Artists Respond is a Springboard for the Arts program that supports artists to create modest, community-rooted projects that rapidly respond to community issues and opportunities. Past rounds have focused on social isolation, equitable rural futures, environmental stewardship, rural-urban solidarity, and economic justice through guaranteed income. Artists Respond: Safety in Neighbors activates the local: neighbors, block clubs, apartment buildings, whisper networks, and local businesses, and asks artists to make it easier for neighbors to find resources, solidarity, and each other.

Eligibility

Applicants must be:

  • 18 years of age or older
  • Live in, work in, or have a long-standing relationship with a geographic community in Minnesota

Program goals

Artists Respond: Safety in Neighbors is designed to support small projects that make neighborhood care more intentional and accessible. The program aims to:

  • Support artists to lead creative projects that strengthen safety, care, and connection in rooted places (including but not limited to blocks, corridors, buildings, neighborhoods, or towns)
  • Lift up, enhance, and deepen the informal networks that strive to keep people safe.
  • Help neighbors know where to go for support, whether that means a hot meal, legal information, shelter, childcare help, translation, prayer, a listening ear, or a moment of rest.
  • Challenge fear and isolation by making it accessible and safe to seek help and to see oneself as part of a network.
  • Support artists and culture bearers who are directly impacted by these conditions to lead and shape the work.

Project scope and funding

  • Selected artists or artist teams will receive a stipend of $1,500 to design and carry out a small community-rooted project.
    • Projects should be modest in scale and designed to be planned and completed within approximately three to four months from contracting.
    • The $1,500 is intended to cover artist time, materials, and basic project costs.
    • Each funded proposal must name one Lead Artist who will receive the funds, manage the project, and be responsible for communication with Springboard.
    • Lead Artists can collaborate with other artists, neighbors, businesses and organizations as part of their project.
    • Projects must be rooted in a specific neighborhood or community in Minnesota.
    • Projects should be accessible to the people who live or spend time there

Projects can be visual, spatial, digital, or experience-based. For example:

  • A set of window signs or porch flags that mark warm houses or warm stores where someone is willing to help connect neighbors to key resources such as food, legal support, childcare, or translation
  • Neighborhood story circles, potlucks, or listening sessions in a mosque, church, storefront, or community room that help neighbors share experiences of staying safe and supporting each other, designed with careful consent and privacy
  • Pocket-sized tools such as illustrated cards, zines, small maps, or games that help neighbors learn their options, practice checking in on each other, or plan for moments of uncertainty
  • Creative social systems like phone trees, buddy systems, or skill-sharing series

We welcome both quiet, intimate projects and joyful, visible projects, as long as they are designed with safety, consent, and neighbor connection at the center.