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Be a Force for Midwestern Creativity

We believe creativity is the spark that makes the Midwest feel alive, connected, and full of possibility. Join our efforts to strengthen and amplify creativity across the region we call home.
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An adult helps a young child paint a mural of a dog at an outdoor event.
Photo Credit: Gahanna Area Arts Council

Joyful, Loud, and Midwest Proud

Discover the latest stories and updates from our nine states and beyond.
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We share data and ideas to support Midwestern communities in being more visible, sustainable, and interconnected.
Arts Funding
Find grants, grant makers, and resources to help you be more successful in grant applications.
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Guides & Tools
A collection of free, curated and tools that simplify complex concepts.
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Research + Data
Insights about the state of the arts in the Midwest, and across the nation.
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Webinars
Catch up on expert-led sessions on the skills, strategies, and ideas shaping arts work in the Midwest.
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Arts Midwest Grant Opportunities and Awards

We fuel creativity throughout the Midwest by supporting artists and creative organizations. Learn more about our grantmaking initiatives and community programming.

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An African American musician encircled by musicians and audience members.
Photo Credit: Marc Monaghan

Introducing the Arts Funding Finder

Our new tool helps Midwestern creatives and arts organizations explore grants and research funders, cutting through the noise and the overwhelm.

It includes a curated list of open grant opportunities for Midwestern artists and arts organizations, plus directory of 170+ organizations that support the arts, so you can see who funds creative work in the Midwest.

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A silver Macbook computer sits on a black stool open to Arts Midwest's new Arts Funding Finder website.
Apply by October 6

Peter Capell Award for Midwestern Creativity & Entrepreneurship

Applications for the 2026 Peter Capell Award for Midwestern Creativity & Entrepreneurship are now open to Ohio arts leaders. The award celebrates arts leaders whose work demonstrates entrepreneurial thinking and business acumen.

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Two performers stand at microphones on a darkened stage under pink and purple light.

Webinar Series: Small Orgs, Big Ideas

Small arts organizations do remarkable things with very little. How do they think about what they do, make it work, and keep it going?

Hear from Midwestern arts leaders from four small arts organizations in this free webinar series.

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A person with dark skin wearing an 825 Arts t-shirt hands a community care package to a person in dark skin using a wheelchair.
Photo Credit: Mercedes Yarbrough
825 Arts intern Mack Phillips hands out community care packages to a neighbor at an Art-B-Q in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Artists Make the Best Citizens. Don’t Believe It? Check the Data.

Earlier this year, the National Endowment for the Arts released a landmark report on whether taking part in arts activities builds “social and civic muscle.”

What the report found was striking. If you participate in the arts, you are nearly 4x as likely to be civically engaged in your community. In a time where we need to find a way back to each other, the arts can help get us there.

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Native American Fancy Dancer with three participants dancing.
Photo Credit: Nicholas Worden
A new report finds people who participate in the arts are nearly four times as likely to engage civically compared to non-arts participants.