The East Central Regional Arts Council (ECRAC) is offering its Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund Legacy Grant Program to support arts projects within the Region 7E service area of Minnesota. This program provides funding for a wide range of larger arts projects, including performances, exhibitions, local theatre productions, artist residencies, workshops, publications, films, presentations, public art projects, and art equipment. The overarching mission of ECRAC, as evidenced by this grant, is to promote and provide access to the arts for community audiences, aligning with a strategic priority to support the creation, sponsorship, publication, performance, and exhibition of art.
The primary beneficiaries of this grant program are non-profit arts organizations, public agencies (such as local units of government, schools, or tribal governments), and local groups or organizations operating within Region 7E Minnesota counties (Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Pine) and the sovereign lands of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. The impact goals include fostering a vibrant arts community, increasing public engagement with the arts, and providing opportunities for artistic expression and development. The program aims to achieve these goals by supporting diverse art forms and ensuring that artistic experiences are accessible to a broad community audience.
Key priorities and focuses for this grant include supporting projects that offer performances by touring artists, visual art shows, local theatre, professional artist residencies, and educational initiatives like workshops and classes. The program also emphasizes public art projects and the provision of art equipment, provided a usage plan is approved. A core focus is on projects that directly benefit and serve the Region 7E community, requiring applicants located outside the region to demonstrate local benefit and include Region 7E Advisory members.
Expected outcomes include an increase in the number and variety of arts projects available to the community, enhanced artistic skills and development through professional artist involvement, and greater community participation in the arts. Measurable results could include tracking the number of performances, exhibitions, workshops, and attendees, as well as the types of art projects funded and their geographic reach within Region 7E. The grant request range for organizations is $5,000-$20,000, which suggests a focus on supporting projects with a significant, but not excessively large, scope. ECRAC's theory of change appears to be that by strategically investing in local arts projects and organizations, they can cultivate a thriving cultural landscape that enriches the lives of residents and strengthens community identity.
