Search Through Grants for the Arts in Iowa in the U.S.

We care about the communities in which we live and work. Amcor Cares (formerly the Bemis Company Foundation) was founded as our principal tool in the United States to serve our Amcor Flexibles communities. From volunteer work to monetary donations and community support, Amcor Cares donates several million per year to charitable organizations.

Community Support Grants

Encourage

• Fighting Hunger & Homelessness
• Supporting Disaster Relief

Empower

• Expanding STEM Education
• Building Life Skills
• Improving Health & Wellness

Elevate

• Promoting Arts & Culture
• Funding Amcor Scholarships

Types of support:

• Non-profit Organization Programs
• Non-profit Organization Operating Support
• Capital Campaigns
• STEM Programs

Community Outreach Program Grant

Leading the Way in Supporting Our Communities

“Doing the Right Thing” is an integral part of our culture that protects our clients, but also extends outside of our offices and business hours. As a company and as individual employees, we emphasize community engagement by dedicating our time, talents, and financial resources to support local charities and organizations in towns and cities near our offices.

CBE employees can donate $5 to $25 per paycheck to support local charities in Iowa, Tennessee, and Texas. Each quarter, over $15,000 is donated.

At CBE Companies, we are deeply committed to enriching the communities where we live and work. Through a combination of strategic partnerships, volunteer programs, and charitable donations, we aim to create a meaningful change and provide opportunities that make a lasting impact.

The Jeffris Family Foundation invites applications for grants from the Jeffris Heartland Fund, to support the development of important historic preservation projects in the states of Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin.The decision to pursue a grant from the Jeffris Heartland Fund must be made in consultation with a Director of the Foundation to discuss your project and request a Jeffris Heartland Fund application form.Directors can also assist grant-seekers with the application process, provide related technical assistance to guide wise and constructive use of the grant funding, and administer grants once awarded. Applications, once invited, are accepted at any time.  Award notices are issued within approximately 30 days of receipt of the application.Grants will be made in the range of $5,000 to $50,000 to cover 50% the cost of an Historic Structure Report, and must be matched dollar-for-dollar with cash from sources unrelated to the Jeffris Family.

Historic Significance of the Site

• Priority will be given to sites of documented national and then state historic significance. Sites with local significance only will not be eligible for funding.
• Priority will be given to sites associated with prominent figures of national, regional, or statewide importance, or with events of national, regional, or statewide significance.
• Priority will be given to sites with significant architectural merit, including association with designers of national, regional, or statewide importance.
• Priority will be given to sites with strong elements of the decorative arts.
• Priority will be given to projects involving historic resources that are extremely rare and/or unique.
• Priority will be given to projects with a high degree of historic integrity, and to work relating to the restoration of original elements. While work to accommodate contemporary usage is acceptable, all work on the property must conform to The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.

Proposed Project and Plan

• Priority will be given to applicants that can best demonstrate that a Historic Structure Report or other detailed planning study for which funding is being requested is critical to the accurate and appropriate restoration of the property.
• Priority will be given to applicants that can best demonstrate their intended use will be financially viable and operationally sustainable over time.
• Priority will be given to applicants that can assure that the project will fully comply with The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties through review and oversight by a local historic preservation commission, state historic preservation office, or preservation consultants thoroughly familiar and experienced with those standards.

 Organizational Excellence

• Priority will be given to applicants who can demonstrate a pattern of programming and services connected to the site and their stated mission (e.g. educational programs, events, hospitality).
• Priority will be given to applicants who demonstrate a broad base of membership and community support.
• Priority will be given to applicants with demonstrated success in past capital fundraising efforts.

Since its inception, the Foundation, which is still led by Lester T. Sunderland's descendants, has focused on supporting construction projects, awarding grants to nonprofits in the Kansas City region and other markets traditionally served by the Ash Grove Cement Company. 

 The Foundation prefers to make grants for construction and special interest projects rather than for annual operating expenses. 

Grants for planning, design, construction, renovation, repairs and restoration of facilities are considered. Areas of interest include higher education, youth serving agencies, health facilities, community buildings, museums, civic projects and energy efficient affordable housing projects sponsored by qualified tax-exempt organizations. 

