Deadlines
Monday, October 23, 2023 – 11:59 pm

Program directors
Scott Artley
Program lead
651-523-6384| scott@mrac.org

The Arts Impact for Individuals Grant Program

The following is a brief overview of the Arts Impact for Individuals grant program, please refer to the guidelines for full details.

Grant Program Focus

The Arts Impact for Individuals grant program provides up to $5,000 for artistic projects in Minnesota led by individuals. Projects must be focused on creating access to the arts for Minnesotans, and/or engaging with Minnesota communities through artistic endeavors. Proposed projects could include:

  • Connecting Minnesotans with participation in arts and cultural experiences; and/or
  • Integrating artists and/or artistic engagement to accomplish a community’s non-arts goals; and/or
  • Providing Minnesotans with opportunities for arts learning and passing along expressive cultural traditions.

Community members, rather than the applicant, must be the primary beneficiary of project activities. At least three (3) Minnesotans other than the applicant must participate in the project. Projects primarily focused on developing the applicant’s own needs and creative interests are not a good fit with this program. The previous fiscal year’s Arts Impact for Individuals awards announcement demonstrates the types of projects awarded in the program historically.

Who Is Eligible to Apply?

This grant program is open to individuals who identify as any of the following:

  • Black, Indigenous, and/or a Person of Color (BIPOC); and/or
  • Disabled/a person with a disability; and/or
  • Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual/Agender, Two-Spirit (LGBTQIA2+)

Individuals must have a primary residential address in Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott or Washington county for at least the six months prior to the application deadline, and be a United States citizen or an individual who has attained permanent resident status in the United States. Awardees must also continue to reside in this region for the entirety of the project period.

Grant awards in this program are made only to the individual applicant, who must have primary responsibility for managing the proposed project. Entities such as nonprofits, for-profits, schools, and fiscally sponsored organizations may not apply in this program. Individuals do not need prior artistic experience or to identify as an artist to apply.

Important dates:

  • Applicant assistance begins: August 12, 2024
  • Application deadline: October 7, 2024 at 11:59 PM
  • Panel review: January to February, 2025
  • Award notifications: March 1, 2025
  • Eligible funding period: March 1, 2025 to May 31, 2026

Please note: Staff assistance ends at 5:00 PM on the day of the deadline. Inquiries received after this time will not be answered before the deadline. MRAC does not accept late applications.

Guidelines & Webinar

Guidelines are your most important tool for submitting an eligible application. Please do your best to read and understand the guidelines. Guidelines are provided for download in several formats, all of which have been created and refined with accessibility principles in mind. Most of the below links will initiate a download to your device. PDFs may open in a new window.

English

Español

Recorded Grant Information Webinar

The recorded Grant Information Webinar is designed to introduce the key ideas of the guidelines and assist you as you read the full guidelines document. The webinar is available on Youtube. Video includes ASL interpretation and is captioned in English, with options for automated translation of captions into other languages.

Slide deck:

Intelligent verbatim transcript (a more fluently readable version of the webinar compared to a strict verbatim transcript)

Application Resources

Application template

A template that you may use to create your application before inputting it into the grant interface.

Panelist Scoring Guide

This document describes how the information you provide will be used to review your application.

Virtual Question & Answer Sessions

Do you still have more questions after reviewing the Arts Impact for Individuals guidelines and/or viewing the webinar? MRAC program director Scott Artley will host three informal drop-in Zoom sessions to answer brief questions in a large group setting. Please note, this is not a grant information webinar. We recommend viewing the webinar and/or reading the guidelines in advance of attending a Virtual Q & A Session, as many frequently asked questions can be found there.

Pre-registration for the Virtual Q & A Session is required. The session will not be recorded. Automated captioning will be available.

Virtual Q&A Session #1
Thursday, August 22, 2024
12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
Register for the August 22 Q&A Session

Virtual Q&A Session #2
Tuesday, September 10, 2024
10:00 to 11:00 AM
Register for the September 10 Q&A Session

Virtual Q&A Session #3
Tuesday, September 25, 2024
6:00 to 7:00 PM
Register for the September 25 Q&A Session

Assistance from MRAC Staff

MRAC staff enjoy working with applicants and encourage you to connect with us for help navigating the process. You may request one-on-one support to:

  • Meet with a staff member via phone or video to discuss project ideas and eligibility; and/or
  • Have an MRAC staff member review your complete application draft ahead of the deadline for eligibility.

Please use the application assistance request form to request these services.

Language & Disability Accessibility

Applicants are encouraged to apply in your preferred language. With advance notice, MRAC can contract an interpreter and/or translator to assist during the application process.

Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to request what enables you to apply. Applicants with disabilities facing barriers to our typical processes can work with MRAC staff to ensure you have equal opportunity to submit an application.

To begin a conversation about how we can help with language and/or disability access, please contact Scott Artley (scott@mrac.org or 651-523-6384) at least one week before the deadline, ideally as soon as you think you may apply, to ensure we have time to secure service providers.

Submittable Grant Platform Technical Assistance

MRAC uses an online grant-making platform designed and managed by Submittable to accept and manage applications. For help related to technical aspects of using Submittable, visit the Applicant Help Center to find how-to instructions and connect with Submittable’s technical support staff.

Important Note: Emails about your application are delivered through the Submittable grant management system. Be sure to “safelist” emails from Submittable and check your inbox frequently as MRAC staff may reach out with questions or request additional information. If we do not hear from you within a specified timeframe, usually 3-7 days, we may make a portion of your proposed project, or your entire application, ineligible.