Springboard for the Arts

About Springboard for the Arts

Springboard for the Arts centers artists as workers, not just cultural producers. Its active programs show a consistent pattern of direct support for Minnesota artists and creative businesses, alongside longer-form fellowships and emergency relief for rural artists and communities affected by harm. The foundation also serves as a fiscal agent for project-based work, which is visible in its recent grants to groups such as Rare Productions and Emerging Curators Institute. The grantmaking profile points to practical, career-oriented support. A $2,500 Growth Fund grant is designed to help Minnesota artists and creative business owners sustain or scale their businesses, while the Leslye Orr Fund for Artists with Disabilities provides direct support for Minnesota artists with disabilities to create work and invest in their careers. Springboard for the Arts also runs the 18-month Rural Regenerator Fellowship for rural artists, creatives, and culture bearers in the Upper Midwest. Recent awards also show support for community-facing arts work, including healing, exchange, and storytelling. Through these programs, the foundation combines short-term cash support, project administration, and longer-term development for artists and creative practitioners across Minnesota and the broader Upper Midwest.

What Springboard for the Arts Funds

Economic support is a clear thread in the foundation’s work. The Growth Fund provides a one-time $2,500 grant for Minnesota artists and creative business owners to sustain or scale their businesses, with attention to business sustainability, legal protections, marketing, and branding. Disability inclusion appears in the Leslye Orr Fund for Artists with Disabilities, a non-competitive direct support fund for Minnesota artists with disabilities. It is intended to help recipients create work and invest in their careers. Rural arts support is another defined area. The Rural Regenerator Fellowship offers 18 months of unrestricted support, travel funds, a retreat, and exchange opportunities for rural artists, creatives, and culture bearers in the Upper Midwest. The Artists Respond program connects art with community healing, supporting projects that deepen relationships, create safe spaces for reflection and healing, and gather community stories in Minnesota.

How Springboard for the Arts Gives