Funding Areas

In recent grant cycles, the Board of Trustees has awarded the majority of grants in four broadly defined areas:

Higher Education

In 2022, the Foundation awarded $49 million to more than 35 educational organizations. Grantees included community colleges, private colleges, and public universities.

Human Services

The Foundation awarded $30 million to human service nonprofits in 2022, and many grants in this area went to groups that provide essential services to youth and families. Grantees included a range of youth-focused groups, including Reconciliation Services, the Nebraska Youth Justice Initiative in Omaha, Nebraska and the Sno-Valley Senior Center in Carnation, Washington. 

Arts and Culture

Arts and culture projects received $23 million in 2022, including grants to the Springfield Art Museum in Springfield, Missouri, the Omaha Zoo and the Seattle Aquarium in Seattle, Washington. Health Care and Hospitals.

Health Care and Hospitals

This is a growing area of need in many communities the Foundation serves. In 2022, $65 million was awarded to hospitals and health-care groups to build and improve their facilities.

About the Fayette County Community Foundation

The Fayette County Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa, is created by and for the people of Fayette County. The Community Foundation’s main goals are to support Fayette County and to attract additional funds to assist donors in creating lasting legacies through a variety of giving options within Fayette County

What We Support

Grants are made to programs that contribute, in a significant way, to the overall welfare of the people of Fayette County. We want to help develop communities that people want to live in, as well as to benefit rural areas of the county. Areas of Foundation giving are: 

• Art and culture
• Community betterment
• Education & Youth Development
• Environment & Animal Welfare
• Health
• Human Services

Our Mission

Our mission is to continue and further the philanthropic legacy of Gardner Cowles, Jr. and the Cowles family, which includes promotion of education, social justice, health, and the arts.

The Founder

The Cowles Charitable Trust was first established in 1948 by Gardner “Mike” Cowles, Jr. (1903-1985). Born into the Cowles publishing family of Des Moines, Iowa, Mike was the youngest of Gardner Cowles and Florence Call Cowles’ six children. A newspaper editor and publisher by trade, he was committed to his family’s traditions of responsible, public-spirited, and innovative journalism as well as philanthropy. 

The Cowles Charitable Trust supports the arts, education, the advancement of ethical journalism, medical and climate research.

Establishment of Foundation

John K. and Luise V. Hanson established and funded The Hanson Foundation in 1970 with $1,000,000. They contributed another $1,000,000 in 1988 and an additional $5 million in 1994. Upon John K. Hanson’s death in 1996, the foundation received $23 million from his estate.

Philanthropic Model

The John K. and Luise V. Hanson Foundation is listed as one of the Top 15 Foundations in Iowa, according to The Foundation Center, with total assets of approximately $72 million. The foundation has awarded over $64 million to nearly 1,000 organizations in more than 100 communities. Since 1970, the foundation has positively impacted the lives of tens of thousands of individuals by supporting projects that improve the quality of life for families.

Our Mission

The John K. and Luise V. Hanson Foundation is a private family foundation that gives back to communities and enhances the quality of life for individuals in north central Iowa. The foundation, also known as the Hanson Family Foundation, has a special interest in projects that strengthen families through arts and culture, family recreation, and youth development/education. Recognizing the value of innovative medical treatment to families, the foundation also has philanthropic ties to the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.

Primary Funding Areas

The John K. and Luise V. Hanson Family Foundation funds projects of all sizes that support a wide range of interests related to arts and culture, family recreation, and youth development/education. Since 1970, the foundation has strengthened organizations in more than 100 communities, primarily within north central Iowa. In 2021, the foundation celebrated surpassing $64 million in gifts.

