Arts Board Grant Program Advisory Panel Member

What qualifications are needed?

The Minnesota State Arts Board seeks panelists who are passionate about the arts, whether they work in the field or not. Successful candidates should have a strong interest in the arts, experience as employees or volunteers with nonprofit organizations, or work directly in the arts, such as artists, administrators, or volunteers. Panelists must be comfortable working independently to review and score grant applications carefully. They should have experience participating in group discussions and be ready to participate in a virtual meeting. Strong written and verbal communication skills and good time management are important. Panelists must meet deadlines, stay objective, and provide thoughtful feedback on the applications using the review criteria.

Selected panelists must:

• be a Minnesota resident; and
• have access to a computer with an Internet connection and intermediate computer skills; and
• have a background in at least one art form, artistic tradition, or arts administration; or
• have knowledge of or experience with an organization working for public benefit, whether that is a nonprofit organization or a government entity; and
• be committed to completing all aspects of the grant application review; and
• commit to participating in the public review meeting that will be held virtually.

Advisors MAY NOT review applications in a grant program from which the individual is an applicant seeking funds. An applicant seeking funds includes: an individual applying for funds as an artist or culture bearer; an individual who is a salaried or contracted employee of an organization applying for funds, or an individual who serves on the board of an organization applying for funds. Advisors may only serve three consecutive years in one grant program.

Which grant program is the best fit for you?

FY 2026 project grant programs

• Arts Education: helps Minnesotans develop personal relationships with an art form by supporting learning experiences for individuals of all ages and abilities. (April-June)
• Accessible Arts: offers project grants to increase the capacity of the arts sector to make arts experiences more accessible to people with disabilities. (July-September)
• Creative Individuals: provides support to help individual artists and culture bearers develop or sustain their creative practices and meaningfully engage with Minnesotans. (July-September)
• Arts Experiences: supports individuals and organizations in providing meaningful arts experiences for Minnesotans within their communities. (August-November)
• Cultural Expression: supports activities that share, explore, pass on, express, or celebrate culture through the arts. Culture may be defined by a common ethnicity, tribal affiliation, geographic or regional identity, occupation, language, or recreation. Traditional and contemporary forms of cultural expression may be funded in this program. (September-November)

Project program advisors are offered a stipend of $300 for their work, which includes:

• Serving a three-to-four-week term (dates depend on program and team assignment) online
• Reading and scoring a set of 25-30 applications online
• Participation in a live virtual training with the program officer
• Full participation in a full-day virtual public panel meeting to discuss all assigned applications

Download the panelist description for project program grants to determine if this is the right fit for you.

FY 2026 Operating Support panelists

Operating Support advisors are offered a stipend of $500 for their work, which includes:

• Serving a four-month term for the Operating Support grant program grant program during February - May 2025
• Reading and scoring a set of 17-20 organization applications online
• Participating in a live virtual training with the program officer
• Serving as a primary reader and secondary reader for two to four applications
• Conducting 1-hour virtual administrative visits with your Primary Reader applicants with program officer support*
• Participating in a two-day public review meeting in May 2025, to discuss and score applications

* Administrative visits will be coordinated by Arts Board staff and scheduled based on the availability of the panelist, applicant organization, and program officer.

What are the required activities for grant application advisors?

• Complete the interest form and include an updated biography statement
• Complete SWIFT registration if you would like to receive the financial stipend
• Declare conflicts of interest with applicant list and indicate your availably for panel meetings using an online form
• Participate in Advisor training via Webex
• Read and assign preliminary scores to applications via WebGrants
• Participate in the entire public review meeting discussion via Webex and submit final scores via WebGrants

How can I apply?

The Arts Board uses an open nomination process to identify potential advisors. If you'd like to nominate yourself, please complete and submit our interest form.

                                        APPLY

Questions?

For more information, please contact Taylor Erickson at Panelists@arts.state.mn.us.

Equal opportunity and access

Equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from programs of the Minnesota State Arts Board is provided to all individuals regardless of race, national origin, color, sex, age, religion, sexual orientation, or disability in admission, access or employment.

The Arts Board offers accessibility services and materials in alternative formats upon request. Please contact the Arts Board's accessibility coordinator if you require an accommodation (i.e., ASL-interpretation; open captioning; audio description; digital, large-print or Braille materials, etc.) to fully participate.