MRAC staff do not make grant funding decisions. Instead, each year MRAC seeks more than 200 artists, arts workers, and art lovers to support the most critical component of our funding cycle—the peer review process. After a thorough training workshop, each reviewer thoughtfully evaluates the applications assigned to them. The scores for each application are averaged and those scores are then ranked from highest to lowest. Grant funds are awarded based on these panel score rankings and MRAC Board–approved budget allocations.
We actively recruit new and returning reviewers, bringing a different cohort in for each grant round every year. Application reviewers receive stipends for their time, and the appreciation of the community for helping to make grantmaking more equitable.
Check out the FAQs below to see if becoming an MRAC grant reviewer is right for you! If you have any questions, please email aimee@mrac.org.
General Reviwer Intake Form
If you are new reviewer or haven’t served in more than a year, please submit your information via this online form.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can serve as a MRAC application reviewer?
Application reviewers must:
- be an artist, employed or volunteer in the arts, or an active arts enthusiast,
- live in one of the seven metro counties: Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott or Washington,
- be at least 18 years old, and
- be dedicated to advancing equitable grantmaking across the Twin Cities metro region.
Our reviewers are as diverse as our applicants. Therefore, we seek individuals from a range of artistic disciplines, experiences in community, metro geographies, ages, genders, races, abilities, and ethnicities. Those who identify as Black, Indigenous, or a person of color (BIPOC), a person with a disability, part of the LGBTQ+ community, and/or live outside of Hennepin and Ramsey counties are highly encouraged to apply.
We actively work with our reviewers to ensure they have a positive, thoughtful experience. This includes making accessibility accommodations, providing language translation, and more.
Reviewers include past and current grant applicants, but those new to MRAC are also welcome to apply. Serving as an application reviewer is a great first step if you are thinking of applying for funding!
How much work is it to be an application reviewer?
Application reviewers can expect to spend up to 25 hours serving, with most of the time spent reading applications. This includes a 2-hour virtual orientation where you will learn about MRAC’s mission, the grant criteria, and how to assess applications.
After the virtual orientation, reviewers will have approximately one month to evaluate between 25–60 applications (depending on the grant) remotely via our grant interface Submittable. All evaluations are completed independently online and at your own pace. Each application is around 4 pages and can take 15 minutes to 1 hour to assess. Numbers and times vary based on which grant you are reviewing.
We acknowledge that this is a big time commitment. While most reviewers will work on only one grant per year, you are welcome to serve more if you are willing and able.
What are the benefits of serving as an application reviewer?
Application reviewers receive thorough training, a stipend, and if applicable, caregiver (including personal care and childcare) reimbursement. They also receive our sincere gratitude for their time and effort to support the arts ecosystem by reviewing the grant proposals.
By serving you can expect to:
- have a greater understanding about what makes a strong grant application.
- learn about a variety of arts groups, organizations, and projects.
- be empowered and prepared for this role through our trainings and support.
- be respected for your role in this important process.
What are MRAC’s policies for reviewers?
View and download MRAC’s reviewer policies.
Review sessions are held throughout the year. You may hear from us quickly or it may take a while depending on when you inquire and when it aligns with our needs. Please note that all applications will be reviewed through Submittable, an online rating and comment system. After the virtual training workshop, no in-person or virtual discussions are scheduled or required.
Applicants are often curious about how what happens to their grant applications after they hit submit. Read on for a general overview of the process from submission to notification!
Step 1: Staff Confirm Eligibility
After an application closes, our program staff spend about six weeks inspecting applications to ensure that they are eligible under the grant rules. Examples of eligibility aspects that staff confirm include location in the seven-county metro, dollar amount request not exceeding the limit for the grant, and other aspects.
Staff may reach out to applicants during this time for more information or additions to the application.
This stage does not include any evaluation of the feasibility or potential success of the grant application.
Step 2: Application Review Period
Once eligibility is confirmed, applications move into the peer review period. Application reviewers attend a two-hour training sessions, where they learn about the grant program they are evaluating and the specific scoring criteria they are going to use during their reviews.
We always provide the scoring criteria to applicants when grant rounds open. We strongly encourage applicants to review these criteria as they are writing their applications. These can be found in the Additional Resources section of each grant webpage.
Although criteria are different for each grant program, they generally include scoring categories that evaluate proposal design (do you clearly explain the proposal and the steps to achieving it? Do your plans connect to your stated goals), arts access (are you providing arts access or an arts-related service to Minnesotans?), and proposal feasibility (do your proposed expenses and their costs seem reasonable? Are you well-positioned to complete the proposal successfully?).
For each criteria, reviewers give the application a score of 1–6 or 1–5 (it varies based on the grant program). They are also asked to leave a constructive comment noting where the applicant did well in their explanation or where there could be more improvement or clarity.
Step 3: Application Ranking and Board Approval
Once all the reviewers have submitted their evaluations, our staff compile the scores. Multiple reviewers score each application, and the average of all those scores is calculated to give the application its final score. Applications are then ranked highest to lowest. Grant award decisions are made by the MRAC Board of Directors based on these rankings and MRAC Board–approved budget allocations.