What we Fund

• Arts & Culture
  • Previous projects include:
    • Clear Lake Arts Center
    • Boman Fine Arts Center
    • NIACC Arts and Leadership Series
    • Winnebago Historical Society / Heritage Park
• Family Recreation
  • Previous projects include:
    • Forest City YMCA
    • Pools / Aquatic Centers
    • Playgrounds
    • Biking Trails
• Youth Development/Education
  • Previous projects include:
    • Camp Tanglefoot
    • Clear Lake Yacht Club Sailing School
    • Eagle Scout Projects
    • Educational Technology

Martha-Ellen Tye Foundation Grant

The mission of the Martha-Ellen Tye Foundation is to perpetuate the generosity and giving philosophy of Martha-Ellen Tye by providing support for and working with programs, projects, and organizations that are striving to make a better life for the people of Marshalltown, Iowa, and San Antonio, Texas and their surrounding areas.

The Martha-Ellen Tye Foundation particularly seeks to address the educational, artistic, cultural, youth, and human service needs of communities in these geographic areas, and prefers to support initiatives that enable recipient organizations to build their own capacities to produce significant, measurable change.

Strategic Giving Focus & Priorities

The board of directors has identified the following focus:

The Martha-Ellen Tye Foundation, in collaboration with Marshalltown leaders and organizations, will focus its resources to:

• Attract, develop and retain people who will cultivate a civic-minded, healthy, caring community and strengthen our collective sense of pride.
• Build upon our unique community identity by expanding vibrant amenities.

Support for areas of need that do not readily fall into this specific focus may also be considered.

Types of Support

The Foundation awards two types of grants:

• Outright Grants
• Challenge Grants*
  • *requiring that matching funds be raised

Funding

Grant awards differ significantly. Many are in the $10,000 to $20,000 range. Multi-year grants, which are normally awarded for capital projects, range in size from $50,000 to $250,000.

The West Bancorporation Foundation, Inc. (the "Foundation") is the charitable foundation affiliate of West Bancorporation, Inc. West Bancorporation is the parent of West Bank which is actively involved in the greater Des Moines, Iowa City/Coralville and Minnesota areas where we do business and where our employees are leaders in helping our communities and citizens grow and prosper.

Listed below are the charitable contribution guidelines for the Foundation in Central Iowa, Eastern Iowa and Minnesota. Our giving priority is to support programs whose primary purpose is to benefit low- and moderate- income individuals.

The Foundation focuses contributions to: 

• Human Service 
• Education
• Arts & Culture

Black Hawk County Grants

Community Impact Grants are awarded throughout Black Hawk County from the unrestricted funds designated to improving the county. The CFNEIA distribution committee awards grants to create impact that addresses community and county needs.

Areas of Focus

The Community Foundation provides eligible agencies one-year discretionary grants on a competitive basis to improve life for residents of Black Hawk County, Iowa. Requests can be for operations, programming, materials, equipment, and capital projects. Areas of support are in the following program areas:

• Art & culture
• Community betterment
• Environment & Animal Welfare
• Education & Youth Development
• Health
• Human service

Grant Amounts

The majority of our competitive grants range from $5,000 to $25,000. Applicants interested in applying for more than the range are encouraged to contact Program Director prior to applying.

Legacy Grant Program

Prairie Meadows Legacy Grant program provides funding in the range of $100,000 to $1 million for large-scale, signature projects in central Iowa. This program is a significant resource for enhancing the community. From the iconic Principal Riverwalk and world-class Pappajohn Sculpture Garden to the Iowa Hall of Pride and Des Moines Public Library, funding from this program has played a major role in revitalizing the Greater Des Moines area.

Prairie Meadows awards Legacy Grants in the following categories:

• Arts and Culture
• Economic Development
• Education
• Health and Human Services

About Us

The Siouxland Community Foundation (SCF) provides services to donors to establish endowed funds without incurring the administrative and legal costs of an independent foundation. Individuals, families, corporations, nonprofits, private foundations and Siouxland communities can realize nearly any charitable intent. When creating a charitable fund within SCF you determine its purpose:

• Assist the elderly
• Enhance a neighborhood or community
• Address community health issues
• Feed the hungry
• Provide scholarships
• Provide a safe place for children to play

Ida County Community Betterment Foundation

Background

The Ida County Community Betterment Foundation (ICCBF) Advisory Board is charged with carefully reviewing grant proposals and recommending grants to be awarded. The ICCBF Advisory Board will make grant recommendations based on county and community needs, and the proposing organization’s capacity to effectively enhance the quality of life in Ida County.

