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Announcing the Midwest ArtsHERE Grantees

by National Endowment for the Arts and Arts Midwest

Six photos of people of different backgrounds and ages engaging in art, on a colorful background with a logo that reads ArtsHERE

18 Midwestern organizations have been selected in a National Endowment for the Arts pilot program.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is pleased to announce 112 organizations recommended for awards under ArtsHERE, including 18 organizations in the Midwest. A new pilot program in partnership with South Arts and in collaboration with Arts Midwest and the other U.S. Regional Arts Organizations, ArtsHERE is designed to expand access to arts participation across the nation.

These nonprofit organizations, each with demonstrated commitment to equity within their practices and programming, are recommended for non-matching grants of $65,000 to $130,000, totaling $12.356 million, to fund specific projects that will strengthen the organizations’ capacity to sustain meaningful community engagement and increase arts participation for underserved groups and communities. Grant recipients will also take part in peer-learning and technical assistance opportunities, and the NEA will report on lessons learned from this initiative.

“The National Endowment for the Arts is thrilled to provide resources to a group of exceptional organizations through ArtsHERE, a program to help deepen meaningful and lasting arts engagement in underserved communities,” said Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD, chair of the National Endowment for the Arts. “Everyone should be able to live an artful life, and ArtsHERE is an important step in ensuring we are strengthening our nation’s arts ecosystem to make this a reality.”

Historically underserved groups and communities—those whose opportunities to experience the arts have been limited by factors such as geography, race or ethnicity, economics, or disability—frequently report lower rates of participation in various arts activities than other groups do. Managed by South Arts, the NEA announced the ArtsHERE pilot grant program in 2023 in recognition that engaging in the arts is essential to individual, social, civic, and economic well-being and in response to President Biden’s Executive Order that put forward a government-wide effort to advance equity for all Americans. 

“Everyone should be able to live an artful life, and ArtsHERE is an important step in ensuring we are strengthening our nation’s arts ecosystem to make this a reality.”

Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD, chair of the National Endowment for the Arts

Explore the Midwestern ArtsHERE Grant Recipients

  • A person with dark skin and deadlocks transfers hand carved stamps on to clay.

    ArtMix

    ArtsHERE

    FY2025
    Indiana

    ArtMix’s ArtsHERE grant will support strategic planning as they continue their growth and expansion. It will also support ASL and Spanish language training for staff as demand for their programs…

  • A group of children show off their drawings in a colorful space.

    Azubuike Arts

    ArtsHERE

    FY2025
    Iowa

    Azubuike African American Council’s ArtsHERE grant will help bridge the gap in arts and cultural engagement in the Quad Cities through strategic planning, cultural competency training, and marketing to underserved…

  • A young Lakota artist in a colorful pink shawl at ribbon skirt paints with a can of pink spray paint

    Cheyenne River Youth Project

    ArtsHERE

    FY2025
    South Dakota

    The Cheyenne River Youth Project’s ArtsHERE grant will support assessment, planning, and capacity building as the grassroots nonprofit organization prepares to construct and open the first facility dedicated solely to…

  • A basketmaker with medium light skin tone weaves a colorful blue and purple basket

    First Peoples Fund

    ArtsHERE

    FY2025
    South Dakota

    The First Peoples Fund’s (FPF) ArtsHERE grant will support programmatic assessments, the creation of data collection tools, and the evaluation of new and expanded programs at FPF and the Oglala…

  • Four actresses dance on stage in colorful motown outfits with the backing band behind them

    The New McCree Theatre

    ArtsHERE

    FY2025
    Michigan

    Floyd J. McCree Theatre’s ArtsHERE grant will support the creation of a new strategic plan and community outreach initiatives to increase participation from younger audiences.  Floyd J. McCree Theatre offers…

  • Four people of varied ages and races pose for the camera in front of a pop up photo background.

    Free Spirit Media

    ArtsHERE

    FY2025
    Illinois

    Free Spirit Media’s ArtsHERE grant will fund a “Reimagining Evaluation” project to create new evaluation tools rooted in storytelling, reflection, social justice, and equity. Free Spirit Media partners with young…

  • Two people with medium skin tone paint colorful flowers and lines on a brown wall

    Indigenous Roots Cultural Center

    ArtsHERE

    FY2025
    Minnesota

    Indigenous Roots Cultural Center’s ArtsHERE grant will support the continued growth of their grassroots efforts, helping to strategically restructure and revisit organizational procedures and policies. Indigenous Roots Cultural Center is…

  • A person with dark skin tone and a backwards baseball cap performs on a microphone with a hand outstretched to the audience

    Healing Broken Circles

    ArtsHERE

    FY2025
    Ohio

    Healing Broken Circles’ ArtsHERE grant will support the creation of new collaborative partnerships, upgrading communications materials, and increasing staff technical skills in event production and promotion. Healing Broken Circles provides…

  • A group of students face away from the camera as they paint a colorful yellow and green mural of a wolf and the word Hoover

    ArtForce Iowa

    ArtsHERE

    FY2025
    Iowa

    ArtForce Iowa’s ArtsHERE grant will support strengthening internal structures, integrating technology into programming, and fostering new partnerships with schools, youth service agencies, cultural institutions, and more. ArtForce Iowa creates opportunities…

  • Three people of dark skin tone on stage with African drums.

