2025-2027 Festival Grants
Through the State of Minnesota’s 2025-2027 biennial legislation and the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund (Legacy), the Minnesota Humanities Center (MHC) will administer $3,000,000 in grants to organizations and local government to support cultural festivals and events throughout Minnesota.
Questions?
Contact Briza Maldonado
Grant Information Sessions
MHC hosted two virtual information sessions for applicants to ask additional questions about this grant opportunity and/or technical questions related to the application process.
Festival Grant Snapshot
| Open To: | Organizations and Local Governments |
| Application Deadline: | 6:00 p.m. CDT, Monday, November 17, 2025 |
| Grant Term 1: | October 31, 2026 |
| Grant Reporting 1: | November 30, 2026 |
| Grant Term 2: | November 1, 2026 |
| Grant Reporting 2: | November 30, 2027 |
Grant Goals
For organizations and local government in Minnesota to support cultural festivals and events throughout the state.
Grant funds awarded may support arts and cultural programming, staffing, community outreach, transportation, facilities and equipment rentals, signage, and public safety expense reimbursements.
The Minnesota Legislature identified the following organizations within the legislation to be given priority:
- Somali Museum Annual Celebration,
- Twin Cities Jazz Fest,
- Selby Avenue Jazz Fest,
- International Hmong Freedom Festival,
- Cinco de Mayo Festival,
- Rondo Days (St. Paul)
- Hiddo Soor International Somali Cultural Festival (Plymouth)
- Somali Independence Day (Saint Paul)
- Sesquicentennial celebration (Osseo and Delano)
- Taste of Minnesota, and
- IgboFest Minnesota.
The legislation does not require that MHC award a grant to an organization that has been identified within the legislation as a priority organization. The above identified priority organizations will need to apply under the competitive grant process in order to receive funding.
MHC will award $3,000,000 in Community Identity & Heritage, Festival grants (less allowable administrative fee) to MHC for design, award, and monitoring of the grant program.
Funding for this program was appropriated in two appropriations over the biennium. $1,500,000 is available for Fiscal Year 2026 and $1,500,000 is available for Fiscal Year 2027. MHC will administer these funds in one grant round, as outlined in this RFP, for the following grant periods:
Grant Period 1: January 1, 2026 to October 31, 2026
Grant Period 2: November 1, 2026 to October 31, 2027
Grant Periods 1 and 2: January 1, 2026 to October 31, 2027
Applicants can apply for grant funding for either one or both grant periods. If an applicant is awarded a grant for both grant periods, the applicant will not receive grant funds for the second grant period until the first grant period has been closed.
You may request any amount of funding up to $200,000 each year for each grant period.
Legacy funding may only be used for new work or new additions to existing work. Funding must supplement and not substitute existing funding sources or be used as reimbursement of expenses for existing projects.
Funding must provide free admission for attendees and organizers must demonstrate that they are not requesting more than 50% of their overall budget in their grant application.
Priority consideration will be given to projects that celebrate cultural heritage, recognize historical events, or empower communities in building identity and culture.
Priority consideration will be given to applicants who have committed funding support from their local unit of government, city or county, or sheriff’s department. To receive this priority consideration, applicants are required to provide a letter of support for the project from their local unit of government, city or county, or sheriff’s department.
If you request $25,000 or more, you will need to submit financial documentation with your application.
An organization awarded a Museum, Exhibit, and Collections grant must demonstrate the following:
- How well does the project (select as many as applicable but at least one of the following):
- Preserve and honor the cultural heritage of Minnesota?
- Provide education and student outreach on cultural diversity?
- Support the development of culturally diverse humanities programming, including arts programming, by individuals and organizations?
- Empower communities in building identity and culture, including but not limited to preserving and honoring communities whose Indigenous cultures are endangered or disappearing?
