Monday, October 20th, 2025
Applications for our 2026 McKnight Composer Fellowships are now open. These awards are presented in partnership with the McKnight Foundation as part of their Artist & Culture Bearers Fellowships, which support Minnesota-based creative work by mid-career artists and culture bearers who demonstrate achievement, commitment, and a high level of proficiency in their area of practice. All applications will be reviewed by a panel of artist-curators, to be announced soon on ACF’s website and social media platforms.
ACF will award four fellowships consisting of $25,000 in unrestricted funds and up to $3,500 to develop works-in-progress. Fellows have an opportunity to attend an artist residency program coordinated by the Alliance of Artist Communities within two years of the fellowship program. Fellows will also receive consultation, time, and resources from ACF and Springboard for the Arts.
ACF envisions a world where living music creators are celebrated as essential to human culture. We believe that our cultural, political, and social landscapes shape how we create, share, and receive art, and we see artmaking as a profound form of expression and engagement with the world around us. We seek to support creators who intentionally engage with this larger context, especially those who have been historically excluded from funded opportunities.
Furthermore, we seek to deconstruct the historical concept of “composer,” as well as assumed definitions of who is “American.” We encourage applications from a broad range of musical perspectives, and we are committed to supporting projects that represent a diversity of creative approaches, ethnicities, races, genders, and perspectives.
Artists who are interested in applying are encouraged to attend our application information sessions on Nov. 10 and 11. Hosted by ACF Community Director Brian Dowdy and Executive Director Loki Karuna, these live sessions will walk through the online application process and share successful applications from previous winners.
Applications are due by 11:59pm PST on Wednesday, Dec. 17. For more information, visit the McKnight Composer Fellowship program page on our website.
Please note: we will not be inviting applications for the McKnight Visiting Composer Residency this year. Funding for this program for the 2025-26 year has been allocated to a collaboration between the Orchestra of Indigenous Instruments and New Technologies (Argentina) and Indigenous Roots (Minnesota) as part of our ongoing Recomposing America initiative.
ABOUT AMERICAN COMPOSERS FORUM
ACF’s mission is to support and advocate for individuals and groups creating music today by demonstrating the vitality and relevance of their art. We do this by empowering composers, modeling creative partnerships, and advocating for them through storytelling and connections. Working with an ecosystem of artists, programmers, presenters, teachers, funders, and audiences, we frame all of our work with a commitment to racial equity, believing that creating a fairer world for artists benefits all of us.
Founded in 1973 by composers Libby Larsen and Stephen Paulus as the Minnesota Composers Forum, the organization continues to invest in its Minnesota home while connecting artists and advocates across the United States, its territories, and beyond. ACF frames our work with a focus on racial equity and includes within that scope, but does not limit it to: diverse gender identities, musical approaches and perspectives, religions, ages, (dis)abilities, cultures, backgrounds, sexual orientations, and broad definitions of “American.” Visit www.composersforum.org for more information.
ABOUT THE MCKNIGHT FOUNDATION
The McKnight Foundation, a Minnesota-based family foundation, advances a more just, creative, and abundant future where people and planet thrive. Established in 1953, the McKnight Foundation is deeply committed to advancing climate solutions in the Midwest; building an equitable and inclusive Minnesota; and supporting the arts and culture in Minnesota, neuroscience, and global food systems.
ABOUT THE MCKNIGHT ARTIST & CULTURE BEARER FELLOWSHIPS
Founded on the belief that Minnesota thrives when its artists and culture bearers thrive, the McKnight Foundation’s arts and culture program is one of the oldest and largest of its kind in the country. Support for individual working Minnesota artists and culture bearers has been a cornerstone of the program since it began in 1982. The McKnight Artist & Culture Bearer Fellowships Program provides annual, unrestricted cash awards to outstanding mid-career Minnesota artists in 15 different creative disciplines. Program partner organizations administer the fellowships and structure them to respond to the unique challenges of different disciplines. Currently, the foundation contributes about $2.8 million per year to its statewide fellowships. For more information, visit mcknight.org/artistfellowships.