Mission

The mission of the ICCBF is to promote philanthropy, serve as a vehicle to carry out the charitable objective of donors, build endowments, identify needs and make grants for the benefit of the citizens and communities of Ida County.

The purpose of the ICCBF is to connect donors who care with causes that matter and to enhance the quality of life in Ida County.

Ida County Community Betterment Foundation Grant

Purpose

The purpose of the ICCBF grant program is to respond to present and emerging needs within Ida County by making grants in the following areas:

• Arts & Culture: Provide or increase access to theatre, music, arts, dance, museums, historical events.. 
• Civic: Community betterment/beautification, city government, emergency services, citizen participation, parks and recreation.
• Education: Early childhood development/daycare, primary, secondary, and continuing education; libraries.
• Environment: Pollution control, natural resource conservation, protecting wildlife, botanic/horticultural activities.
• Health: Promotion and maintenance of physical, dental and mental health; rehabilitative services, crisis intervention.
• Human Services: Housing/shelter, public safety, services for the elderly, youth, families, handicapped, economically disadvantaged, minorities or other special groups.

Mission

The Scott County Regional Authority (SCRA) is a non-profit corporation which provides funding to educational institutions, government/civic and not-for profit organizations through a grant process. These funds are generated from gaming receipts received through the Isle Casino Hotel Bettendorf. The Scott County Regional Authority mission is to serve the needs of the residents of Scott County, Iowa.

Total grants awarded since 1991 is $101,361,741. A variety of organizations have received awards providing services such as arts, city government, colleges/universities, conservation, county departments, disabilities, fire and rescue, historic preservation, housing, law enforcement, libraries, medical, museums, park and recreation, schools, seniors, social services, veterans, and youth services.

About the Cerro Gordo County Community Foundation

The Cerro Gordo County Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created by and for the people of Cerro Gordo County. The vision of the Cerro Gordo County Community Foundation is to be a premier philanthropic program enhancing and impacting the lives of the residents of Cerro Gordo County through donor opportunities, endowment growth and management, and responsible and local grant distribution.

What We Fund

The Cerro Gordo County Community Foundation will provide grants to improve life in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa. We want to help develop communities that people want to live in, as well as to benefit rural areas of the county. Areas of Foundation giving are:

• Art & culture
• Community betterment
• Education
• Environment
• Health
• Historic preservation
• Human service

The Iowa County Community Foundation

The Iowa County Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa, is created by and for the people of Iowa County. The Community Foundation’s main goals are to support Iowa County and to attract additional funds to assist donors in creating lasting legacies through a variety of giving options.

What We Fund

The Iowa County Community Foundation provides grants to improve life in Iowa County, Iowa. We want to help develop communities that people want to live in, as well as to benefit rural areas of the county. Areas of Foundation giving are:

• Art & culture
• Community betterment
• Education
• Environment
• Health
• Historic preservation
• Human service

Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs

The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs empowers Iowa to build and sustain culturally vibrant communities by connecting Iowans to the people, places and points of pride that define our state.

Art Project Grant

Art Project Grants create opportunities for the arts to flourish in Iowa by investing in projects that positively impact the vitality of the arts in the state, demonstrate public value and support Iowa Arts Council funding priorities. Eligible art projects must include excellent and innovative arts activities, involve collaboration and provide access to Iowans.

Funding for the Art Project Grant program is made possible by an annual appropriation from the Iowa Legislature to the Iowa Arts Council, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, and by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Applicants must adhere to the funding policies of the Iowa Arts Council. 

Apply for funding to support the creation and presentation of new artwork, development of an arts experience or formation of an arts education program. Project grants provide you support to positively impact the vitality of the arts in Iowa by creating arts opportunities that are accessible to all Iowans.

