Art Project Grant
for Individuals

This grant provides funding up to $4,000 to any adult artists, in any arts discipline at any stage of their career.

This grant offers funding for costs associated with the exhibition, performance, or production of creative work, purchase of materials or equipment to create works of art, overcome a barrier to long term success, reach a new community or market, educational opportunities in the arts (excluding academic credit), and other opportunities to enhance your artistic development, such as working with a mentor artist, attending a conference, taking part in an artist residency program, or marketing yourself or your work.

Qualified applicants should apply regardless of their race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, national origin, status as a documented alien, or status as a qualified individual with a disability or protected veteran. Individuals who are Black, Indigenous, People of Color, People with Disabilities, and/or Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual/Agender, Two-Spirit (LGBTQIA2+) are encouraged to apply.


Important Dates for FY25:

Open: February 3, 2025
Deadline:
March 16, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.
Earliest Project Start Date:
June 1, 2025
Grant Review Date:
Review week April 28 – May 2, 2025 (specific dates TBD)
Notification Date:
The week after the board meeting, May 23 – 28, 2025

Deadlines are firm, applicants are encouraged to finish in advance of the deadline, staff is available during normal business hours to assist. Email admin@aracouncil.org or grants@aracouncil.org with questions or to schedule an appointment for longer consultations.


Our staff is available to help you sort through your ideas, give feedback on your application, as well as encourage you.

Feel free to contact our staff to receive feedback. Our Director of Grants and Outreach can serve as a sounding board for all parts of the process. We’re also happy to help you navigate through the application and any technical questions that come up.

If you are unfamiliar with us, the staff serves as advocates for all artists. Decisions about the grants are made by panels of artists and ARAC Board members.

We are here to help and assist you with the application process.


Eligibility

  • The applicant must be an individual artists.

  • The applicant must be a permanent resident (for at least 6 months) in Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, or St. Louis counties as well as the Fond du Lac , Grand Portage, Bois Forte, or Leech Lake (within Itasca county) nations.

  • The applicant must remain a resident of one of the above locations throughout the duration of their project.

  • The applicant must be a U.S. citizen, or have attained permanent resident alien status.

  • The applicant must be at least eighteen years of age.

Use of the funds for the Artist Equity Grant include, but are not limited to:

  • Costs associated with the exhibition, performance, or production of creative work

  • Purchase of supplies or equipment to create works of art

  • Educational opportunities in the arts (excluding academic credit)

  • Overcome a barrier to long term success

  • Reach a new community or market

  • To enhance your artistic development, such as working with a mentor artist

  • Attending a conference or workshop online or physically in MN

  • Taking part in an artist residency program in MN

  • Hiring an editor for line and copy editing or self-publishing service

  • Marketing yourself or your work

  • Artist payment/stipends; consultant fees; and/or contractual services

  • Payment to self for time spent related to the project

  • Transportation and lodging in MN

  • Space/venue/equipment rental

Grant funds may NOT be used for:

  • Re-granting

  • Activities that are principally recreational, therapeutic, or rehabilitative

  • Travel outside Minnesota to present or produce arts

  • School programs previously supported by state funds

  • Private events not open to the general public

  • Day-to-day expenses associated with the running of a for-profit business, including but not limited to LLC, C-Corp, S-Corp, etc

  • Capital improvements or purchases of permanent equipment

  • Contributions to any political party, organization, action committee, or lobbying

  • Arts activities that involve the religious socialization of the audience or participants.

Requirements for ALL grant recipients:

  • Must comply with Title VI, Section 601, of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which states that no persons, on the grounds of race, color, or national origin, shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination related to, the arts

  • Must comply with Title IX, Section 1681 et seq. of the Education Amendments of 1972, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, Section 6101-6107, which prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex or age

  • Must maintain complete and accurate records of all activities connected with the grant

  • Must have filed satisfactory reporting with ARAC for the most recently completed fiscal year

  • Must file a final report in alignment with the program requirements. Failure to report may jeopardize any future grant being received by the organization and may result in the organization being required to repay grant funds

  • Must give credit to ARAC in accordance with the Logo Guidelines whenever and wherever credit is being given - https://aracouncil.org/logo-guidelines (Neglecting to do this may result in you having to return the funding)

  • Must seek permission from the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council in writing if a significant change is made in any ARAC funded program or project, please contact grants@aracouncil.org

Application Process

  • All applications are submitted via our secure online grants management system 4

  • Applicants are required to complete and submit their applications by electronic means, including the use of an electronic signature

  • If you don’t have access to a computer you can arrange a time to use a computer at the ARAC offices, or your local library ○ Contact ARAC ○ Arrowhead Library System

  • Please contact us before, or early in the round, if you need special assistance

