Funder Profile: Arts and Culture Heritage Fund

Photo by Pierre Wachholder, c/o Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

The work we do to help students dream, plan and succeed would not be possible without funders who support us with the resources to allow students to thrive.

In 2008, Minnesotans passed the clean water, land, and legacy amendment to the Minnesota Constitution. As a result, a portion of the state’s sales tax is dedicated to an arts and culture heritage fund, a large portion of which has been appropriated to the Minnesota State Arts Board. The goal of the fund is to make high-quality arts experiences more accessible and available to Minnesotans.

Partners in Arts Participation is a grant program designed by the Minnesota State Arts Board using arts and culture heritage fund dollars to broaden opportunities for Minnesotans to participate in the arts. In particular, the Partners in Arts Participation Grant has helped Project Success bring hundreds of students on field trips to see performances, such as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s performance at the University of Minnesota’s Northrop Auditorium in 2016.

Project Success uses theater as a springboard for discussion, to challenge students to look at the real life issues they face, and to inspire students as they set goals for their futures during Project Success workshops. Ailey believed “that the dance came from the people, and that it should always be delivered back to the people” – and his company has become a vital part of American culture. These relevant, meaningful opportunities help to broaden students’ worlds and open their eyes to a world of art forms they may not otherwise have a chance to see. They also allow students the opportunity to see works that reflect the diversity of the community in which we all live and serve. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and culture heritage fund.

The Partners in Arts Participation grant has also supported a student field trip to another Northrup dance performance, Compagnie Käfig’s Correria/Agwa in 2015, and Through the grant in 2011, we brought students to Romeo and Juliet, A Winter’s Tale and Penumbra’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom at the Guthrie Theater.