Art Project Grants for Organizations

The Art Project Grants for Organizations program is administered by the Iowa Arts Council, which exists within the Iowa Economic Development Authority (the IEDA). Through the program, the IEDA provides financial incentives to nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations; schools; area education agencies; local, county, state and federal governmental agencies; and tribal councils to support a wide variety of artsrelated activities. To be eligible, projects must include artistic excellence and service to Iowans.

Priority is given to projects that advance the goals of the Iowa Arts Council 2022-2026 Strategic Plan. The program is funded through an appropriation by the Iowa Legislature to the IEDA and a grant by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Applicants must comply with federal requirements, including but not limited to 2 CFR Part 200. Operating and grant policies and definitions set out at 261 Iowa Administrative Code Chapter 305 and rules pertaining to organization and operation of the Iowa Arts Council found at 261 Iowa Administrative Code Chapter 304 apply to the program. Rules specific to the program can be found at 261 Iowa Administrative Code Chapter 307.

About Us

The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs empowers Iowa to build and sustain culturally vibrant communities by connecting Iowans to the people, places and points of pride that define our state. The department impacts Iowans through the State Historical Society of Iowa, the Iowa Arts Council and Produce Iowa — State Office of Media Production. It engages Iowans by elevating the role arts, history and culture play as an economic driver, a catalyst for the creative sector and a key ingredient in our quality of life.

Partnership Grant

Arts Partnership Grants are discretionary grant awards for projects that align with one or more current and funding priorities and strategic goals in the Iowa Arts Council 2022-2026 Strategic Plan.

Program Update

The Arts Partnership Grant program supports significant regional or statewide arts convenings and strategic initiatives that strengthen the arts in Iowa and align with the Iowa Arts Council’s 2022–2026 Strategic Plan.

Eligible projects must clearly align with one of the following categories:

Regional and Statewide Arts Convenings

Supports arts events, conferences, and convenings that build professional knowledge, advance arts practices in Iowa, and expand networks for collaboration.

Arts, Health and Well-being

Supports programming that demonstrates the arts' impact on community belonging, connection, and the health and well-being of individuals and groups.

Fund For Siouxland Grant

The Fund For Siouxland, an unrestricted endowment fund, provides the Community Foundation with the greatest flexibility to respond to the ever-changing needs in Siouxland communities. Contributors (individuals, families, corporations and other foundations) have made an investment in the future of Siouxland by helping to build our community’s charitable endowment. The fund is invested in accordance with the Community Foundation’s investment policy. Only the income that is generated is used to make the grants year after year.

Focus Areas

Donors to this fund, from all walks of life, recognize its importance and impact on the quality of life in Siouxland by allowing the Community Foundation to address a variety of needs in the following five focus areas: 

• Arts & Culture: Provide or increase access to cultural and educational resources for theatre, music, arts, dance, museums.
• Civic Affairs: Community betterment, citizen participation, parks & recreation. 
• Education: Early childhood development and parental involvement, improve educational outcomes especially for those at risk, promote higher educational opportunities. 
• Health: Assist communities in the promotion and maintenance of physical and mental health. 
• Human Services: Address and serve the needs of the elderly, youth, families, handicapped, economically disadvantaged, minorities or other special groups.

The Siouxland Community Foundation does not duplicate United Way funding. However, program additions or expansions will be considered.

Funding

Foundation grants generally do not exceed $5,000.

Each year the Foundation receives many more requests than it can support, compelling the Board to make funding decisions based on the number of proposals received, worthiness of the project, relative need, and potential impact – resulting in the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

About GIG Fund

The GIG Fund is a grant of $2,000-4,000 that supports creative projects and educational events in the Midwest. These funds help organizations present artists in their community by supporting programming and touring costs.

The GIG Fund provides flexible grants for nonprofit organizations to support programs and activities featuring professional artists. GIG Fund grants help cover fees for touring or local artists. Funds may also be used for project costs such as accessibility accommodations and marketing. We work with a panel to help us review applications and distribute grants annually.

GIG Fund

Flexible support to help arts and culture organizations grow their capacity, fund artist engagements, and build community.

What is the GIG Fund?