  • Our staff is available to help you sort through your ideas, navigate through the application, provide feedback, and serve as a sounding board for all parts of the process

  • Note: requests for review and feedback must be made in writing BEFORE 10 business days out, March 6, from the deadline, March 16, 2025

  • Requests made after this time are not guaranteed a response as we answer requests in the order received (Email requests to grants@aracouncil.org)

  • Late applications are the responsibility of the applicant and will not be accepted. We recommend submitting well before the deadline to avoid technical difficulties that may delay your submitting the application. There are no exceptions, applications are closed automatically at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, March 16, 2025

ADA requires that organizations make access to publicly funded projects available to people with disabilities Accessibility Resources:

Criteria

  • Artistic Vision (Inspiration), both of past work and of the proposal presented

  • Impact of the project on the artist’s career

  • Ability to carry out the project

Grant Application Questions

Criteria: ARTISTIC VISION (Inspiration)
Reviewers will use your answers in this section to assess the vision of the work you have completed to date and the vision of the work you propose to do. Use the first 5question to tell us about your previous work. The second is to help us understand the significance of what you propose to do.

Please tell us about your past work.
Include how you place your work within your discipline or medium, are you a beginner, mid career, or advanced. For teaching artists please describe your qualifications as an instructor.

Please tell us about the project you want to do.
What can you tell us about the artistic vision for this project? Does it continue the type of work you’ve completed in the past or are you heading in a different direction? You’ll be asked to attach a sample of your work.

Criteria: IMPACT AND EVALUATION
The impact of your project is determined by the project’s appropriateness to furthering or achieving your artistic goals.

How does this opportunity/project impact your artistic career?
In this section, tell us about your goals and how you plan to know whether you succeeded in reaching them.
Tips: Know that goal statements such as “I want to finish a set of paintings,” are acceptable, but might receive a very low score. A better statement would be, “I will finish 15 paintings for an exhibit opportunity at Gallery X”. Outcome evaluation such as, "I finished the performance,” are also potentially very low scoring. A better statement would be, “When I finish my performance, I will talk with audience members about their experience and gather feedback.”

Click here for assistance in setting goals and evaluating outcomes.

What goals/outcomes do you hope to address or achieve through engaging in this activity? Note: Project goals should focus on how the project will benefit the artist and/or their community.

How will the artist/arts organization evaluate whether or not the goals have been met? Respond to each goal set above.

Criteria: ABILITY
This pertains to your capacity to undertake your project. Including: providing a budget that is realistic, feasible, and demonstrates a clear understanding of the scope of your 6project; adequate support materials; and narrative responses articulating your readiness to undertake the project.

What is your work plan/timetable for completing this project?

How will you use the ARAC funding requested for this opportunity?

  • Be as specific as possible.

  • Include supplies, tools, equipment, your time, etc. Note: equipment cannot exceed 25% of your overall funding request.

  • Tell us why we should have confidence that you can execute this project.

  • You’ll be asked to attach an artistic resume, and if applicable, resume or bios of other individuals participating in your project. (Instructions in the application.)

Optional: Is there anything else you would like to tell us about yourself or your proposal? (You can share anything that you feel is relevant.)

Additional Information

How Does ARAC Choose Who Gets Funded?
Decisions about the grants are made by panels of artist peers, art administrators, art supporters, and culture bearers from throughout the Arrowhead Region. If you fall into any of these categories and would like to become a reviewer, please complete a reviewer application. If you are interested, but have not previously been a reviewer, we provide training as well as a stipend.

Funding Source
The Arrowhead Regional Arts Council’s Operating Support Grants are made possible through the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and an appropriation from the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the State’s General Fund. In 2008, Minnesota voters passed a constitutional amendment creating a new 3/8-cent sales tax to support outdoor heritage, clean waters, sustainable drinking water, parks and trails, arts, history and cultural heritage projects and activities. This amendment is called the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment. Of the total proceeds from the sales tax, 19.75% are dedicated to the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund (ACHF). Those proceeds must be spent only on “…arts, arts education and arts access and to preserve Minnesota’s history and cultural heritage.” A large amount of that funding has been allocated to the Minnesota State Arts Board, Arrowhead Regional Arts Council, and the 10 other regional arts councils across the state. ACHF programming must be rooted in principles that guarantee the greatest positive impact with as many Minnesotans as possible and lead to the kind of social, cultural and economic development outlined in this vision. These principles are intended to inform decisions made by the Legislature regarding disbursement of the overall fund. Funding decisions [both at the appropriations level as well as at the grant-making level] will respect the constitutional requirement that ACHF funds not be a substitute for traditional sources of funding, including public operating and capital funds, both state and local. You can find more information on ACHF’s 25-Year plan here.