The Metropolitan Regional Arts Council has launched the Flexible Support Grant Program to provide up to $15,000 in funding to help groups create and sustain Minnesotans’ access to the arts.
Donor Name: Metropolitan Regional Arts Council
State: Minnesota
County: Selected Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline : 02/13/2023
Size of the Grant: up to $15,000
Grant Duration: 1 year
Details:
Groups’ primary addresses must be located in Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott or Washington county. This program supports the production of artistic projects, and/or projects that strengthen the organizational capacity and operations of groups providing access to the arts.
Your grant proposal could include:
- Arts Programming activities, whether a single event (like a theater production) or a series (like a season of painting classes).
- Organizational Capacity activities, meaning a coordinated management effort that bolsters the organization’s ability to do its work (like rebranding, building a website, or overhauling financial tracking systems). Organizational Capacity projects could also be the purchase of equipment, or making facilities improvements.
- Operations activities that support the ongoing operations of a group (such as paying staff salaries or rent on a space) to provide arts access.
Funding Information
Grants up to $15,000
Funding Period
May 31, 2023 to June 30, 2024.
Eligibility Criteria
- Groups/organizations must have a primary address in Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, or Washington county.
- For all 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) must have approved and confirmed your organization’s 501(c)(3) status by the deadline. MRAC staff may request a copy of the status determination letter and/or reinstatement letter from the IRS
Groups must also be one of the following:
- Arts groups and organizations
- Federally recognized tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organizations with annual expenses of $400,000 or less.
- Cultural groups and organizations
- Federally recognized tax-exempt 501(c)(3) cultural nonprofit organizations that provide arts and non-arts programming with annual arts programming expenses of $400,000 or less. Cultural nonprofit organizations must isolate their arts programming expenses from non-arts financial activity.
- Fiscally sponsored groups with arts projects
- Groups not registered as a federally recognized tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization must apply with an eligible fiscal sponsor. Fiscally sponsored groups must consist of at least 3 people who are on the Leadership team and have annual operating expenses of $400,000 or less. A fiscal sponsor is a federally tax-exempt nonprofit organization that receives MRAC grant monies and manages the financial aspects of the project on behalf of a group that does not have tax-exempt status.
- Eligible fiscal sponsors must be (1) registered with the IRS as a federally tax-exempt 501(c)3 nonprofit (2) with a Minnesota address and (3) have an active registration with the Minnesota Secretary of State as a nonprofit organization.
- Fiscal sponsors may not be public, private, alternative, charter, transitional, or home schools (this includes school support organizations such as PTAs, PTOs, school foundations, etc.). Schools are groups/organizations providing K-12 education that meet state education requirements and post-secondary education leading to a degree or accreditation.
- Fiscal Sponsor Agreement Letter Required 8 MRAC requires a Fiscal Sponsor Agreement Letter to confirm that your organization/group has an active working relationship with the fiscal sponsor at the time of application.
- Upload a letter or email from the fiscal sponsor that outlines the agreement between your organization and the fiscal sponsor. The letter/email must include all of the following:
- The name of the fiscal sponsor
- The name of the applicant group
- Fiscal sponsor’s EIN (the Federal Tax Identification Number)
- Signature of the fiscal sponsor contact (digital signature accepted)
- A date within six months of the grant deadline
- Groups without an active 501(c)(3) registration that do not upload a Fiscal Sponsor Agreement Letter may be deemed ineligible.
- Non-arts and non-cultural nonprofit organizations
- Federally recognized tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations with annual arts programming expenses of $400,000 or less. Non-arts and non-cultural nonprofit organizations must isolate their arts programming expenses from non-arts and non-cultural financial activity.
- Public entities
- A public entity such as a unit of state, local, or tribal government with annual arts expenses of $400,000 or less. The public entity must isolate their arts programming expenses from non-arts and non-cultural financial activity.
- Community education units
- Community education units of a school district with annual arts budgets of any size. Community education units must isolate their arts programming expenses from non-arts and non-cultural financial activity.
For more information, visit Flexible Support Grant Program.