The GIG Fund is a grant of $2,000-4,000 that supports creative projects and educational events in the Midwest. These funds help organizations present artists in their community by supporting programming and touring costs. The GIG Fund is a grant that supports Midwestern organizations that want to contract with a professional artist to offer activities to their community. 

Matching requirement

Organizations will be required to demonstrate matching funds on a 1:1 basis for the grant amount.

To demonstrate the match, your expenses should each be at least double your GIG Fund grant. Potential sources for the match include salaries and wages, in-kind contributions, volunteer hours, earned and contributed revenue (donations, ticket sales, other non-Federal grants), or cash from the applicant or partner organizations.

Purpose

The purpose of the Operations and Program Grant program (formerly known as the Coordinated Field of Interest Grant program) is to provide general operating support or program support for successful ongoing efforts. General operating support is crucial to the long-term success of nonprofit organizations. This grant program aligns with the Community Foundation’s strategic effort to use effective grantmaking practices including:

Flexible Funding: requests for general operating support are eligible for funding, and are given preference.

Reliable Funding: One-year or Two-year requests will be considered.

Nonprofit organizations may apply for a grant from several different Community Foundation funds through the Operations and Program Grant program. To save time and effort, applicants submit one application and are considered for multiple funding sources.

The Operations and Program Grant program continues to follow the original purposes of each fund and the intent set up by its donors. All specific fund purposes fall into one or more fields of interest: Animals & Environment; Arts & Culture; Community Development; Education; Health; and Youth Development.

Fund Focus Areas:

• Amy Helpenstell Foundation Fund - General Operating and Program requests only.
• Basic Human Needs—Iowa
• Chip Sunderbruch Memorial Risk Management Fund: Focuses on risk management and safety
• Children at Risk Fund: Focuses on youth programs.
• Health & Wellness Fund: Focuses on health and wellness.
• John J. Quail Fund: Focuses on arts and culture.
• Judith Berger Endowment: Focuses on education, poverty & children in need.
• Nell C. Brennan Fund: Focuses on educational opportunities for underserved children.
• Roy E. Murray Fund: Focuses on youth.
• Sekharan Family Fund: Focuses on hospice and homelessness.

Jetton Fund

The mission of the Jetton Charitable Fund is to support youth exposure to cultural education. It’s purpose is to provide the people of Omaha with assorted performing and visual arts programs, as well as a range of instructive programs grounded in natural wonders, technological advancement, and historical perspective. While the Jetton Charitable Fund supports specific traditional academic pursuits, this fund also strives to provide a more cultural edification the whole community can share and enjoy.

This grant program supports youth engagement in:

• Performing and visual arts (with a focus on performing arts)
• Educational pursuits in the areas of natural science, technologies, zoological, botanical, or historical programs.

The grant will be awarded to organizations that:

• Have been in existence as a 501(c)(3) organization for at least 5 years.
• Spend at least 75% or more of its annual operating budget on the delivery of its programs. 
• Serves the general population, rather than a subset limited by various demographic data. However, this does not preclude programs that serve youth of a particular age. 
• Serves a minimum of 1,000 students or more annually.

Application Details

Grants of $20,000 and up are awarded.

The Jetton Charitable Fund will make grants primarily to organizations in the Omaha metropolitan service area. Under special circumstances, eligibility could be extended to Lincoln, Nebraska, and to arts and educational organizations across Nebraska and Southwest Iowa. The primary purpose of such grants is programmatic with very special exceptions for capacity building.

Hubbell-Waterman Foundation Grant

Mission

The Hubbell-Waterman Foundation invests in the Quad Cities community by funding capital construction projects, program and initiatives grants, and operational expenses. Our three areas of focus are culture and the arts, social welfare, and education.

What we do Fund 

• Funding is awarded to support three areas of focus: culture and the arts, education, and social welfare. Within these areas, we provide support for: 
  • Capital campaigns and capital acquisitions, including construction and renovations.
  • Operational and/or program grants not to exceed three years resulting from the completion of a capital campaign grant.
  • Multi-year program grants not to exceed three years. Program grants may include general operating expense reimbursement.

