March 1st Applications are open

Funding is available to artists, k-12 students, and eligible arts organizations located in Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs and Pine Counties. Available grants include:

Essential Artist Award: this $8,000 Essential Artist Award program is designed to recognize, reward, and encourage outstanding professional artists. The Council will fund artists at various stages in their professional careers. The Essential Artist Award 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.

In addition to the above grants the April 1st grant deadline will be here soon. Applications will be open the end of February. These grants for artists include: Resiliency Grant – up to $600; Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund Grant – up to $1,000; and the Mid-Career Artist Grant – up to $2,500. Grants for organizations include: Resiliency Grants - up to $600; Art in Our Schools Grant – up to $3,000; Small/Arts Project Grant - $500 to $5,000; and the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund Grant - $5,000 to $15,000.

ECRAC is hosting online grant information sessions via zoom for anyone interested in learning more about ECRAC and these grant programs. These sessions cover basic information about ECRAC grant programs, as well as recent changes to the grant application processes. Grant Information Sessions for Artists who want to learn about funding available for the upcoming grant deadlines will be online via Zoom on Friday, February 11, 2022 from 10 to 11 a.m. and Tuesday, March 8, 2022 from 10 to 11 a.m.. Grant Information Sessions for Organizations who want to learn about funding available for the upcoming grant deadlines will be held on Friday, February 11, 2022 from 2 to 3 p.m. and Wednesday, March 9, 2022 from 10 to 11 a.m..

For more information, please contact Katina Eklund, Grant Program Officer, East Central Regional Arts Council, at grantinfo@ecrac.org or by calling 320-591-7034. The links to the Zoom meetings can be emailed to you.

For further details on eligibility and how to apply, please check out the ECRAC website at ecrac.org. 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.