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Amplifying Midwestern Creativity

Creativity is the spark behind a thriving Midwest. Join our efforts to strengthen community, creativity, and art across the region we call home.

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Five dancers on stage with four lifting up one.

Joyful, loud, and Midwest proud

Discover the latest stories and updates from our nine states and beyond.
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Grants and Community Programs

We support organizations and artists through grants, programs, and awards that fuel creativity across the Midwest.

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A student waves a paint brush
Photo Credit: LunART
Intent to Apply Due January 15, 2026

Now Accepting Applications: 2026-27 NEA Big Read

This national community-wide reading program offers matching grants of up to $20,000 for programming connected to the theme of America250.

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A collage of NEA Big Read Book covers for the 26-27 cycle.
A collage of NEA Big Read Book covers for the 26-27 cycle.
Intent to Apply Due January 29. 2026

Now Accepting Applications: Shakespeare in American Communities

This national theater program offers grants of up to $30,000 that connect young people to Shakespeare’s work through school programs, juvenile justice initiatives, and theater apprenticeships.

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Five actors in brightly colored costumes standing below a silver disco ball with their arms in the air on a black stage while colorful confetti showers down from the ceiling. Two more actors stand on a raised platform behind them supported by metal scaffolding.
Photo Credit: Nile Scott Studios, courtesy of Actors’ Shakespeare Project
The ensemble of A Midsummer Night’s Dream from Actors’ Shakespeare Project.

Meet the 2025 Midwest Culture Bearer Awardees

Nine culture bearers from across the Midwest are being recognized with $5,000 awards for their artistry, cultural preservation, and dedication to teaching the next generation.

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An archway of marigolds frames a glowing altar at night, covered with candles, flowers, and offerings for Día de Muertos.
A community Día de Muertos altar (ofrenda) designed and led by Gabriela Jiménez Marván, decorated with over 1,000 marigolds, candles, natural elements and cartonería sculptures

John Davis Receives 2025 Peter Capell Award

Visionary rural Minnesota arts leader John Davis is the 2025 recipient of the Peter Capell Award for Midwestern Creativity & Entrepreneurship.

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A collage image featuring rural arts leader John Davis smiling at the camera. Behind him, layers of color-tinted photos show the N.Y. Mills Regional Cultural Center building, a gallery wall filled with artwork and musicians performing, and a Lanesboro streetlamp displaying a poetry sign. The background is stylized in bright green, yellow, red, and blue tones.
Photo Credit: Courtesy John Davis
John Davis has shaped Minnesota’s rural arts landscape through decades of listening, partnership, and creativity.