The federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act recognized that the nonprofit arts industry is an important sector of America's economy. With CARES Act funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Minnesota State Arts Board and Arts Midwest will award MN CARES Act Grants to arts organizations across the state to help these entities, their employees, and their contracted artists and workers weather the economic hardships caused by the forced cancellation of their activities or closure of their operations due to the spread of COVID-19.
A joint application process was used. The Arts Board will make direct grants to 84 organizations; Arts Midwest will make direct grants to 13 organizations.
| Grantee, City |
Grant Amount |
20% Theatre Company, Minneapolis | $ 5,000 | | 20% Theatre Company Twin Cities is committed to supporting and vigorously promoting the work of female and transgender theater artists, and celebrating the unique contribution of these artists to social justice and human rights. |
ArtiCulture, Minneapolis | $ 5,000 | | Articulture empowers individuals and communities to create positive change through the visual arts. |
Arts Center of Saint Peter, Inc., Saint Peter | $ 5,000 | | Based on the conviction that the arts play an essential role in vibrant communities, the Arts Center of Saint Peter stimulates a broad range of artistic activity through exhibitions, performances, education, and meaningful community outreach. |
ArtStart, Saint Paul | $ 5,000 | | Founded in 1988, the mission of ArtStart is to foster artistic creativity and illuminate the connections among people, ideas, and the environment through engaging artists, children, families, and communities in quality arts education. |
Backus Community Center, International Falls | $ 5,000 | | Historic Backus Community Center, the heart of International Falls, where all generations celebrate arts, culture, recreation, wellness, and lifelong learning |
Bella Voce Young Women's Choir, Rochester | $ 5,000 | | Sing Out Loud's mission is to create an inviting and supportive community for young women to share in excellence in choral music, to build confidence, and to inspire them through singing to realize their highest potential to broadly impact the world. |
Bemidji Community Theater, Bemidji | $ 5,000 | | To provide theater education and an opportunity for people to pursue their interests in theater through acting, directing, and stagecraft support activities in productions by and for community members. |
Black Storytellers Alliance, Minneapolis | $ 5,000 | | The purpose and mission of BSA is to perpetuate, promote, and preserve the art of Black storytelling as an oral tradition and a primary tool for transmitting culture. BSA uses interactive storytelling to educate community members in this art form. |
Border CrosSing, Saint Paul | $ 5,000 | | Border CrosSing's mission is to integrate historically segregated audiences and musicians through the performance of choral music, with particular emphasis on Latinx music and culture. |
Buffalo Community Orchestra, Inc., Buffalo | $ 5,000 | | Buffalo Community Orchestra's purpose is to make music, educate instrumentalists, connect with our community, and provide recreational and performance opportunities to area residents. |
CAAM Chinese Dance Theater, Saint Paul | $ 5,000 | | CAAM CDT's mission is dedicated to preserving and celebrating Chinese cultural heritage and enriching a diverse culture through the universal language of dance. |
Chamber Music Live, Houston | $ 5,000 | | Chamber Music Live's (CML) mission is to present chamber music concerts at the highest artistic level, provide wide and barrier free access to underserved communities, and support musicians with performance and education opportunities. |
Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center, Minneapolis | $ 5,000 | | The Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center inspires hands, hearts, and minds through art forms produced by heat, spark, or flame. |
Coffee House Press, Minneapolis | $ 10,000 | | Coffee House Press creates new spaces for audiences and artists to interact, inspiring readers and enriching communities by expanding the definition of what literature is, what it can do, and who it belongs to. |
COMPAS, Saint Paul | $ 10,000 | | COMPAS delivers creative experiences that unleash the potential within all of us. |
Copper Street Brass, Minneapolis | $ 5,000 | | The mission of the Copper Street Brass (CSB) is to represent the evolution of the brass quintet. Through inventive concerts, engaging educational programs, and original musical arrangements, we bring a fresh perspective to instrumental music. |
East Metro Symphony Orchestra, Woodbury | $ 5,000 | | EMSO's mission is to provide a broad range of educational, multicultural, and inspirational orchestral experiences to east metro communities and provide affordable concerts to east metro audiences (general public and senior residence communities). |
East Side Arts Council, Saint Paul | $ 5,000 | | The mission of the East Side Arts Council is to cofullaborate with our community and artists to celebrate and experience the arts. We do this by offering professional arts programs year-round that celebrate the diversity of our neighborhoods. |
Ely Winter Festival, Ely | $ 5,000 | | The mission of the Ely Winter Festival is to engage community members and visitors in outdoor sports, the arts, music, food, historical events, and other activities that promote the unique culture and location of Ely over a ten-day period. |
