Emergency Relief Fund Program

Emergency Relief Fund Program

Status: Active, second round applications open

Geographic Scope: Arrowhead region (Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, and St. Louis counties, plus Fond du Lac, Grand Portage, Bois Forte, and Leech Lake nation within Itasca county)

Award Amount: $500 or $1,000 per applicant

Total Funding: Over $90,000 available across rounds

Eligibility:

Individual artists residing in the Arrowhead region

Must have critical need relating to personal healthcare, housing, equipment, or legal emergencies

Emergencies must have occurred since January 1, 2025

Program Description:
The Emergency Relief Fund is a non-competitive program providing emergency financial assistance to individual artists facing recent and substantially disruptive emergencies or disasters. Selection is based on a random numerical drawing rather than community review panel evaluation.

Focus Areas:

Personal healthcare emergencies

Housing emergencies

Equipment emergencies

Legal emergencies

What They Fund:

Direct emergency relief to artists in critical financial need

What They Don't Fund:

Not specified in materials

Background:
Part of the Artist Emergency Relief Fund Network stewarded by Springboard for the Arts. The network consists of five of Minnesota's 11 Regional Arts Councils. Supported by F. R. Bigelow Foundation, Jerome Foundation, McKnight Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation.

Contact:

Toni St Godard, Grants & Operations Coordinator

Phone: (218) 722-0952

Email: info@aracouncil.org

Hours: Monday–Thursday, 10 am–3 pm