People with disabilities face significant barriers to the arts as creators, participants, and attendees. This pilot program will offer project grants to increase the capacity of the arts sector to make arts experiences more accessible for persons with disabilities. Funds will be used for investments that will have a longer-term impact on the applicant, such as professional development related to accessibility (i.e., staff or volunteer training, etc.), hiring accessibility consultants to conduct accessibility audits and/or develop accessibility plans, etc. Funds may also be used for small physical or equipment investments (costing less than $5,000) that will make programming more accessible.
| Grantee, City |
Grant Amount |
825 Arts, Saint Paul | $ 19,897 | | 825 Arts will certify and expand a staff role to serve as accessibility coordinator, purchase sound equipment for its wellness room, and acquire an omnidirectional video conferencing device to ensure greater accessibility across programs. |
Art Shanty Projects, Minneapolis | $ 15,500 | | Art Shanty Projects will assemble a team of consultants to develop and implement a comprehensive outreach plan to increase participation and better engage visitors and artists with disabilities. |
COMPAS, Saint Paul | $ 20,000 | | COMPAS teaching artists and staff will increase their capacity to make arts education programming accessible and welcoming to people of all abilities through professional development opportunities and improvements to its website and electronic communication. |
Full Circle Theater Company, Minneapolis | $ 15,800 | | Full Circle Theater will hire a part-time accessibility coordinator to implement accessibility strategies identified during an audit; and consultants to train staff, board, and artists in accessibility awareness and reparative wellness practices. |
History Theatre, Saint Paul | $ 18,664 | | History Theatre will replace nonfunctioning components of its hearing assist system, update its ADA plan for facilities, and improve its website with enhanced digital accessibility features. |
Indigenous Roots Cultural Arts Center, Saint Paul | $ 20,000 | | Indigenous Roots will work with consultants to develop a long-term accessibility plan that increases inclusion for neurodivergent and multiabled participants across all arts programming and event spaces. |
Mixed Blood Theatre Company, Minneapolis | $ 20,000 | | To create a more equitable and accessible environment, Mixed Blood staff will work with accessibility consultants to evaluate programs, processes, and technologies. This will improve accessibility across its building and on its website. |
New York Mills Regional Cultural Center, New York Mills | $ 18,500 | | New York Mills Regional Cultural Center staff and board will work with a consultant to evaluate programs and facilities and develop a plan to increase long-term organizational accessibility, ensuring all are welcome and able to participate in its arts programs. |
Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis | $ 17,818 | | Northern Clay Center will engage its teaching artists, staff, and board in training to more universally address areas in which the Center can make programs and facilities more accessible. The training will focus on adaptive practices and the implementation of adaptive equipment. |
Northern Light Opera Company, Park Rapids | $ 19,195 | | Northern Light Opera Company will contract with North Star Inclusive Strategies to improve its overall accessibility infrastructure creating a more welcoming environment for individuals with disabilities. |
Northfield Arts Guild, Northfield | $ 19,860 | | Northfield Arts Guild will engage consultants in audits, trainings, and planning that increase awareness around accessibility while building organizational capacity to better serve individuals with disabilities. |
Open Eye Theatre, Minneapolis | $ 19,980 | | Guided by an updated strategic plan, Open Eye Theatre will provide enhanced accessibility via assistive listening devices, adaptive Web tools for digital content, and new software and training to create improved projected captions/surtitles. |
Paradise Center for the Arts, Faribault | $ 20,000 | | Paradise Center for the Arts will hire an accessibility consultant to work with the staff and volunteers to develop an ADA action plan encompassing programming, policies, access services, and organizational approach. |
Ragamala Dance, Minneapolis | $ 20,000 | | Ragamala Dance Company will develop a sustainable system for audio description, making their work more accessible for blind and low-vision audiences. |
Red Wing Arts, Red Wing | $ 20,000 | | Red Wing Arts will implement lasting accessibility improvements across public events and programs through staff training, adaptive tools, ASL interpretation, and an embedded accessibility coordinator role. |
Rochester Art Center, Rochester | $ 10,000 | | Rochester Art Center will fix critical issues with its website to comply with WCAG 2.1 guidelines. |
Rochester Repertory, Rochester | $ 16,551 | | Rochester Repertory Theatre will purchase assisted listening devices and undergo an accessibility audit to create greater access to live theater for patrons with visual, auditory, or motor differences. |
Theatre 55, Saint Paul | $ 20,000 | | Theatre 55 will engage consultants to train personnel and review its programming and website, with the goal of increasing accessibility. |
Universal Music Center, Red Wing | $ 18,850 | | Universal Music Center will formalize its accessibility related programming through its new division, ONSITE Music and Arts. It will refine its internal business structure, grow the artist roster, and train teaching artists to better serve their community. |
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis | $ 20,000 | | The Walker Art Center will invest in assistive technology upgrades and staff training, guided by d/Deaf and disabled advisors, to ensure consistent, inclusive access for d/Deaf and hard of hearing audiences across museum programs. |
Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis | $ 20,000 | | The Weisman Art Museum will build alt-text image descriptions into a greater share of its eMuseum collection, and purchase and integrate assisted listening audio equipment for gallery tours. |