Exposed Brick Theatre, Saint Paul | $ 5,000 | | Exposed Brick Theatre (EBT) is dedicated to telling untold stories, centering omitted narratives and creating art at the intersection of identities. |
Frozen River Film Festival, Winona | $ 5,000 | | The Frozen River Film Festival presents the art of documentary filmmaking frin celebration of community. It connects audiences with filmmakers and other artists who explore global and local issues that focus on our human connections to the world. |
Full Circle Theater Company, Minneapolis | $ 5,000 | | The mission of Full Circle Theater is to produce heartfelt, groundbreaking theater that artfully addresses issues of diversity and social justice for twenty-first century audiences. |
The Givens Foundation for African American Literature, Saint Louis Park | $ 5,000 | | The Givens Foundation is dedicated to enriching cultural understanding and learning through programs that advance and celebrate African American literature and writers. |
Goldstein Museum of Design, Saint Paul | $ 5,000 | | GMD strengthens and supports the University of Minnesota's academic mission through direct engagement with designed objects. |
Great River Chorale, Sauk Rapids | $ 5,000 | | Great River Chorale's mission is enriching the community through choral excellence. |
GREAT Theatre, Waite Park | $ 10,000 | | Great River Educational Arts Theatre (GREAT) brings the community together through shared theater experiences. We ensure everyone in central Minnesota will have access to the transformative power of the arts. |
Honors Choirs of Southeast Minnesota, Rochester | $ 5,000 | | To promote the highest standard of excellence in the preparation and performance of choral music, seeking to provide artistic challenge and growth opportunities for youth throughout the region and enjoyment for the community at large. |
Hopewell Music Cooperative North, Minneapolis | $ 5,000 | | Our mission is to empower the northside community by offering equal access to music education. A vibrant and prideful arts community has emerged from Hopewell where music education is truly accessible and our neighbors know that their input is vital. |
Illusion Theater, Minneapolis | $ 10,000 | | Illusion's mission is to create theater that illuminates the myths and realities of our times, and catalyzes personal and social change. We're nationally renowned for developing new plays, our arts education programs, and our outreach to underserved communities |
Indian Music Society of Minnesota, Minneapolis | $ 5,000 | | The mission of IMSOM is to present and promote Indian classical music in Twin Cities, to foster an understanding and appreciation of the rich and ancient cultural heritage of India, and to further fellowship among nations and cultures through music. |
Interact, Saint Paul | $ 10,000 | | Interact's mission is to create art that challenges perceptions of disability. |
International Friendship Through the Performing Arts, Eagan | $ 5,000 | | Our mission is to promote intercultural friendship, understanding, and interaction through activities in the performing arts. |
Itasca Orchestra and Strings Program, Grand Rapids | $ 5,000 | | The Itasca Orchestra and Strings Program (IOSP) provides opportunities to hear, learn, and perform orchestral music in Itasca County. To that end IOSP operates the Itasca Symphony Orchestra (community) and Itasca Strings Program (education). |
JazzMN Orchestra, Saint Paul | $ 5,000 | | JazzMN's mission is to cultivate the love of jazz by delivering a relevant, meaningful, and vibrant jazz experience that is attractive to a wide variety of audiences. |
KAIROS ALIVE!, Minneapolis | $ 5,000 | | Our mission is to transform lives through dance, music, theater, and the latest arts and health research learning. We celebrate older adults at the center of vital intergenerational creative communities, inspiring enjoyment and health for all. |
Kulture Klub Collaborative, Minneapolis | $ 5,000 | | Kulture Klub Collaborative engages art and artistic practice to provide enriching opportunities for youth experiencing homelessness and artists to grow individually and to transform community. |
Mankato Children's Chorus, Mankato | $ 5,000 | | The Mankato Children's Chorus provides an opportunity for youth to experience the joy of singing while developing healthy vocal techniques. This year, a virtual choir will allow youth to maintain a connection to one another and to choral music. |
Milan Village Arts School, Milan | $ 5,000 | | The mission of the Milan Village Arts School is to engage people in the practice of traditional, contemporary, and folk arts while fostering prosperity, community, and culture in our region. |
Minnesota Center for Book Arts, Minneapolis | $ 10,000 | | Our mission is to ignite artistic practice, inspire learning, and foster diverse creative communities through the book arts. We envision a world in which creative expression through the book arts is accessible to all. |
The Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts, Winona | $ 5,000 | | MCA exists to provide quality arts education and performance by nurturing and encouraging artistic expression in children and adults. Our service to the community ranges from recreational to preprofessional performing and visual arts programs. |
