on the deadline date. Applications received after this time are ineligible and will not be reviewed. There are no exceptions to this policy.

Our review of these applications will have three steps:

1. A review committee of our board and community leaders will score the grants based on the criteria of Community Significance, Evaluation, and Ability.

2. That review committee will then look at the higher scoring applications and recommend three or more projects that best represent a wide section of the region and a variety of ideas.

3. ARAC’s board will then review the recommendations and approve the final project proposals.