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Minnesota State Arts Board outlines grant process, says arts and cultural heritage funds reach across state
Summary
The Minnesota State Arts Board told the Legacy Finance Committee that the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund accounted for the majority of its biennial revenue and described grant programs, review processes and outreach to under‑served communities. The board said it reviews roughly 1,700 applications a year and makes nearly 1,000 grants annually.
Sue Jens, executive director of the Minnesota State Arts Board, briefed the Legacy Finance Committee on March 5 on how the board distributes Arts and Cultural Heritage (ACH) funds and the role of regional arts councils.
"The foundation, the bedrock of everything we do is the fact that Minnesotans care deeply about the arts," Jens said, describing public interest that supports state funding and the board’s long history as a grantmaker.
Jens told members the Arts Board’s FY 2024–25 biennial revenue includes a roughly $97.9 million allocation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, representing about 85 percent of the agency’s funding for the biennium, plus a general fund appropriation and a small National Endowment for the Arts grant. The board described how it posts program calendars and application materials in January to give applicants advance notice and offers webinars, one‑on‑one application assistance and draft reviews when time allows.
Jens described a multistep review that relies heavily on citizen advisors. More than 400–500 advisers from across Minnesota read and score applications, discuss them in public meetings and produce recommendations; for larger awards the board also performs financial risk assessments and monitoring visits. Jens told members the board receives hundreds of applications each year and "we make close to 1,000 grants a year."
The Arts Board said about 60 percent of ACH appropriations are available for competitive grants and that 30 percent of ACH disbursements flow to legislatively mandated grants to 11 regional arts councils, which the board described as essential to reaching communities outside Minnesota’s larger metropolitan areas. Jens said regional arts councils tailor programs to local needs and together make roughly 50 grants per region annually on average.
Jens gave examples of recent project grants: New Native Theater’s free summer theater camp for students, a chamber music series by Chamber Music Live in Houston, Minn., and Festival de la Calaveras, a community festival celebrating Latine artists. She said two of those example grants were for $35,000 and one was for $34,900, noting it is common for applicants in project programs to request the maximum allowed award.
Committee members asked about outreach and how the board measures free programming. Jens said operating support grantees reported more than 6,000 free activities in the prior year and that the board has hired an outreach coordinator and is expanding work with regional arts councils and connector organizations to reach under‑served communities. Members asked for district‑level grant lists; Jens said the board would provide a list of grantees’ locations (the organization or artist’s base) to members.
Jens emphasized public access goals and said the board changed its review emphasis after the Legacy Amendment to focus on public benefit and access rather than a narrow definition of artistic excellence. "We want to provide greater access and get those benefits of the arts out to more people," she said.
The board’s presentation closed with a reminder that demand exceeds available funds and that the Legacy appropriation enables programs and organizations that often would not exist without state support.
