Skip to content

How Minnesota Is Caring for Its Artists in Times of Need

by Jennifer Vosters

A group of people crossing a street. Some are wearing costumes.
Photo Credit: Ne-Dah-Ness Greene / Courtesy of Springboard for the Arts
Artists lead Joy March in downtown Fergus Falls, Minnesota.

The regionally-based Artist Emergency Relief Fund Network assures that arts and culture workers are seen, valued, and supported, even when times are tough.

“Respite.” 

“Breathing room.” 

“Critical compassionate care.” 

“The sense of being held in community.”

Three performers on an outdoor stage. All of them have various props or puppets in their hands and are wearing colorful and patterned clothing.
Photo Credit: Thaiphy Phan-Quang / Courtesy of Springboard for the Arts
Springboard for the Arts has raised money for emergency relief for almost 20 years, including $2 million for Minnesota artists at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. They began looking for ways to assist artists facing crises on an ongoing, most effective basis. “It’s pretty exciting to think about a truly statewide network to help support artists experiencing an emergency,” says Laura Zabel.

That’s what Minnesota artists say they’ve received from the Artist Emergency Relief Fund Network.

Launched by Springboard for the Arts and the state’s 11 Regional Arts Councils (RACs), the network connects artists and culture bearers to fast financial relief. They’re usually in one-time payments of $500-$1000 towards rent, healthcare, groceries, and other expenses impacted by a personal or community emergency.

“What communities need is locally responsive emergency support,” says Laura Zabel, Springboard’s Executive Director. “We were able to raise some money with private foundation partners to pilot what it would look like to have geographically disbursed emergency relief so it’s rooted in each of those 11 regions.”

Though the process of building the network only began last June, six RACs have already launched their Artist Emergency Relief Funds. The other five are expected to go live by summer, equipped with Springboard’s toolkit of best practices.

The 11 regions vary in population density, square mileage, and staff size, so RACs are encouraged to customize how they plan, schedule, and distribute their funds.

 

Keeping Things Simple

Arrowhead Regional Arts Council (ARAC) was one of the first to launch theirs. They represent seven counties and four tribal nations in a largely-rural region that includes Duluth. 

Any artist over 18 who legally resides there is eligible to apply. The process is lottery-based, noncompetitive, and not reviewed by a panel. All that’s required is a brief description of the emergency and proof of artistic practice. 

Two people smiling and talking to a person across from them. There is a table set up in front of them with different informational printed materials.
Photo Credit: Thaiphy Phan-Quang / Courtesy of Springboard for the Arts
Since artists often work as freelancers and gig workers, their access to emergency resources, like unemployment, is limited at best. Pictured are Artists Career Consultants at Springboard for the Arts in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

“The big thing we focused on was simplicity,” says Toni St. Godard, ARAC’s Grants and Operations Coordinator. “They’re going through enough. I didn’t want people spending a lot of time on this or feeling like they had to trauma-dump for money.” 

Some RACs disburse relief on a monthly or quarterly basis; ARAC opens applications twice a year. Their first round concluded in the fall of 2025 and garnered 63 applications. About 70% requested help with housing or healthcare. 

ARAC had originally planned to fund 36 grants. But St. Godard says the staff were so moved by the applications that they cobbled together funds—including from their own pockets—for 41.

Their next cycle closes on May 3, 2026.

A group of people sitting outdoors around a bonfire. Most of them have notebooks and are in the middle of writing.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Arrowhead Regional Arts Council
“Seeing the looks on people’s faces, the relief of not having to worry about this and continue to do art, was insanely impactful,” says Toni St. Godard, Arrowhead Regional Arts Council. Pictured here is an artist-led session at Mallard Island, Minnesota, organized by the Ernest C. Oberholtzer Foundation.

St. Godard and Zabel are encouraged by the network’s smooth rollout, the teamwork between the RACs, and the responses from artists. More funders are needed, however, to make the network permanent.

“It’s quite a bargain,” says Zabel. “$1 million a year to distribute among all the regions is a pretty good return on investment. I’m hoping more funders will jump in and want to be a part of this.”

For ARAC, the network’s impact has been profound enough to inspire them to fundraise for it on their own, so they can continue supporting their artists in need no matter what.

As one anonymous grantee wrote, “I love this program for acknowledging the human side of artists. We aren’t robots.”