    Kori Art

    ArtsHERE

    FY2025
    North Dakota

    Kori Art’s ArtsHERE grant will support staff development, leadership training, stakeholder and community engagement activities, and translation services to ensure inclusivity and accessibility for individuals with limited English proficiency.  Kori…

  • A group of dancers and drummers in traditional clothing from around the continent of Africa

    Ko-Thi Dance Company

    ArtsHERE

    FY2025
    Wisconsin

    Ko-Thi Dance Company’s ArtsHERE grant will support strategic planning, leadership and cultural competency training, community engagement sessions, audience development, and professionally translated materials to increase arts participation and accessibility among…

  • A group of twelve people of different ages and races pose for the camera.

    Mahogany Black Arts & Cultural Center Inc.

    ArtsHERE

    FY2025
    Wisconsin

    Mahogany Black Arts & Cultural Center’s ArtsHERE grant will support a five-year strategic plan, community outreach, board development, and technological investments to grow and manage a member database.  Mahogany Black…

  • Two people of dark skin tone, one young and one old, look at a sign on an easel

    Marion Voices Folklife + Oral History

    ArtsHERE

    FY2025
    Ohio

    Marion Voices Folklife + Oral History’s ArtsHERE grant will support a solidarity-building listening tour across North-Central Ohio engaging allied arts & culture organizations to share strategies & grow a regional…

  • A group of Native artists paint on eco-bags with markers

    Sacred Pipe Resource Center

    ArtsHERE

    FY2025
    North Dakota

    Sacred Pipe Resource Center’s ArtsHERE grant will strengthen the capacity of Sacred Pipe Resource Center’s Arts Council by supporting targeted focus groups, data collection, and visioning around expanded arts programming….

  • A group of young people with dark skin tone in a classroom

    South Sudanese Foundation

    ArtsHERE

    FY2025
    Minnesota

    South Sudanese Foundation (SSF)’s ArtsHERE grant will support their initiative to expand culturally grounded arts programs and develop a strategic framework for sustainable fundraising, enhancing community engagement and long-term impact….

  • A group of people filter into a building with Indy Convergence written on the side

    Indy Convergence

    ArtsHERE

    FY2025
    Indiana

    Indy Convergence’s ArtsHERE grant will support the development of a strategic community engagement plan to better understand barriers impacting access to the arts and identify new value-aligned partnerships. Indy Convergence…

  • In the center of a section of a wall mural, a young African-American man soldering a computer chip. Below him, a group of people carry a banner that reads, ""Become the Media."" A yellow flower blooms in the lower left hand corner and more people create art in the background.

    Urbana Champaign Independent Media Center

    ArtsHERE

    FY2025
    Illinois

    The Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center’s ArtsHERE grant will support a five-year strategic planning process, including cultural strategy training and a study series for local artists and community leaders.  Founded in…

  • Three people work in a ceramics studio making teapots.

    West Michigan Center for Arts + Technology

    ArtsHERE

    FY2025
    Michigan

    West Michigan Center for Arts + Technology (WMCAT)’s ArtsHERE grant will support their Teen Arts + Tech Program expansion, enhancing curriculum development, stakeholder engagement, and strategic planning to reach neighboring…

Read more about the grant recipients and their projects

Recommended grant recipients are from all 50 states, DC, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Learn More

“We are very excited to work with these organizations on their projects,” said Susie Surkamer, president and CEO of South Arts. “The arts are essential to the fabric of our nation, and at the heart of this necessity are the organizations and individuals who champion them. Through ArtsHERE, we are excited to continue expanding and enriching the arts landscape both nationally and within these unique local communities.”

In addition to grant awards, ArtsHERE grant recipients will also participate in quarterly peer learning workshops, monthly cohort sessions, and one-on-one meetings with technical assistance coaches and field experts. These meetings are designed for knowledge sharing, learning, and capacity-building, to help reinforce the initiative’s opportunities for cross-sector engagement.

As a pilot program, ArtsHERE will be documented and evaluated by the NEA to better understand the project activities supported by this program and how grantees approached the work. These insights may inform the future of ArtsHERE and similar funding programs in the future.

More than 4,000 organizations applied for ArtsHERE funding in late 2023 and early 2024. Applications were reviewed by multiple review panels based on published review criteria, including the applicant’s organizational capacity and their capacity-building project, alignment with ArtsHERE’s commitment to equity, and engagement with historically underserved communities. The selected organizations will receive funding to support their projects, which will take place between October 2024 through June 2026.

ArtsHERE is also supported by The Wallace Foundation through matching funds to the Regional Arts Organizations in support of this program.