The Museum of Russian Art, Minneapolis | $ 10,000 | | The Museum of Russian Art (TMORA) is dedicated to bringing the art and culture of Muscovite Russia, the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, its former republics, and post-Soviet Russia to the people of Minnesota. |
NEMAA, Minneapolis | $ 5,000 | | Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association (NEMAA) strengthens and supports our local artist community with resources, promotion, and fellowship. |
Nemeth Art Center, Park Rapids | $ 5,000 | | The Nemeth Art Center focuses on exhibiting contemporary art from emerging and recognized artists in rural northern Minnesota. It makes space for exploring varied perspectives through visual art, music, literary performance, and youth arts education. |
New York Mills Regional Cultural Center, New York Mills | $ 5,000 | | The Cultural Center is a rural hub for creativity, community vitality, and lifelong learning in the arts. The Center connects people to artists and rich cultural experiences in rural Minnesota, celebrating the local and being a window to the world. |
Northern Monday Films, Saint Louis Park | $ 5,000 | | We believe that migrants and refugees make our communities stronger. We exist to enable new Americans to create new narratives through the power of film. |
Northfield Arts Guild, Northfield | $ 5,000 | | Northfield Arts Guild's mission is to inspire our community by developing, supporting, and providing quality inclusive artistic opportunities. The vision of the Northfield Arts Guild is an evolving community where the arts fuel vibrant growth. |
One Voice Mixed Chorus, Saint Paul | $ 5,000 | | One Voice Mixed Chorus is Minnesota's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and allies chorus. Our mission is building community and creating social change by raising our voices in song. |
Paradise Theatre, Mora | $ 5,000 | | The Paradise Theatre's mission is to provide cinematic and performing arts entertainment to all east central Minnesota residents. |
Pine Center for the Arts, Pine City | $ 5,000 | | Our mission is arts for everyone! Pine Center for the Arts is a resource for artists, students, and the community. We are dedicated to providing opportunities for all to create, learn, and enjoy the visual, performing, and literary arts. |
Pipestone Performing Arts Center, Pipestone | $ 5,000 | | The mission of the Pipestone Performing Arts Center is to engage a passion for the arts in all age groups; strive to make the arts affordable to all; provide opportunities to participate in the arts; and provide a venue for the performance of the arts. |
Prairie Arts Chorale, Marshall | $ 5,000 | | To offer residents of southwestern Minnesota opportunities to hear well performed choral music of special merit, and to offer area residents with the appropriate training and skill, the opportunity to perform with others of a commensurate ability. |
Prairie Renaissance Cultural Alliance, Morris | $ 5,000 | | The Prairie Renaissance Cultural Alliance (PRCA) is a nonprofit arts organization whose mission is to connect our community by creating spaces and opportunities to experience the arts in the Stevens County area. |
Red Eye Theater, Minneapolis | $ 5,000 | | Red Eye is a multidisciplinary, creative laboratory that supports the development and production of boundary breaking performance work. |
Red Wing Arts, Red Wing | $ 5,000 | | Our mission is to build a vibrant community fueled by the arts. We enrich lives by connecting, celebrating, inspiring, and leading through shared art experiences. Our vision is a community alive with creativity. |
Rochester Art Center, Rochester | $ 5,000 | | The Rochester Art Center offers the opportunity for all people to understand and value the arts through innovative experiences with contemporary art. We present a welcoming and diverse experience that encourages creativity and critical thinking. |
Rosy Simas Danse, Minneapolis | $ 5,000 | | Rosy Simas Danse (RSD) was founded by Native choreographer Rosy Simas in 2012. The primary commitment of RSD is to create and present innovative interdisciplinary Native contemporary art that connects artists and audiences. |
Saint Cloud Symphony Orchestra, Saint Cloud | $ 5,000 | | The mission of the SCSO is to present high quality performances of music and educational outreach activities to central Minnesota, to encourage participation by local and area musicians, and to further the understanding and appreciation of music. |
The Saint John's Boys' Choir, Collegeville | $ 5,000 | | The Saint John's Boys' Choir offers enriching vocal music education and the socializing experiences of shared enterprise, fellowship, and touring for boys ages 8-15. The choir offers the unique experience of a well trained boys' choir to its audiences. |
Selby Ave JazzFest, Saint Paul | $ 5,000 | | Our mission is to provide quality arts programming to an underserved market, use arts based community development to inspire a genuinely diverse group of people to be of one community, use the arts to reposition Selby Avenue as a safe, hip, and cultural destination. |
She Rock She Rock, Saint Louis Park | $ 5,000 | | She Rock She Rock is a Twin Cities based nonprofit dedicated to empowering girls, women, trans, and nonbinary folks through the art of music. |
Simply Jane, Minneapolis | $ 5,000 | | Our mission is to provide rewarding art programming for people of all ages and to be inclusive of all ages, abilities, and disabilities. |
Soo Visual Arts Center, Minneapolis | $ 5,000 | | Soo Visual Arts Center is a nonprofit art space that connects our community with fresh, under represented, and provocative art. |
