Artist Growth Grants
Artist Growth Grants support individual artists with creative projects and professional development that build artistic skills, advance careers, and expand audiences in southwest Minnesota.
Funder: Southwest Minnesota Arts Council
Due Dates: August 5, 2026 (Round 1 draft review) | August 19, 2026 (Round 1 application) | February 3, 2027 (Round 2 draft review) | February 17, 2027 (Round 2 application)
Funding Amounts: Up to $4,000 per grant; projects must conclude by June 30, 2028
Summary: Supports individual artists at any career stage with projects advancing artistic skills, career development, and audience reach.
Key Information: Applicants must have lived in the SMAC service region for six months before applying and remain residents throughout the contract.
Description
The Southwest Minnesota Arts Council (SMAC) offers Artist Growth Grants to individual artists at any career stage, accepting all arts disciplines. The program supports activities that develop artistic skills and careers, expand audiences, and increase artists’ ability to live and work in southwest Minnesota.
Supported costs can include supplies or equipment, compensated time or childcare while creating a specific body of work, research, mentoring, professional-development workshops or conferences, studio or presentation-space rental, website or portfolio production, framing, recording, and publishing-related editing. Applications are assessed on project feasibility, excellence of work, and contribution to the artist’s growth. Funding depends on support from the McKnight Foundation and Minnesota’s arts and cultural heritage fund.
