Midwest Culture Bearers Award
Forecasted
Midwest Culture Bearers Award supports Midwestern cultural practitioners with unrestricted support and recognition to sustain living traditions and share their knowledge with future generations.
Funder: Arts Midwest
Due Dates (Anticipated): August 2027 (Application deadline)
Funding Amounts: $5,000 unrestricted award per recipient; 18 recipients annually; no cost share or match required
Summary: Supports Midwestern culture bearers who sustain living cultural traditions and share their knowledge with future generations.
Key Information: Applicants must be individual culture bearers with at least 10 years of active cultural practice, not necessarily consecutive.
Description
Arts Midwest’s Midwest Culture Bearers Award honors and amplifies mid-career and established cultural practitioners across its nine-state region and the Native Nations and communities sharing that geography. It supports people deeply rooted in living cultural traditions through art, craft, storytelling, dance, performance, language preservation, foodways, and other practices. These traditions may connect to geographic communities, occupational groups, or families; the award is not limited to a specific culture.
The program combines unrestricted financial support with opportunities for recognition and relationship-building. It emphasizes meaningful connections to cultural practice, ongoing learning, and work that honors, contributes to, or sustains a tradition. Passing knowledge to future generations through teaching, mentorship, apprenticeships, and community engagement is a central priority.
