The mission of the Minnesota-based Metropolitan Regional Arts Council is to improve arts access for communities in the seven-county Twin Cities metro area through support to artists and organizations.
Our vision at MRAC (pronounced “m-rack”) is to help Minnesota artists and arts organizations thrive, ensure arts engagement takes place in every community, and help the public actively value and celebrate artists and the arts.
Guiding Principles
- Community. We consider the unique needs of our constituents when developing programs and services and value synergy between artists, arts organizations, and advocates to make our communities better.
- Transparency. We strive to maintain clear decision-making processes and accessible public information.
- Connection. We invest in building relationships, not simply facilitating transactions.
- Integrity. We act with integrity, ensuring that all constituents are treated in a fair, respectful, and consistent manner.
- Equity. We advance inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility for all in every aspect of our work.
- Advocacy. We work with our community partners to promote and advocate for the arts.
- Accountability. We acknowledge our public funds and remain accountable to the state of Minnesota and the voting public.
MRAC’s Service Area
MRAC serves individual artists, small nonprofit arts organizations, informal arts groups, community education units, government agencies, and other groups in Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington counties. This region includes urban, suburban, and rural communities. While the region accounts for less than 4% of the Minnesota’s land mass, its population is just over 50% of the state’s total.
Funding
In 2025–2026, the Artists Emergency Relief Fund Network is stewarded by Springboard for the Arts and supported by the F. R. Bigelow Foundation, the Jerome Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, and the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation.