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Next Step Fund is a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, supported by the McKnight Foundation, that provides up to $6,000 to individual artists at any career stage. The fund helps artists sustain their artistic trajectory, overcome barriers to professional success, or leverage a beneficial career opportunity.
Applicants must maintain a primary residential address in Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, or Washington County, Minnesota for at least six months prior to applying and must submit work samples of their own original art. Artists in any discipline are eligible to apply.
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Providing up to $6,000 to individual artists for proposals that would help them sustain the trajectory of their artistic career, overcome a barrier to success, and/or leverage a beneficial career opportunity. Applicants may be at any stage in their career, but must be able to provide work samples of their own original art. This grant is made possible with support from the McKnight Foundation.
Have an idea for an arts project or program that fits the description above? First review a few basics with these frequently asked questions. What is the purpose of this grant?
Requests must outline strategies that will help the applicant sustain the trajectory of their artistic career, overcome a barrier to success, and/or leverage a beneficial career opportunity. Requests should be appropriate to the career stage of the applicant and in alignment with their stated goals.
Examples of what applicants may seek support for include: Learning new skills to adapt, transition, or expand their creative process or artistic practice Professionalizing or increasing artistic output and quality Researching, producing, or presenting new creative work Developing a business plan, promotional materials, and/or documentation of a creative portfolio Who is eligible to apply?
Applicants must meet the following criteria: Identify as an artist, working in any discipline, at any stage in their career, and have evidence of artistic output indicative of their career stage. Be able to submit work samples of their own artwork. Artists should have had decision-making authority over the artwork depicted in the work samples.
Maintain a primary residential street address in Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, or Washington county (P. O. boxes are not accepted).
Eligible applicants must reside in the seven-county metro region for at least six (6) months prior to the application deadline (from September 16, 2025) and continue to do so for the entirety of their proposed grant period. If a grantee moves away during that time, MRAC may recall the grant funds. Be at least 18 years of age on the grant deadline date (March 16, 2026).
Where can my proposal happen? There are no restrictions on where applicants can execute their proposals. However, they must maintain their primary residence in Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, or Washington county (P.
O. boxes are not accepted) for at least six (6) months prior to the application deadline (from September 16, 2025) and continue to reside in this region for the entirety of their proposal period. What if I received a Next Step Fund grant in a previous year?
Grantees who received a Next Step Fund award in FY23, FY24, or FY25 are not eligible to apply in FY26.
Powered by HTML5 Responsive FAQ Important Dates for Next Step Fund Application Opens in Submittable Application Services Ends February 2, 2026, 12:01 am Grant Program Overview and Application Instructions To find out about Next Step Fund, read through the Grant Program Overview and Application Instructions (previously known as our “Guidelines”), available below.
In it, you’ll learn: Information about when and where your proposal can happen. What funding requests are allowed, including eligible and ineligible expenses. Details about how applications are reviewed and scored by our review panelists.
What to do if you’ve received an MRAC grant in previous years. The narrative questions you’ll be asked when you describe your proposal. Instructions on providing your proposal budget.
How to use Submittable to complete your application. View and Download the Grant Overview To submit an application, you’ll need to be very familiar with the requirements for Next Step Fund. View and download the version that works best for you!
Great for viewing on your phone or computer, or for printing a hard copy. This PDF opens in a new window. Next Step Fund Program Overview (PDF version) Interactive Word Document Created for screen readers and other assistive technologies.
Also a good choice if you like a standard, clickable table of contents. This Word file downloads directly to your computer. Next Step Fund Program Overview (Word version) Ready to get started?
Head over to Submittable to make an account or begin your application. We provide the following resources to help you complete your application. Pre-recorded Informational Webinar Hosted by grant program staff, this webinar reviews the information in our Grant Program Overview and Application Instructions, available above.
Staff go through each section step by step, including what happens after you submit your application. Helpful to use if you take in information better by listening or by seeing it laid out on slides! If you would like to meet with a program staff member with specific questions related to your eligibility or the eligibility of your proposal, please fill out this meeting request form.
A staff member will be in touch shortly! Please note that application assistance ends at 5 pm on March 13, 2026. Application Assistance Request Form You can download and use the following resources to help you prepare and plan your application.
Application Scoring Guide for Review Panelists Review panelists use these criteria when they are scoring Next Step Fund applications. This PDF opens in a new window. Application Questions and Explanations This PDF opens in a new window.
Narrative Drafting Document This Word document downloads directly to your computer. Budget Plan Drafting Sheet This Excel file downloads directly to your computer. Previous Next Step Fund Grantee Projects Check out the Next Step Fund grantees from previous years below.
2025 Next Step Fund Grantees 2023 Next Step Fund Grantees Header 1: Keila Anali Saucedo, Brujeria for Beginners , 2021, courtesy 20% Theater Company. Header 2: CAAM Chinese Dance Theater, Caponi Art Park’s Theater in the Woods, 2010, photo: Corey Pressgrove. Header 3 (left to right): Impulse , Manifest Dance, 2022, Minnesota Fringe Virtual Festival, and BalletMN, Mozart 40th, 2017–2018.
