ECRAC Essential Artist Award
ECRAC Essential Artist Award supports professional artists and culture bearers with focused work time, materials, and non-degree study to advance their artistic work and career goals.
Funder: East Central Regional Arts Council
Due Dates: March 1, 2026 (FY 2026) | March 1, 2027 (FY 2027)
Funding Amounts: $9,000 per award for a project completed within one year; no match required
Summary: Supports professional artists and culture bearers with focused work time, materials, non-degree study, and other artistic career goals.
Key Information: Applicants must have at least six months of permanent residency in Minnesota’s Region 7E or Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe lands.
Description
The East Central Regional Arts Council (ECRAC) Essential Artist Award recognizes, rewards, and encourages outstanding professional artists and culture bearers. Funded by The McKnight Foundation, the program supports artists at various stages of their professional careers and is open to all artistic mediums. It was formerly known as the ECRAC/McKnight Fellowship Grant.
Awards allow recipients to set aside time for artistic work, purchase supplies and materials, undertake advanced study unrelated to a degree, or pursue other artistic career goals. ECRAC defines a professional artist as someone who considers creating art a primary endeavor or career, and considers culture bearers artists. Artistic excellence is the primary selection criterion, followed by the merit and feasibility of the proposed plan and its anticipated impact on the artist’s work and career.
