Grant Opportunity: Visual Arts Fund
Apply for a $10,000 grant to develop an artist-organized, publicly-engaged visual arts project (exhibition, installation, publication, event series, or digital initiative) in the Twin Cities metro region.
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Get matched →- Deadline
- 31 days left
- Entry fee
- Free
- Award
- $10,000
- Location
- Twin Cities metro region (7 counties: Hennepin, Scott, Ramsey, Dakota, Anoka, Carver, Washington), Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota
- Exhibition window
- Jan 1, 2027 → Jun 30, 2028
About
Overview
The Visual Arts Fund awards grants to artist-organized projects in the Twin Cities metro region that engage the public with visual art outside of established arts venues. Projects could include exhibitions or installations in temporary spaces, new publications, event series, digital initiatives, public art projects, and other visual arts activities.
Award
Six grants of $10,000 each (total $60,000).
Key Dates
- Application opens: September 1, 2026
- Submissions due: Saturday, September 26, 2026, 5:00 pm CDT
- Project period: January 1, 2027 to June 30, 2028
- In-person info session: Thursday, September 3, 6–7pm at Midway Contemporary Art
- Grant writing workshop: Thursday, September 17, 6–9pm at Midway Contemporary Art
Eligibility
Projects must be artist-organized and self-initiated with a strong visual arts basis. The lead organizer must live within the Twin Cities seven-county metro region (Hennepin, Scott, Ramsey, Dakota, Anoka, Carver, Washington counties). Individuals or groups may apply, but 501c3s, incorporated businesses, and undergraduate students are not eligible (PhD students are eligible). Lead organizers may submit only one application per round and cannot have an active grant period from a previous VAF cycle.
Project Requirements
- Must have a publicly accessible component within the Twin Cities seven-county metro region
- Cannot charge admission or fees to the public or participants
- Cannot start before January 1, 2027
- Must be completed by June 30, 2028
- Cannot be exclusively an individual artist presenting only their own work
- Cannot be part of a 501c3 non-profit arts organization's programming or at a commercial gallery
Lead Organizer Responsibilities
The lead organizer oversees the project and must play a key role in its creation and execution. They are responsible for receiving grant funds, communicating with Midway Contemporary Art, and submitting the final survey. Lead organizers do not need to be U.S. Citizens but must have a social security number to receive payment. Collaborators can live anywhere.
Contact
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: (612) 605–4504
- Hours: Wednesday–Saturday, 11:00 am–5:00 pm
- ASL interpretation available upon request with two weeks' advance notice
- Award
- Six $10,000 grants (total $60,000)
- Entry fee
- Free to enter
- Entries per artist
- Up to 1
- Theme
- Projects that engage the public with visual art, including exhibitions and installations in temporary spaces, new publications, event series, digital initiatives, and public art that occurs outside established arts venues and commercial galleries.
- Eligibility
- Artist-organized projects in the Twin Cities seven-county metro region; lead organizer must live in the region; individuals or groups may apply; 501c3s, incorporated businesses, and undergraduate students not eligible (PhD students are eligible).
- Contact
- [email protected]
Every listing links to the organizer's official page. Always confirm deadlines, fees, and entry rules there before you apply.