About Arts Midwest
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.
Focus Areas
Performing artsVisual artsLiterature and reading programs (NEA Big Read)Jazz and music touring (Jazz Road)Theater and education (Shakespeare in American Communities)Folk arts and culture bearers
Who They Fund
K–12 students and schoolsjustice-involved youth / juvenile detention populationslocal community members participating in Big Read/community artscommunity arts organizations and teaching artists
Funding Style
About Arts Midwest
Arts Midwest Incorporated channels most of its grantmaking into Shakespeare in American Communities, with recent awards reaching as high as $85,000 to Kentucky Shakespeare Inc for schools work and $70,000 to Marin Shakespeare Company for juvenile justice programming. That pattern points to a funder that uses named programs to support arts learning, youth engagement, and public-facing performance rather than one-off general philanthropy. Its portfolio also includes Big Read grants for community reading, support for touring and community presentations, and awards for culture bearers and artists with disabilities. Recent grants show a mix of large program awards and mid-sized support to arts organizations across the country, including The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey Inc in Florham Park, NJ and Actors' Shakespeare Project Inc in Charlestown, MA. The foundation’s active programs make clear that it funds structured arts participation: reading together, presenting artists in communities, connecting young people to Shakespeare, and supporting folk and visual arts practitioners. Recipients include schools, community arts groups, and organizations working with justice-involved youth.
What Arts Midwest Funds
Arts Midwest Incorporated supports several distinct arts and learning lanes. In literature and community dialogue, it gave $40,000 to Lone Star College - Houston North for Big Read, a program built around shared reading and discussion. In school-based Shakespeare work, it awarded $50,000 to Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, DC for Shakespeare in American Communities: Schools, and similar school grants went to Idaho Shakespeare Festival Inc and California Shakespeare Theater. Justice-focused arts education is another clear theme: Marin Shakespeare Company received $70,000 for juvenile justice programming, while Tennessee Shakespeare Company received $50,000 for Shakespeare Juvenile Justice 2023-2024. The foundation also backs arts-in-community presentation, including $55,750 to Sisseton Arts Council Inc for We the Many: Community Partner and Bush Community Creativity Cohort.
How Arts Midwest Gives
Typical grants cluster in the mid-five-figure range: p25 is $12,500, the median is $19,900, and p75 is $25,000. The recent list also shows a smaller number of larger program grants, especially through Shakespeare in American Communities and related initiatives. The foundation appears to fund recurring relationships rather than isolated awards; Marin Shakespeare Company, Ohio Arts Professionals Network, Tennessee Shakespeare Company, Actors' Shakespeare Project Inc, California Shakespeare Theater, and Barter Foundation each appear more than once across 2023 and 2024. Arts Midwest Incorporated is a regular funder, not a donor-advised fund, and it does not fund individuals. Several active programs accept unsolicited applications.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$2.3M
Total Assets
$14.7M
Total Revenue
$7.3M
Total Expenses
$6.5M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $13K and $25K, with a median of $20K.
25th Percentile
$13K
Median
$20K
75th Percentile
$25K
Geographic Reach
National49 states funded
About 9% of grants go to recipients in NJ.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
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