Good Relative Relief Grant
for artists, creators, and culture bearers.
Maximum Award: $500
Rolling Deadline
Open until the funds are depleted.
Eligible artists, creators, and culture bearers must be Minnesota residents who are 18 years or older and live in our five-county region comprised of Beltrami, Clearwater, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, and Hubbard Counties. For this relief grant, we are also inviting Minnesota residents who are enrolled tribal members and descendants living in Itasca, Roseau, Cass, and Becker Counties (the additional counties we serve through our Anishinaabe Arts Initiative). All eligible artists, creators, or culture bearers must have lost income or experienced damage to property related to their creative practice. Artists, creators, or culture bearers who have received grant funds from the Region 2 Arts Council in the past and have overdue final reports for those grant funds may complete their final reports to become eligible for our Good Relative Relief Grant.
*This grant program has a rolling deadline so we can respond quickly to fund your short-term and/or time sensitive opportunities. Your application will be processed as soon as you submit it and forwarded on to our Grants Committee. Applications will be reviewed within two weeks of submission and you will receive notification of approval or denial after this period.
In June 2025 income-generating activity for artists, creators, and culture bearers has been cut off or greatly altered due to a natural disaster, and many people have incurred emergency costs. Our Good Relative Relief Grant, made possible with funding from private donors, is meant to offer some support for creators in our community.
Applications will be evaluated based on the following:
• Urgency of the Request: The importance and timeliness of the funding request.
• First-Come, First-Served: Grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis until funds are exhausted.
• Eligibility
To be eligible for a Sudden Opportunity Grant, applicants must meet the following requirements:
You are an artist/creator/culture bearer who is 18 years of age or older who has experienced or will experience lost income such as
• anticipated sales in shops and galleries that had to temporarily or permanently close,
• anticipated sales/participation/performances at summer or fall art shows that have been canceled or postponed
• anticipated sales/participation/performances at powwows that have been canceled or postponed,
• canceled or postponed music/theater/literary performances, presentations, productions, and tours
• canceled or postponed arts teaching opportunities, including classes, camps, and workshops
• canceled or postponed artist-in-residencies
• inability to attend an income generating event/performance/art show/etc.
• lost income generating artistic opportunities not listed above
2. Or, you are an artist who is 18 years of age or older who has experienced loss or damage to facilities or equipment needed to pursue their creative practice, even if it is not an income generating practice
3. You are a Minnesota resident who has been living for the past six months within the five counties of the Region 2 Arts Council (Beltrami, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Clearwater, Hubbard) This grant is also open to our Anishinaabe Arts Initiative additional counties of Roseau, Cass, Becker, and Itasca for enrolled tribal members and descendants who have been living for the past six months within one of those counties.
4. You have evidence of your marketable presence as an artist, performer, creator, or culture bearer. This could include one or more of the following:
• Website link (yours or another where your work appears)
• Social media presence
• Etsy page or another marketing platform
• Names of 1-3 events/activities you have attended within the last 2 years and
visual/audio evidence of your work as an artist or evidence of creative activity in
support of community or cultural practices
5. You do not have an overdue final report with Region 2 Arts Council.
6. You are not the immediate family member of a Region 2 Arts Council Staff, Board, or Anishinaabe Arts Initiative Council member. (Immediate family is defined as: spouse, domestic partner, parent, child, child’s spouse, brother, brother’s spouse, sister, or sister’s spouse).
Review and Approval Process:
• Application Review: Applications will be reviewed by the Grants Committee, which may include consultation with the Executive Director (ED) as needed.
• Decision Timeline: Applications will be reviewed within two weeks of submission. Applicants will receive notification of approval or denial after this period.
• Notification: Successful applicants will receive an official grant award letter, outlining the funding amount, any specific conditions, and reporting requirements.
Reporting Requirements:
Grantees must submit a final report upon completion of their project, which includes:
• Use of Funds: A breakdown of how grant funds were spent (including receipts)
• Venue Data: Address of where the activity took place.
Reports are due within 45 days of the project end date. Failure to submit a report may affect eligibility for future funding opportunities.
Sample Application Form for download
Sudden Opportunity Grant Application
(Sample only – cannot be submitted – only online submissions are accepted)
