In 2026, our nation is commemorating its semiquincentennial–the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of the United States of America. National, state, and local initiatives are being planned across the country to celebrate America250. The National Endowment for the Arts is one of the many federal agencies spearheading the national America250 initiative. It has provided funding to state arts agencies, including the Minnesota State Arts Board, to support projects in each state that give Americans opportunities to experience and participate in the arts while celebrating our nation's history. America250 – Minnesota Arts Grants will help produce or present arts experiences that inspire Minnesotans to reflect on our past, that showcase the rich tapestry of American stories, and honor key people and events in American history.
| Grantee, City |
Grant Amount |
Borealis Chamber Artists, Duluth | $ 5,000 | | Borealis Chamber Artists will present The American Road, a choral concert exploring American history through music, featuring works by Shawn Okpebholo that reflect diverse voices shaping the United States. |
COLLIDE Theatrical Dance Company, Saint Paul | $ 5,000 | | COLLIDE will create three dance theater pieces highlighting American history stories at the holidays. |
Dakota Wicohan, Morton | $ 5,000 | | Dakota Wicohan will present a cultural arts exhibit featuring traditional Dakota arts in red, white, and blue alongside information on Dakota people's history in the U. S. |
Drama Interaction, Chaska | $ 5,000 | | Drama Interaction will engage Minnesota veterans in storytelling, music, and movement to honor America's 250th anniversary through workshops, a live performance, and video archive celebrating service, sacrifice, and national history. |
Folk School Warroad, Warroad | $ 1,700 | | Folk School Warroad will host four different workshops of historically accurate methods of an artistic skill. |
Grand Marais Arts, Inc., Grand Marais | $ 3,800 | | Grant funding will be used to contract with an indigenous artist for an exhibition to celebrate the history of the founding of America by considering the theme of borderlands. |
Headwaters School of Music & the Arts, Bemidji | $ 5,000 | | Headwaters Music and Arts and Beltrami County Historical Society present Revolution: A Musical Review, a narrated concert tracing American history through music from Anishinaabe
traditions to the present day. |
Heijeu Arts, Saint Cloud | $ 2,675 | | Heijeu Arts will present Place, History, & Visual Storytelling, a visual journaling investigation, as part of the ArtSmarts Art Camp at the Stearns History Museum. |
Honors Choir of Southeast Minnesota, Rochester | $ 5,000 | | Honors Choirs of Southeast Minnesota will present two performances of FALL-LA-PALOOZA as a thematic concert to celebrate the 250-year history of America. |
Kicks Band of Fargo Moorhead, Moorhead | $ 2,888 | | The FM Kicks Band is proud to present Celebrating America's Songbook, with a series of public concerts to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States. |
La Grande Band, Gaylord | $ 4,594 | | La Grande Bande will present The Art of the Violin, a concert program featuring music for violin from colonial America and Europe, in greater Minnesota. |
Mask and Rose Women's Theater Collective, Puposky | $ 5,000 | | We will present a 250th Birthday of Our American Republic celebration with a staged reading, a historical fashion show, and patriotic sing along. |
SOAR Regional Arts, Saint Michael | $ 4,350 | | Celebrate America's 250th with SOAR Regional Arts! Join us for The Sound of the Semiquincentennial, a 60-minute interactive outdoor concert for youth and families featuring a professional ensemble performing our nation's musical history. |
