Artists Respond: Safety in Neighbors
By Springboard for the Arts
The Growth Fund is an ongoing program that supports Minnesota creative business owners and artists with $2,500 to help sustain or scale their business. Applicants must have completed at least one Artist Career Consultation during the program cycle dates – in Spring and Fall – in order to be eligible for the Growth Fund, and recipients are selected through a randomized drawing.
The Leslye Orr Fund provides non-competitive direct support for artists with disabilities in Minnesota to create work and invest in their careers. Inspired by Leslye Orr’s advocacy for “the possibilities of disabilities,” this new fund will foster artistry, inclusivity, and community joy. Grants are $2,500 each, selected through a randomized drawing of eligible applicants.
Are you a Minnesota artist experiencing an emergency? The Artists Emergency Relief Fund Network, stewarded by Springboard for the Arts, is a growing coalition of regional organizations in Minnesota supporting artists and creative workers with one-time emergency relief funds.
Currently, five Regional Arts Councils (RACs) have relief fund programs: Arrowhead Regional Arts Council (Duluth), Five Wings Arts Council (Staples), the Metropolitan Arts Council (Saint Paul), the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council (Waseca), and the Region 2 Arts Council (Bemidji). Each program is operated independently with varying geographic scope, cycles and eligibility. Please see their websites for full information. Stay tuned for additional RACs to be announced in January 2026.
The Artists Emergency Relief Fund Network is stewarded by Springboard for the Arts and supported by F. R. Bigelow Foundation, Jerome Foundation, and McKnight Foundation.
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