Northwest Minnesota Arts Council
Northwest Minnesota Arts Council is a public charity based in Warren, Minnesota, formed in 2008. It supports the development of the arts in northwestern Minnesota and facilitates the creation and appreciation of the arts.
Northwest Minnesota Arts Council at a glance
In short: Northwest Minnesota Arts Council gave $399K across 36 grants in 2025 (avg $11K), mostly in Minnesota. 42% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $398,560
- +46.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 36
- +56.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $11,071
- -6.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $9,628
- Total assets
- $208,608
- +1.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 42% first-time grantees (15 of 36, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Minnesota (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Northwest Minnesota Arts Council
- Contact
Mailing address: 109 S Minnesota Street, Warren, MN 56762
Phone: (218) 745-8886
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
6 open opportunities from Northwest Minnesota Arts Council
Arts Grants for Schools: Artist Residency in Schools
Northwest Minnesota Arts Council
Amount
Up to US $3,000
Deadline
Deadline not published
Arts Grants for Schools: Arts Equipment for Schools
Northwest Minnesota Arts Council
Amount
Up to US $3,000
Deadline
Deadline not published
Arts Legacy Grants - Regular
Northwest Minnesota Arts Council
Amount
US $3,000 - US $1,000
Deadline
Deadline not published
Who Northwest Minnesota Arts Council funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Aurora Center for the Arts ($41K). Together the top 10 received $198K.
Grant Size Distribution
123 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 123 grants of 123 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Council’s grant programs serve Kittson, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, and Roseau counties in northwestern Minnesota. Its 2025 filing reports that 100% of grant dollars went to Minnesota recipients.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 36 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Northwest Minnesota Arts Council open to new grantees?
42%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 15 of 36 grantees (42%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $12K. How we count
Medians: $7K first-time, $10K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $208K (2021) to $399K (2025). In 2025 it made 36 grants totaling $399K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Aurora Center for the Arts Fosston, MN | Arts Grant | $41,000 |
| Thief River Falls Area Community Theater Thief River Falls, MN | Arts Grant | $40,960 |
| Kittson Central School District Hallock, MN | Arts Grant | $22,250 |
| Warroad Summer Theater Warroad, MN | Arts Grant | $17,220 |
| Summer Arts Stages East Grand Forks, MN | Arts Grant | $15,890 |
| Folk School Warroad Warroad, MN | Arts Grant | $13,750 |
| East Grand Forks Music Boosters Inc East Grand Forks, MN | Arts Grant | $13,000 |
| Roseau County Historical Society Roseau, MN | Arts Grant | $13,000 |
| Tri-County School District Karlstad, MN | Arts Grant | $11,270 |
| Associationofthe Frenchofthenorth Red Lake Falls, MN | Arts Grant | $10,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $208,608 | $838,390 | $825,158 | $398,560 | 36 | $10,382 |
| 2024 | $206,247 | $666,030 | $663,328 | $272,415 | 23 | $8,714 |
| 2023 | $131,064 | $588,162 | $587,456 | $257,095 | 24 | $794 |
| 2022 | $138,319 | $577,955 | $567,285 | $239,070 | 19 | $54 |
| 2021 | $306,158 | $521,998 | $530,078 | $207,550 | 21 | $51 |
| 2020 | $131,505 | $490,940 | $490,128 | $208,466 | 19 | $306 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Council’s stated mission is to “support and enhance the development of the arts in northwestern Minnesota” and “facilitate and encourage the creation and appreciation of the arts.” Its filing describes granting funds for art projects and providing assistance to local artists and performing groups.
The supported organizations listed in its 2025 filing include the Roseau County Historical Society, which says it operates the county museum and acquires, maintains, preserves, and displays items of historic interest; the Marshall County Agricultural Association, which says it sponsors and manages the Marshall County Fair and provides an opportunity for county citizens to fraternize and promote 4-H activities; and the Kittson County Historical Society, which says it is dedicated to discovering, preserving, and disseminating knowledge about Kittson County history.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the Council reported 36 grants totaling $398,560. Grant amounts ranged from $5,110 to $41,000, with a median of $9,628. All reported grant dollars went to recipients in Minnesota.
The largest reported grants included $41,000 to Aurora Center for the Arts in Fosston and $40,960 to Thief River Falls Area Community Theater. Other notable grants were $22,250 to Kittson Central School District, $17,220 to Warroad Summer Theater, and $15,890 to Summer Arts Stages. These grants were listed for arts purposes.
