Arts Access Grant

Note: No organization may apply for or receive more than 2 Arts Access Grant Awards

Applications are open to organizations located in Beltrami, Hubbard, Clearwater, Lake of the Woods, and Mahnomen counties only.

Eligible Organizations

• arts organizations

• public or charter schools (parochial schools are ineligible)

• community education programs*

• institutions of higher learning (colleges or universities)

• non-profits providing arts programming

• local city, town, county government entities within our 5-county service area

• tribal government entities within our 5-county service area from Red Lake, Leech Lake, or White Earth Nations

• arts affiliate to a 501(c)3 host organization or other non-profit entity (such as a school or city/town/county or tribal government entity)

• Groups without 501(c)3 nonprofit tax status must be formed for non-profit purposes, must have the equivalent of a governing body similar to a board of directors or advisory council, and must use a Minnesota-based non-profit, tax exempt 501(c)3 organization, or other tax-exempt entity such as a school, college/university, or city, town, county, or tribal government as a fiscal sponsor.

• organizations that received a 2024 Season/Series Arts Support Grant are not eligible to apply.

*Based on Minnesota Statute 124D.19, Community Education Programs will be assumed to be operated by the school district and will be subject to all grant guidelines that apply to schools.

Intention for Arts Access Projects

Arts Access funding is designated for arts creation, production, presentation of high-quality, accessible activities that help instill the arts into the community and public life in our region. Eligible grant proposals must display a commitment to reaching wider audiences through providing new and/or expanded arts programming to residents of our region’s counties, and/or by supporting accessibility initiatives through the project. Eligible proposals must show dedication to removing barriers that audiences may have to accessing arts activities. Organizations can apply for up to two Arts Access Grants for two different arts activities each year.

Arts activities proposed for funding must be accessible by the public (not exclusively serving faculty, staff, students, board or organization membership). Activity must begin within 12 months of the earliest start date, and must be completed by June 30, 2026.

Eligible Uses:

• Public art projects

• Arts festivals

• Engagement of guest artists

• Arts field trips

• Arts workshops

• Arts exhibitions

• Arts presentations

• Arts performances

New to applying with R2AC? View a video on how to create an account for your organization in our grants portal!
OR – jump right in and Login and apply online

Is your grant project eligible?  Is your organization? Check out our eligibility section: Arts Access Grant Eligibility Requirements – If you can answer true to all the statements, then you should be eligible to apply. If you answer false to one of the statements, please contact us to discuss your eligibility.

The Grant Application
The online grant application will ask questions about demographics which we use for reporting to the Minnesota State Arts Board (see our Data Privacy Policy), and questions based on our scoring criteria. There are also pieces needed for the grant application that you should gather before you apply, such as work samples (Work Sample Submission Policy), resumes, and a list of all project costs.

Budget Guidelines
IMPORTANT FOR ALL APPLICANTS: Project specific costs incurred and paid prior to a project’s Earliest Start Date will make a project ineligible for funding. Read about this and more:
R2AC Budget Guidelines for Organizations

Sample Application Form for download
Arts Access Grant Application
(Sample only – cannot be submitted – only online submissions are accepted)

Region 2 Arts Council Arts Access Grants are made possible by the voters of Minnesota thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.