Visual Arts Fund (VAF) Grant

The Visual Arts Fund (VAF), established by Midway Contemporary Art with support from The Andy Warhol Foundation, offers $60,000 in grants for artist-organized projects in the Twin Cities metro area. This initiative encourages diverse visual arts projects with public engagement components, including exhibitions, performances, and digital initiatives. The program emphasizes innovative projects that might not otherwise occur, fostering a vibrant artistic community while adhering to specific eligibility criteria.

The Visual Arts Fund is a grant program established in 2016 by Midway Contemporary Art with generous support from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
In 2025 the Visual Arts Fund will award $60,000 (six $10,000 grants) to artist organized projects in the Twin Cities metro region. Proposals must name a lead organizer, but can include any number of artists as collaborators; individuals or groups may apply.
Projects that have a publicly accessible component
Projects could include exhibitions or installations held in temporary spaces, new publications, a series of events or performances, digital initiatives, public art projects, and other activities that are related to the visual arts

Eligibility

Projects must function primarily within a visual arts context (rather than performing arts, music, literature, or other arts). Projects can have interdisciplinary elements but must have a strong basis in the visual arts.
A publicly accessible component of the project must take place within the Twin Cities seven-county metro region.
Projects must be artist-organized and self-initiatedProjects cannot charge admission or other fees to the public or to participants.
Projects cannot start before January 1, 2026 and must be completed by June 30, 2027.
The Lead organizer must play a key role in the creation and execution of the project and live within the seven-county Twin Cities Metro region (Hennepin, Scott, Ramsey, Dakota, Anoka, Carver, and Washington counties); additional collaborators can live anywhere.
Lead organizers do not need to be U.S. Citizens, but must have social security numbers in order to receive payment.
Lead organizers may only submit one application per application round.
Lead organizers of projects funded through past granting cycles are only eligible to apply for a 2025 VAF grant if their grant period has ended, their project has been completed and they have submitted their final survey by the close of the application.

Ineligibility

501c3s, incorporated businesses, and students* are not eligible to apply (*PhD students are eligible).  What We Do Not Fund
An individual artist presenting exclusively their own workProjects that are part of the programming of a 501(c)3 non-profit arts organizationProjects at a commercial galleryProjects that do not offer an opportunity for free public engagement