Southwest Minnesota Arts Council is seeking applications from nonprofit organizations for its Art Project Grants to stimulate and encourage the creation, performance, and appreciation of the arts in the region.
Donor Name: Southwest Minnesota Arts Council
State: Minnesota
Counties: Big Stone County (MN), Chippewa County (MN), Cottonwood County (MN), Jackson County (MN), Kandiyohi County (MN), Lac qui Parle County (MN), Lincoln County (MN), Lyon County (MN), McLeod County (MN), Meeker County (MN), Murray County (MN), Nobles County (MN), Pipestone County (MN), Redwood County (MN), Renville County (MN), Rock County (MN), Swift County (MN), Yellow Medicine County (MN)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): 03/23/2022
Size of the Grant: $7,000
Details:
Provides organizations in the SMAC region with up to $7,000 in matching funds to stimulate and encourage the creation, performance and appreciation of the arts. No cash match required in fiscal year 2022.
Grant Amounts
- Art Project grants are available for up to $7,000. In fiscal year 2022, no cash match is required.
- Pre-packaged theatre projects are eligible for up to $2,500. In fiscal year 2022, no cash match is required.
If you have received a SMAC Operating Support grant, you may not include pro-rated general operating costs in the
budget for any other SMAC grant program (such as this one) that occurs during the same time period as the Operating Support Grant.
Eligibility
Applicant organizations must be located within the eighteen counties of the SMAC service region (Big Stone, Chippewa, Cottonwood, Jackson, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Lincoln, Lyon, McLeod, Meeker, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone, Redwood, Renville, Rock, Swift, and Yellow Medicine counties) or on tribal lands within their service area.
They acknowledge that this region occupies the traditional, ancestral, and contemporary lands of the Dakota people, who have stewarded these lands throughout the generations.
Art Projects may include, but are not limited to:
- Community theatre productions
- Pre-packaged theatre (such as Prairie Fire or Missoula children’s theatres)
- Projects or performances involving community choirs, bands, or orchestras
- Music or dance performances
- Art productions that tour area communities
- Visual art exhibits
- Readings by authors
- Environmental art
- Public art
- Arts festivals
- Art classes for community members of all ages (excluding projects in schools)
In addition to the restrictions listed in SMAC’s general grant guidelines, following projects are NOT eligible for Art Project grants:
- Applications that are primarily for educational projects within a school system.
- Projects for which artists are required to pay excessive entry or exhibition fees in order to exhibit or perform in
the project for which funds are sought.
Fiscal Sponsors
The Art Project grant program is open to nonprofit organizations as described in Section 501 (c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code with Articles of Incorporation on file with the State of Minnesota or official units of city, county, or state government of the State of Minnesota. Any formal organization not meeting this requirement may apply through a fiscal sponsor.
A fiscal sponsor is an organization meeting the requirements listed above. A signed agreement spelling out the relationship between the applicant and the fiscal sponsor must be submitted with the application. A fiscal sponsor, if used, must sign the application and, if funded, sign the Grant Contract. The fiscal sponsor is legally responsible for the completion of the project and for the proper management of grant funds.
Review Criteria
The grant review panel will score your application based on:
- the project’s artistic quality and merit (50%)
- the impact on the participants and audience (22%)
- the applicant’s efforts toward reaching the underserved through the project (14%)
- the ability of the organization to accomplish the project (14%)
Applicants will also be awarded one additional percentage point for each of the following criteria they meet:
- First time SMAC applicant
- Applicant organization led by or primarily serving BIPOC or LGBTQIA2+ communities or people with disabilities
- Applicant from a county that has received three or fewer SMAC grants in the last fiscal year
For more information, visit Art Project Grants.
