2026 Individual Artist Grants is sponsored by East Central Regional Arts Council (ECRAC). Supports individual artists in the East Central Minnesota region.

Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund Grant for Artists | ECRAC Community Art Events Calendar Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund Grant for Artists Dear ECRAC Community and Applicants, We wish to share an important update regarding the East Central Regional Arts Council (ECRAC) Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund (ACHF) Grant for Artists. Due to an exceptionally high volume of requests this fiscal year, all available funds have now been allocated.

As a result, we must close the April 1 grant deadline. This is a rare occurrence in our organization’s history, and the decision was made only after careful consideration. We sincerely apologize for any disappointment or inconvenience this may cause and deeply appreciate your understanding.

As an artist you can consider applying for the Emergency Relief Fund . As an organization we encourage you to consider applying when the next fiscal year opens for ACHF funding. Submitting early helps us ensure we can continue supporting meaningful and impactful arts initiatives throughout the region.

Thank you for your ongoing support of the arts and for your commitment to the mission of the East Central Regional Arts Council. ECRAC Board of Directors and Staff The Minnesota State Arts Board and Minnesota's designated regional arts councils are entrusted with stewardship of funding through the State of Minnesota's Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund (ACHF.)

Proceeds from the fund may be spent only on arts and arts access, arts education and arts and cultural heritage. The fund is intended to create a strong arts legacy in Minnesota. The East Central Regional Arts Council has Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund (also known as Legacy) grants available for arts projects by individuals residing in Region 7E.

This category provides support to individuals for a wide variety of arts projects involving the creation, sponsorship, performance, and/or exhibition of art. Arts producing activities and an arts activity which is open to the public should result from the project. An Outcome Evaluation Plan is required for this funding program.

The ECRAC funds ACHF requests from individual artists or culture bearers of up to $2,000. There are three application deadlines per year for this program, October 1, February 1, and April 1 for projects starting about 3 months later. To apply you will need the following: FY 2024-2025 ECRAC ACHF Guidelines(pdf) - read this before applying to understand the grant funding guidelines.

You will find them in the download section of this page. Guidelines will be available about 4 weeks before the application deadline. Additional materials as explained in the instructions included with the online grant application.

These items ensure your eligibility and help to establish that your project fits the grant review criteria. The online ECRAC grant application portal . East Central Regional Arts Council has moved to an online granting system.

All applications going forward must be submitted through the ECRAC Grant Portal. Please refer to the tips below to help you navigate the new system. Links for each grant program application will only become available about 4-6 weeks prior to each grant deadline.

On your first visit to the ECRAC Grant Portal, you will need to create a new account with a username and password. Please note that if you are applying as an organization, your organization can only have one username and password for the online system. Please be sure to keep this information as you will need it again to access the Portal for grant requirements and for all future requests.

Returning to an Application Your application does not need to be completed in one session and can be returned to and edited until you formally submit the application. Please be sure to save your application often while working on it and before you exit the system. To return to your application, you can access the ECRAC Grant Portal through the Manage My Grant page.

There you may logon using the email address and password you created the first time you entered. There are fields in the application that will require you to upload information (documents, media, etc.). Please note that your information may not be completely uploaded until you click “Save”.

Be sure to save your application often so as not to lose any progress or information. Submitting an Application Once you have completed and reviewed your application, you may submit the application for funding consideration. Once an application has been submitted you will be able to view the application, but not edit or make any changes to it.

Review the grant guidelines before you begin. The application also includes tips on completing a successful application. Contact ECRAC staff if you have any questions, we're here to help and support you during the grant process.

Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund Grant for Artists ECRAC Essential Artist Award ECRAC Mid-Career Artist Grant ECRAC Resiliency Grant for Individuals ECRAC ACHF Individual Artist FY2026-2027 Grant Guidelines ACHF Individual Artist Grant Application - For Review Only Equipment Use Plan Example for Artist Budget Template - ACHF Artists For more assistance in navigating the ECRAC Grant Portal, please refer to the ECRAC Grant Portal Tutorial.

If you need further assistance navigating the ECRAC Grant Portal or have any other questions, please feel free to contact ECRAC by email at grantinfo@ecrac. org or by calling (320) 336-0200