Flexible Support Grant Program

The Flexible Support grant provides up to $15,000 in funding to help groups whose primary addresses are located in Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott or Washington county to create access to the arts and stay connected to audiences/communities in Minnesota.

This program supports the production of artistic projects, and/or projects that strengthen the organizational capacity and operations of groups providing access to the arts.

Your grant proposal could include

  • Arts Programming activity such as a single event such as a theater production or a series such as a semester of painting classes.
  • Organizational Capacity activities might include a coordinated management effort that bolsters the organization’s ability to do its work (like rebranding, building a website, or overhauling financial tracking systems), and/or could include the purchase of equipment, or making facilities improvements.
  • Operations activities could be those that support the ongoing operations of a group (such as paying staff salaries or rent on a space).

All of these types of activities, independently, or in some combination, could be the organization’s “project” or “program.”

Please read the guidelines before you apply. The application for Flexible Support Round 1 is open on July 6, 2021.

Text Guidelines for screen readers and translation applications are available at this link: Flexible Support Text Version Grant Guidelines

Grant Information Webinar

The Flexible Support grant information webinars are designed to help groups prepare their Flexible Support grant application. Webinars cover funding, eligibility, program scope, and the details of applying for a Flexible Support grant at MRAC. Participants will become familiar with the program and online application and will leave with clear expectations of the next steps to apply for MRAC funding.

The recorded webinar is interpreted into ASL interpretation. Select the CC button in the video player to enable closed captions. A lightly edited transcript is available for download (Lightly edited FY22 Flexible Support grant information webinar transcript, txt download).

Apply here

Deadlines

Monday, August 9, 2021 - 11:59 pm
Monday, March 14, 2022 - 11:59 pm

Program directors

Scott Artley
Contact for Round 1
651-523-6384| scott@mrac.org

Masami Kawazato
Contact for Round 2
651-523-6386| masami@mrac.org

Jovan Rebollar
651-523-6381| jovan@mrac.org

Grant documents

Program requirements & eligibility

The requirements listed below are intended to give a sense of the program and are NOT comprehensive. Please read the complete guidelines before beginning your application and contact your program director with questions.

Flexible Support Grant Program
Groups must be located in Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, or Washington county; all groups must describe how their project/program will create access to the arts and ensure connection to audience in Minnesota; and be one of the following:

  • Arts groups and organizations: Federally tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organizations with annual operating expenses of $400,000 or less.
  • Cultural groups and organizations: Federally tax-exempt 501(c)(3) cultural nonprofit organizations that provide arts and non-arts programming with annual arts programming expenses of $400,000 or less.
  • Fiscally sponsored groups with art projects: Groups who are not incorporated as a federally tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with annual operating expenses of $400,000 or less. Fiscally sponsored groups also must consist of at least 3 people who are on the leadership team. Fiscally sponsored groups must have a fiscal sponsor.
  • Other eligible groups: non-arts and non-cultural nonprofit organizations; public entities; community education units.

Help with your application

MRAC Program Directors are available for questions on eligibility and program intent, project idea development, and will, when possible, review your application materials for eligibility in advance of the deadline. We encourage you to reach out to the program director before you submit an application, especially if you are a first-time applicant to MRAC.

Technical Support

Questions about the grantmaking process in general and technical assistance with the grant interface (such as trouble logging in), please contact us at mrac@mrac.org or 651-645-0402.

Brief Questions about Eligibility & the Application

If you have a quick question about Flexible Support, reach out to the round’s assigned program director:

For Flexible Support Round 1 (deadline August 9, 2021), please contact Scott Artley (scott@mrac.org or 651-523-6384).

For Flexible Support Round 2 (deadline March 14, 2022), please contact Masami Kawazato (masami@mrac.org or 651-523-6386).

Extended Support (Phone or Zoom)

If you would like to talk with a program director about this grant program for anything beyond brief questions, fill out this Flexible Support Program application assistance meeting request form. A program director will follow up via email to schedule a meeting.

New to MRAC?

Newly launched is the Welcome to MRAC Grants page, which is intended to introduce new and returning applicants to MRAC grant programs and the grant-making process. You will find information about translation and accessibility options, fiscal sponsorship, and tips to apply to all of MRAC grant programs.

Apply here

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