Grant Applications are Open for the March 1, 2021 Grant Deadline

The East Central Regional Arts Council (ECRAC) would like to announce the Grant Applications are now open for the upcoming March 1, 2021 Grant Deadline. These grants are available to artists, K-12 Students, and Art Organizations located in Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs and Pine Counties.

ECRAC has funds to help support the arts with the following grant opportunities:

Essential Artist Award: this $8,000 Essential Artist Award program (formerly known as the ECRAC/McKnight Fellowship Grant) is designed to recognize, reward, and encourage outstanding professional artists. The Council will fund artists at various stages in their professional careers. These Essential Artist Awards will allow artists to set aside time to work, purchase supplies and materials, undertake advanced study (not related to a degree) or to pursue other artistic career goals.

K-12 Student Art Scholarship: this $500 arts scholarship funding is for special arts learning projects or programs for kids. The program provides at least one student award annually, based upon a competitive review of submitted applications. Applications must be for a specific art project that will advance the skills of the student in their art form. The Arts Council is interested in funding projects such as training with a mentor or summer art programs such as music or visual art camps. All young artists in Kindergarten through 12th Grade who strive to improve their artistic abilities can apply.

Essential Support Grant: This program provides general operating support to high quality, established arts organizations that produce, present, or exhibit works of art; to organizations that provide a broad range of services to artists; and to community arts groups that make arts learning available to regional individuals of all ages and abilities. The Essential Support grant program offers $3,000 to $5,000 of funding to qualified organizations to maintain their ongoing organizational operating needs. This program recognizes that organizations with an established record of programmatic service and administrative stability should have access to funds to support their organizational goals and objectives, and to maintain their ongoing programs, services, and facilities without any emphasis on new initiatives or programs as justification for funding.

If you have questions about which grant application is a good fit for your art project, please contact the Grant Program Officer at grantinfo@ecrac.org or call 320-591-7034.