Focus Areas

The foundation has three long-term funding priorities: 

• Culture and the Arts
  • Cultivating and supporting the visual and performing arts
  • Investing in landmark cultural institutions
  • Supporting new and innovative programs and initiatives that enrich our community
• Education
  • Supporting pre-K–12 education through:
    • After-school and summer programs
    • Creative learning initiatives
    • Life skills and career training
    • Environmental education with a focus on sustainability
  • Mental health programs for students and their families
• Social Welfare
  • Supporting programs that are accessible to individuals and families through:
    • At-risk and low-income family services
    • Food and nutrition support
    • Housing security
    • Immigrant and refugee community support
    • Physical and mental health services

About Arts Midwest

We amplify Midwestern creativity, building community and opportunity across our region and beyond.

Arts Midwest advances creativity across our region, building unprecedented opportunity for everyone who calls this place home. We support, inform, and celebrate arts organizations and creative communities in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, the Native Nations that share this geography, and beyond. As one of six nonprofit United States Regional Arts Organizations, we work to strengthen local arts and culture efforts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, state agencies, private funders, and many others. Together, we nourish the creative roots of the Midwest—and share our region’s transformative ideas with the world.

This year, we’re pleased to offer two tracks of funding: GIG Fund: Arts and Wellness, and GIG Fund.

GIG Fund: Arts and Wellness

The GIG Fund: Arts and Wellness is a grant of $2,000 – $15,000 for organizations of any budget size whose projects have an arts and wellness focus.  Funds may be used for performances, workshops, programs in clinical settings, creative aging programs, efforts that engage veterans in the arts, etc.  Applicants may only apply for one GIG Fund grant per year.

Arts Midwest recognizes the field of arts and wellness to be far-reaching and applicants should identify how their arts project addresses some element of health and wellness.

This round of GIG Fund grants is for supporting activities taking place between December 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026. There are three requirements.

1) Engage a Professional Artist or Ensemble 2) Offer at Least Two Activities Featuring the Artist(s) and 3) Professional Development: With support from The Hearst Foundations, Arts Midwest will offer professional development opportunities to grantees to strengthen arts and wellness initiatives across the Midwest.

STEM + Families Science Festival, sponsored by Bayer Fund

This program is for elementary schools. Forty (40) local PTAs will be selected, and each will be awarded $1,500 in funding. Science Festivals empower PTAs with resources to host hands-on, fun STEM experiences that bring students and families together and help families experience and explore activities in STEM. To be considered, PTAs must hold their programs in-person.

ABOUT ROOTED IN JUSTICE

“Rooted in Justice” is a funding program designed to help amplify youth voices and actions in the environmental and food justice movements.  Rooted in Justice supports community-based organizations and groups that manage established, youth-led, urban greening programs within a justice framework as a core part of their work, with two-year grants of $25,000/year.  

Rooted in Justice recognizes the importance and undeniable right of every young person to have the ability to develop their own relationship with the environment, be it through growing food, spending time with nature, creating community green spaces, or becoming environmental stewards. Rooted in Justice also honors the power and possibilities that arise when young people collectively work to be change-makers in their communities.

Rooted in Justice supports organizations, groups, collectives, and programs that work with young people between the ages of 12 to 20 in youth-led programming for communities or cultures which have historically or currently experience:

• A lack of access to land or nature;
• Agricultural oppression and/or neglect;
• Food apartheid; and/or
• Other forms of injustice based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics and disability.

Rooted in Justice awards a small number of grants each year with applications due in the fall and decisions made the following spring. Final grant decisions are recommended to the Cedar Tree board via a participatory grantmaking process with outside reviewers who have experience in youth-led urban greening, as well as food or climate justice programming. So far the program has awarded multi-year grants to 21 organizations and one-time grants to 10 additional organizations since 2021. 

Definitions

Rooted in Justice grants support organizations or programs that include all four of the elements described below: social justice, youth-led, urban greening, and cohort-based youth work. We articulate our understanding of those terms below in an effort to provide a guide for prospective organizations to use in determining whether their program is a good fit. However as we continue our work towards questioning and dismantling some of our preconceived notions, we recognize that these are not finite definitions and encourage prospective applicants who still feel their work may be a good fit to describe in their proposals why this is the case.  