Springboard for the Arts, Saint Paul | $ 10,000 | | We cultivate vibrant communities by connecting artists with the skills, resources, and services they need to make a living and a life. Work at the intersection of arts and economic development, helping artists and communities thrive together. |
St. Francis Music Center, Little Falls | $ 5,000 | | The mission of Saint Francis Music Center is to provide high quality arts education to the rural population of central Minnesota. The Center promotes artistic growth among all people in our communities and encourages lifelong involvement in the arts. |
StoryArk, Stillwater | $ 5,000 | | Student initiated, student led, StoryArk's creative process builds artistic skills through a passion for storytelling and the desire to be in relationship with each other. In this way, we empower youth voices and equip young artists to thrive. |
Teatro del Pueblo, Saint Paul | $ 5,000 | | Our mission is to give voice to the Latinx community through the creation and presentation of performing arts. We support Latin American work and artists while providing educational opportunities to experience and engage in cross-cultural dialogue. |
Ten Thousand Things Theater, Saint Paul | $ 5,000 | | Ten Thousand Things (TTT) brings lively, intelligent, professional theater to people with little access to the wealth of the arts, who in turn help our artists and traditional audiences reimagine what theater can be. |
Textile Center, Minneapolis | $ 10,000 | | Textile Center's mission is to honor textile traditions, promote excellence and innovation, and inspire widespread participation in fiber art. |
Theatre L'Homme Dieu, Alexandria | $ 5,000 | | Theatre L'Homme Dieu produces and presents exceptional live theater, fine arts, and educational programming that celebrates culture and nurtures community, enriching the quality of life throughout Alexandria, the lakes area and central Minnesota. |
Thief River Falls Area Community Theater, Thief River Falls | $ 5,000 | | The mission of the Thief River Falls Area Community Theater (TRFACT) is two-fold: To provide local performers with outlets for creative expression, and to provide quality entertainment for audiences. |
Threads, Golden Valley | $ 5,000 | | Threads Dance Project's (Threads) mission is to examine, expose, and celebrate the threads that connect us through the art of dance. |
Tweed Museum of Art, Duluth | $ 5,000 | | The Tweed Museum of Art is an art collecting and teaching institution that promotes learning through collection stewardship, research, and presenting programs in the visual arts for the engagement of the University and surrounding communities. |
Twin Cities Carifest, Minneapolis | $ 5,000 | | Carifest creates Caribbean activities that connect the Caribbean community in Minnesota to its diverse heritage. Carifest also seeks to share with all Minnesotans the vibrancy of island culture and encourage understanding among individuals and communities. |
Twin Cities Film Fest, Saint Louis Park | $ 5,000 | | TCFF enhances Minnesota's visual arts community, providing local film artists with education, training, networking, distribution, and employment opportunities; providing Minnesotans with access to regional and national film, forging a rich social dialogue. |
Twin Cities Steppers Association, Saint Paul | $ 5,000 | | The mission of the Twin Cities Stepping Association (TSCA) is through dance workshops and social events to promote the health, wellness, and unity of diverse communities. |
TWIN RIVERS, Mankato | $ 5,000 | | The mission of Twin Rivers is to create an atmosphere or environment that supports creatives, educates the community on the value of the creative sector, and integrates the arts into the fabric of our lives. |
Upstream Arts, Inc., Minneapolis | $ 5,000 | | Upstream Arts uses the power of the creative arts to activate and amplify the voice and choice of individuals with disabilities. |
USA Community Chorus, Swanville | $ 5,000 | | The USA (Upsala/Swanville Area) Community Chorus provides quality educational opportunities in the choral arts giving area singers an opportunity to work with the nation's top choral music experts. It strives to increase passion for the choral arts. |
Walker|West, Saint Paul | $ 5,000 | | Walker|West Music Academy (WWMA) creates a music learning community rooted in the African American cultural experience, where people of all ages and backgrounds can gather, explore, and grow through music. |
Willmar Area Arts Council, Willmar | $ 5,000 | | The Willmar Area Arts Council will promote and support the arts in west central Minnesota. |
Wirth Center for the Performing Arts, Saint Cloud | $ 5,000 | | Wirth Center's mission is creating a brighter world through performing arts. |
Young Dance, Saint Paul | $ 5,000 | | The mission of Young Dance is to transform lives through movement. |
Youth Dance Ensemble and School, Eden Prairie | $ 5,000 | | To enrich the residents of Burnsville and the south metro area with dance training and performance, emphasizing artistic, technical, and creative content for all learners; to inspire the public to better understand and appreciate dance in its many forms. |
Youth Performance Company, Minneapolis | $ 5,000 | | YPC empowers youth and inspires social change through bold theater. Artistic director Jacie Knight founded YPC in 1989 with a vision: YPC youth will have a voice in the creative process, be empowered as leaders, and produce exceptional theater. |