An applicant is eligible to apply for funding:
- If the applicant is in good standing with the IRS,
- If the applicant is in good standing with MHC, and
- If the applicant is working to:
- Preserve and honor the cultural heritage of Minnesota,
- Provide education and student outreach in cultural diversity,
- Support the development of culturally diverse humanities programming, including arts programming, by individuals and organizations, or
- Empower communities in building identity and culture, including preserving and honoring communities whose Indigenous cultures are endangered or disappearing.
MHC uses the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search to confirm compliance. If you are unsure whether you are in good standing with MHC, please contact Grants Administrator Briza Maldonado at briza@mnhum.org. MHC may grant an exemption to an organization that is not in good standing if the applicant uses a fiscal agent.
Additional financial information may be requested based on review an assessment of applications submitted.
RFP posted: September 12, 2025
Proposal narrative & budget feedback available through: November 3, 2025
Applications due no later than: 6:00 p.m. CDT November 17, 2025
All eligible applications will be evaluated on a 100–point scale using the following scoring factors and weight criteria:
Project details (25)
- How well does the project (select as many as applicable but at least one of the following):
- Preserve and honor the cultural heritage of Minnesota?
- Provide education and student outreach on cultural diversity?
- Support the development of culturally diverse humanities programming, including arts programming, by individuals and organizations?
- Empower communities in building identity and culture, including but not limited to preserving and honoring communities whose Indigenous cultures are endangered or disappearing?
- Does the project support free admission for the public?
- Does the project celebrate cultural heritage, recognize historical events, or empower communities in building identity and culture?
Community Involvement (25)
- How were members of the community/board involved in developing this grant proposal and how were their ideas incorporated?
- How will members of the community be involved in implementing and evaluating the success of the project?
- Can you identify past success in collaborating with the community?
Project Management (30)
- How will the project be completed on a timely basis?
- How will the reporting of expenses and hours be correctly reported?
- How will the goals for the project be achieved?
- Does the budget submitted align with the proposed project?
- Does the budget support expenses outside of staffing, community outreach, transportation, facilities and equipment rentals, signage, or public safety expenses?
- Is the budget in MHC’s required template?
- Are the itemized expenses detailed, clear and consistent with Legacy?
- If applicable, how will compliance with Minnesota competitive bid laws be ensured?
Evaluation and Impact (20)
- Is the success of the project clear?
- Is the evaluation process clear as to methodology?
- What audience are you attempting to reach with your project?
- How do you expect to impact the audience you are attempting to reach?
- What steps are you taking to maximize your desired impact?
- If you receive your requested grant award in your application, what percentage of your overall funding will the grant award comprise and how will you ensure that you are successful in achieving your fundraising goals apart from this grant application?
Applicants are encouraged to apply online through MHC’s grants management system.
We recommend reviewing the full application prior to logging on and setting up an account. You may save your initial application entries and subsequently return to the document to finish your application.
The application will require a budget submission using MHC’s budget template.
Applicants must submit a complete application to be considered. Applications contain the following sections:
- Eligibility Quiz
- Applicant Contact Information
- Project Overview
- Project Alignment
- Project Budget
Please do not submit any additional materials other than what is requested, such as binders or photos, in the application.
Unrequested material will not be reviewed.
Please make sure that your proposal only seeks funding for events and activities that are allowable. Minnesota law does not allow legacy funding to be used to:
- Reimburse costs incurred before the grant agreement is fully signed.
- Start, match, add, support or complete any type of fundraiser.
- Support a benefit(s).
- Purchase promotional giveaway items such as t-shirts, keychains.
- Fund out-of-state expenses, such as out-of-state travel and lodging and contractor expenses.
- Pay for expenses or other institutional overhead costs that are not directly related to the activities outlined in the project proposal.
- Food expenses when expenses are either (i) incurred during the planning phase of the project, or (ii) are not essential to the final program.
- Wages, salary, and benefits of staff for the time that such individuals are not working on the project.
If you have any questions about this RFP, applying in English is a barrier, or you need a reasonable accommodation to submit your application, please contact:
Briza Maldonado
Minnesota Humanities Center
Grants Administrator
987 Ivy Avenue East
St. Paul, MN 55016
briza@mnhum.org