Send Mail: PO Box 4644 St. Paul, MN 55104 General Voice Mailbox: 651-645-0402 Email General Questions: info@mrac. org
According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Individual artists at any stage in their career who maintain a primary residential street address in Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, or Washington county for at least six months prior to the application …. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows up to $6,000. Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
Next Step Fund is funded by Metropolitan Regional Arts Council (with support from the McKnight Foundation). Verify program details on the funder's official page before applying.
This opportunity targets applicants in Washington. If your organization operates elsewhere, check the official notice for location requirements.
Applications go through the funder's official portal — the Apply Now link on this page goes there directly.
Bioeconomy policy support hub for Member States, regions and sectors is sponsored by European Commission — Horizon Europe. Expected Outcome: Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes: most Member States and regions [1] have established the bioeconomy as an important policy field. Effective bioeconomy policies and strategies are developed and implemented with specific impact targets in mind; policies and action plans and roadmaps are coordinated across parts of government (e.g. Ministries) and across the quadruple helix (government, sectors, research & innovation, society) to take into account the cross-sectoral and place-based character of the bioeconomy, and the need for a whole of government approach. Platforms are established to facilitate dialogue, experimentation, learning and coordination; all actors of the quadruple helix (e.g. policy makers, NGOs, economic sectors) are aware of the bioeconomy, as well as of the potential and challenges that are specific for their perspective and context. The bioeconomy concept, its principles and its solutions and innovations are mainstreamed by sectors (e.g. food, textiles, chemicals, energy, agriculture, forestry). Scope: Proposals should: establish a European Bioeconomy Policy Support Hub to provide innovative approaches, hands-on support, learning and advise to Member States and regions on plans, roadmaps, policies and collaborations to deploy their bioeconomies; provide innovative tools to assess, on an ongoing basis, the stage of development of bioeconomy policies and strategies in Member States and regions, and to assess the quality of their implementation; provide relevant support, new approaches and recommendations to improve and/or take next steps. Take into account the learnings of the Report “ Deploying the bioeconomy in the EU ” (2021, European Commission), as well as the results of relevant Horizon Europe projects (e.g. ShapingBio, CEE2ACT, SCALE-UP); provide an overview of the uptake of new bioeconomy solutions based on biomass and biological resources (including ecosystems) in European value chains and sectors (including service sectors); provide innovative approaches, hands-on support, learning and advise to Member States and regions to deploy their bioeconomies. This can include activities that aim help to: inform and engage political leadership on the potential of the bioeconomy; establish or improve platforms facilitate policy dialogue, experimentation, learning and coordination (e.g. policy labs); map the bioeconomy’s potential across sectors and society at regional and Member State level, and increase awareness; advance skills of policy makers, and learn from best practices in bioeconomy policy and implementation; set-up or improve local bioeconomy councils, i.e. platforms for dialogue between government, sectors, academia and society (quadruple helix) on bioeconomy policies, plans, roadmaps and their implementation; put in place collaborations that facilitate the scaling-up of bioeconomy solutions in value chains and sectors that are relevant for the Member State or region; monitor the bioeconomy as well as the change process it brings; ensure innovative approaches, hands-on support, learning and advise that is both generic (targeting all Member States and regions; or groups of Member States and regions) and tailormade (in response to questions from specific Member States and regions that express clear need and commitment to collaborate); carry out activities to maximize the geographical spread of its support and advice; enable structural dialogue with European Commission services, and collaborate with relevant initiatives such as the Circular Bio-based Europe (CBE) Joint Undertaking, European University Alliances, the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform or the BIOEAST initiative collaborate with such partners on a roadmap to ensure that key results, tools and approaches can be sustained after the end of the project; collaborate with relevant Horizon Europe projects (e.g. ShapingBio) and/or build on their results. The Joint Re Programme areas: Horizon Europe (HORIZON), Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness, Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment, Bio-based Innovation Systems in the EU Bioeconomy Keywords: Bioeconomy, EU research policy /Research policies in the EU, Industrial policy, Innovation policy, Public administration, Advice, Best practice, Member State, Policy support, Region
Summary: The fiscal year 2026 (FY26) Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program (PRCRP) Idea Award (IA) supports innovative, untested, high-risk/potentially high-reward concepts, theories, paradigms, and/or basic cancer research. The advancement of knowledge in cancer research, patient care, and/or treatment options in the Military Health System (MHS) is critical to Service Members, Veterans, other military beneficiaries and the American public.Distinctive Features: The proposed project should demonstrate creative thinking and innovation.• Incremental advances, the next logical step, or switching a model system from one cancer to another cancer are not appropriate for this award.• Inclusion of preliminary data is not required; however, the project must be based on strong scientific rationale.• New for FY26: Early Career Investigator Option: The Early Career Investigator option is designed to support the continued development of promising independent investigators that are early in their faculty appointments. Funding Opportunity Number: HT942526PRCRPIA. Assistance Listing: 12.420. Funding Instrument: G. Category: ST. Award Amount: $18M total program funding.
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