The Region 2 Arts Council (R2AC) aims to enhance the presence and purpose of the arts by supporting arts creation, promotion, and education in North Central Minnesota, covering Beltrami, Clearwater, Hubbard, Lake of the Woods, and Mahnomen counties. As part of a statewide system of regional arts councils, R2AC works in partnership with the Minnesota State Arts Board to ensure access to the arts for all residents in Minnesota by assessing arts needs and funding arts programs regionally.
The Arts Access Grant aims to foster arts creation, production, and presentation that are of high quality and accessible, effectively integrating the arts into community and public life. This grant supports projects that prioritize reaching broader audiences by either offering new or expanded arts programs to residents of specified regions or by enhancing accessibility to the arts. Projects must demonstrate a commitment to eliminating the barriers that hinder public access to arts activities. Organizations may receive funding for up to two different arts activities per year, with the condition that these activities must be open to the public and initiated within 12 months of the grant's earliest start date, concluding by a predetermined finish date.