2025 Community Arts Access Tier 1 & 2 Grant Program

The Community Arts Access Tier 1 & 2 grant, offered by the North Dakota Council on the Arts, provides essential arts activity support to a diverse range of organizations and groups. This includes arts and non-arts organizations, as well as unincorporated groups, within North Dakota. The grant's core mission aligns with promoting knowledge and appreciation of the arts in North Dakota, while also encouraging groups to enhance programming quality and expand audiences in both rural and urban areas. The program also focuses on building capacity within these groups, reflecting a strategic priority to foster a robust and accessible arts landscape across the state. Target beneficiaries for this grant include North Dakota state tax-exempt nonprofit arts organizations, federally tax-exempt nonprofit arts organizations, federally tax-exempt non-arts organizations with isolated arts budgets, public entities (state, local, or tribal government), and affiliate arts-presenting or arts-producing organizations. Fiscally sponsored groups with art projects are also eligible, provided they meet specific structural requirements. The overarching impact goals are to support arts activities, grow audiences, and strengthen the arts community throughout North Dakota. The grant prioritizes activities that take place in North Dakota and primarily serve and engage North Dakota audiences and participants. Uses of funds are broad, encompassing art festivals, exhibitions, performance series, touring performances or exhibits, and stand-alone single or multidisciplinary arts projects. The program also sets clear financial parameters, with a minimum award request of $1,250 and a maximum of $4,000 or 75% of total project cash expenses, whichever is less. This structure reflects a strategic focus on supporting a wide array of projects while ensuring responsible allocation of funds. Expected outcomes of the grant include an enhanced quality of arts programming, expanded audiences in both rural and urban settings, and increased capacity within participating organizations. Measurable results would involve tracking the number of arts activities supported, the diversity and size of audiences reached, and the overall growth and stability of recipient organizations. The North Dakota Council on the Arts' theory of change likely centers on the belief that by providing direct financial support and fostering capacity building, the arts will flourish, enriching the cultural lives of North Dakota residents and contributing to community development.