Social Justice-Based Programs

Programs dedicated to creating equitable outcomes for communities directly affected by different aspects of injustice by:

• Sharing and redistributing power and resources;
• Amplifying voices and leadership;
• Tackling root problems through ongoing engagement and collaboration to find solutions, organize against oppression of all kinds and create mechanisms for change; and
• Developing a critical analysis with youth and community members.

Youth-Led

The development of youth leadership skills is a core part of programs funded by Rooted in Justice. Young people have the opportunity to play a role in the planning and decision-making for their program and may help shape the internal workings of the organization. Examples of youth-led programs include programs where participants: 

• Managing a portion of their programming budget;
• Co-facilitating program activities, meetings and gatherings;
• Shape their own programming and/or organizational strategic planning;
• Have regular and end-of-program opportunities to provide program feedback and evaluation; and
• Have opportunities for personal and/or professional growth within the program and organization.

Urban Greening

For the purpose of this grant we define “urban greening” as any activity that creates a mutually beneficial relationship between city dwellers and their environments. Programs that are a strong fit for Rooted in Justice will have many opportunities for youth to be outdoors.  Project settings can include, but are not limited to: 

• Urban and aquaponic farms
• Greenhouses and rooftop gardens
• Community gardens, green spaces, and rain gardens
• Composting sites
• Land conservation efforts
• Urban forests
• River or other water restoration  

Cohort-Based Youth Works

Rooted in Justice looks to fund organizations that build community with cohorts of youth through intentional, recurring programming. This grant is intended to support programs that offer youth significant learning and leadership opportunities as a group and as individuals. Priority will be given to organizations that have program infrastructure that supports a cohort of youth over time.  Drop-in programming, one-time conferences, or individual internships are not a good fit for Rooted in Justice.  

Youth Budgeting

As part of grant proposal, all Rooted in Justice grantees must share a plan to allocate a portion of the grant funds for youth participants to manage. What do we mean by this? We ask applicants to specifically set aside some amount of grant funds for youth to allocate to priorities of their choosing.  For example, youth participants can use their allocated funding to:

• Fund an entrepreneurial endeavor;
• Design the brand or swag for their group;
• Hire a speaker or outside expert to teach a new skill;
• Purchase supplies for a community-based art project;
• Host a celebration for their families, friends and neighbors;
• Pay for transportation to programming, special events, or conferences; and/or
• Any other youth-led activity the group may find beneficial.

Use of Funds

Rooted in Justice funding must be used for project support of existing youth led, urban greening, social justice work and associated general operating expenses. Operating expenses can include anything from program costs like staff salaries and youth stipends to organizational sustainability needs like major equipment purchases and leadership/staff training. If your organization’s entire mission is youth led, urban greening, social justice work, the Rooted in Justice grant can be general support. 

Funding

Two Year Grant

• Rooted in Justice Grant awards are two-year grants of $25,000 per year.
• After the initial two year grant, grantees may be eligible for a third year of funding at the same or lower level through a simple renewal process.
• In the 2025-2026 grant cycle, the Cedar Tree Foundation expects to support 4 organizations with multi-year grant awards.

Funding for Professional Development

• Each Rooted in Justice grantee organization also has access to an additional $6,000 to support professional development opportunities identified by each organization.  Half of these funds must be used to directly support the professional development of youth. 
• Rooted in Justice grantees can request reimbursement from this professional development fund to attend conferences, hire consultants, purchase equipment or software that increases organizational capacity, or participate in any activities that strengthen youth programming or justice practice of program providers in support of their youth development programming. The funds set aside for youth professional development can be used for youth exchanges or youth participation in conferences and other professional development opportunities directly for youth.  

Community Professional Development Calls

• Cedar Tree works with grantee partners to assess their professional development interests and facilitates on-line gatherings of staff or youth for skill shares, trainings, and networking opportunities.
• These network calls will likely happen 2-3 times per year.