The Northwest Minnesota Arts Council's mission is to develop the arts in Northwestern Minnesota's Region 1 by working with local and area arts organizations and individuals. It aims to foster artistic experiences of high quality by supporting the creation, production, and sponsorship of art activities across various disciplines.
The grant program from the Northwest Minnesota Arts Council focuses on supporting art projects that develop or enhance local or regional artists, art resources, or art audiences within the seven counties of Region 1. The Council distributes funds across three main grant rounds each fiscal year to support arts activities in disciplines including visual arts, theater, dance, music, folk arts, literary arts, architecture and design, film/video, multi-disciplinary projects, and arts organizational development. Projects must be completed within 24 months of grant receipt, requiring a 10% minimum cash match, which increases to 25% for repeated sponsorship of previously funded events or artists. The grant explicitly excludes use by school districts, aiming instead to enrich artistic experiences within the community through direct engagement in art creation, production, or sponsorship.