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Announcing the Creative Midwest Media Cohort

by Arts Midwest

A ground-level shot of three people in colorful regalia dancing; their faces are not visible.
Photo Credit: Jaida Grey Eagle
Dancers at the first Two-Spirit Powwow in Rapid City, South Dakota.

Ten organizations have been awarded a total of $150,000 as part of the Creative Midwest Media Cohort, a new year-long program facilitated through Arts Midwest’s Creativity News Desk. This initiative amplifies stories of arts, culture, and creativity in the Midwest.

The Creative Midwest Media Cohort supports organizations in producing media projects that cover stories of Midwestern creativity in the nine-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, or the 42 Native Nations that share this geography. The inaugural participants, selected as part of an invite-only application process, will each receive a $15,000 grant and networking opportunities through the program.

Cohort organizations are creating diverse projects such as podcasts, multimedia series, social media videos, print publications, and a writers’ residency program. These initiatives will prominently feature and engage Native artists, creatives of color, the LGBTQ+ community, and individuals in the rural Midwest.

“Arts Midwest is excited to support these outstanding media professionals and amplify the significant work they are doing to inform and inspire communities. We envision this new initiative building a connected network of media-makers across the Midwest, while sharing stories of how creativity manifests in our lives.”

TORRIE ALLEN, PRESIDENT & CEO, ARTS MIDWEST

Meet the Inaugural Creative Midwest Media Cohort

Learn more about the 10 cohort organizations and the projects they are working on through this program.

Led by Arts Midwest, the Creativity News Desk and the Creative Midwest Media Cohort are generously supported by Builders Initiative. Builders Initiative is the philanthropic team of Builders Vision, an impact platform dedicated to supporting people and organizations building a more humane and healthy planet. Builders Initiative is a strategic philanthropy that includes grantmaking and impact investing.

This project is also supported by Arts Midwest’s gift from MacKenzie Scott.