The Council lists general operating grants for nonprofit arts organizations, artist residencies in schools of up to $3,000, and Arts Legacy Grants for projects. For general operating grants, eligible organizations must have a budget that fully supports arts activities and programming; applicants are advised to contact the Arts Council Director to discuss timing. The school residency program supports a week-long residency and is open to school districts in the region, with artists from the Council’s roster or COMPAS. The Arts Legacy program describes a 10% cash match and a 24-month project completion period.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Mara Hanel as Executive Director; Karlace Taylor as Chairman; Wade Benson as Vice Chairman; Stephenie Anderson as Treasurer; and Mary Ann Laxen as Secretary. It also lists Mary Beth King, Deb Alexander, John Covlin, Kaitlin Barbosa, and Maria Hammer as directors.
Northwest Minnesota Arts Council is led by Mara Hanel, Executive Director on every filing since 2020; 1 of 11 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Mara Hanel
Executive Director
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$60K (2021) → $102K (2025)
Karlace Taylor
Chairman
Board Member → Secretary, 2023
Secretary → Chairman, 2024
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Deb Alexander
Director
Board Member → Director, 2023
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mary Beth King
Director
Board Member → Director, 2023
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
John Covlin
Director
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kaitlin Barbosa
Director
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Maria Hammer
Director
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Carla Arndt
Director
New on the 2025 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mary Ann Laxen
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Stephenie Anderson
Treasurer
Director → Secretary, 2024
Secretary → Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Wade Benson
Vice Chairman
Director → Vice Chairman, 2025
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (14)
- Former: Emily Kuzel (2020–2024) — Treasurer
- Former: Jaimie Snowdon (2020–2024) — Vice Chairman
- Former: Kate Mulvey (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Therese Jacobson (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Rena Bouchard (2022–2024) — Director
- Former: Sandy Seregin (2023–2024) — Director
- Former: Chris Lane (2020–2023) — Chairman
- Former: Briana Ingraham (2020–2022) — Chairperson
- Former: Katya Zepeda (2020–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Paul Burnett (2020–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Charles Erickson (2020–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Elwyn Ruud (2020–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Janet Johnson (2020–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Scott Valdes (2020–2021) — Board Member
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $102K, to Mara Hanel (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about Northwest Minnesota Arts Council
How much does Northwest Minnesota Arts Council give each year?
Northwest Minnesota Arts Council gave $399K across 36 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $272K across 23 grants.
What is Northwest Minnesota Arts Council's typical grant size?
Northwest Minnesota Arts Council's median grant in 2025 was $9,628, and its average grant was $11,071, across 36 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Northwest Minnesota Arts Council that year got $10K on average.
Where does Northwest Minnesota Arts Council give grants?
Northwest Minnesota Arts Council gives mostly in Minnesota: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Warroad, MN (5 grants), Fosston, MN (4 grants), East Grand Forks, MN (3 grants) and Roseau, MN (3 grants).
Does Northwest Minnesota Arts Council give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 36 grants with a stated purpose on Northwest Minnesota Arts Council's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Arts Grant" (36 grants).
Who are Northwest Minnesota Arts Council's largest grantees?
Northwest Minnesota Arts Council's largest 2025 grantees include Aurora Center for the Arts ($41,000), Thief River Falls Area Community Theater ($40,960) and Kittson Central School District ($22,250), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 26% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Northwest Minnesota Arts Council?
Northwest Minnesota Arts Council reported $209K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $838K.
What does Northwest Minnesota Arts Council fund?
The Council’s stated mission is to “support and enhance the development of the arts in northwestern Minnesota” and “facilitate and encourage the creation and appreciation of the arts.” See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Northwest Minnesota Arts Council?
Northwest Minnesota Arts Council has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check www,northwestminnesotaartscouncil.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Northwest Minnesota Arts Council's EIN?
Northwest Minnesota Arts Council's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 80-0404694. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(5)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS December 22, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 29, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS January 31, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 9, 2024)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Northwest Minnesota Arts Council's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Northwest Minnesota Arts Council funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/northwest-minnesota-arts-council-morg_f919abd7b71a47d5861b13834fc7fd74
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_800404694_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Northwest Minnesota Arts Council funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/northwest-minnesota-arts-council-morg_f919abd7b71a47d5861b13834fc7fd74},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Northwest Minnesota Arts Council's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Northwest Minnesota Arts Council down — hundreds of funders to go?