Organizer Information
Forecast Public Art is a nonprofit organization based in Minnesota, United States, dedicated to expanding opportunities for artists working in the public realm. For nearly five decades, the organization has supported public art through funding, professional resources, artist development, community partnerships, and public art consulting. Its mission emphasizes the role of artists in strengthening communities, encouraging civic engagement, fostering belonging, and creating new ways for people to experience shared spaces.
Forecast Public Art's annual grant program supports early- and mid-career artists based in Minnesota and the Native Nations that share the state's geography. The Mid-Career Project Grant is funded by the McKnight Foundation and focuses on enabling experienced artists to develop original public art projects that might otherwise be difficult to finance.
Title & Description
Forecast Public Art Mid-Career Project Grant 2027
The Mid-Career Project Grant 2027 supports Minnesota-based mid-career public artists in creating new, publicly accessible artwork. The program encourages artist-initiated projects that engage communities, explore civic and cultural issues, transform shared environments, and introduce innovative approaches to public art.
Selected artists can develop temporary or permanent artworks in locations throughout Minnesota. Projects may address community identity, public space, collective memory, social engagement, or other subjects relevant to the artist's practice and the communities involved. No predetermined theme or designated site is required; applicants propose their own original concepts.
The project must be developed and completed during the grant period, and the proposed location must be secured before the application deadline.
Categories
- Visual Art
- Public Art
- Sculpture and Installation
- Painting and Murals
- Photography and Film
- Performance and Dance
- Storytelling and Spoken Word
- Sound Art
- Social Practice and Community-Based Art
- Interdisciplinary and Experimental Art
Other disciplines and formats are welcome when they contribute to an original, publicly accessible artwork.
Eligibility
The opportunity is open to mid-career public artists based in Minnesota. Applicants must have physically lived in Minnesota for at least 12 of the previous 24 months and remain residents throughout the project period.
Mid-career status generally means at least ten years of actively creating and exhibiting work, supported by an established artistic practice and professional recognition. Age is not a determining factor.
Applicants must propose an original project that has not already begun and is not simply a continuation, remount, or reinstallation of existing work. Undergraduate and graduate students, organizations, and individuals holding specified positions with Forecast Public Art are ineligible. Applicants may submit only one application to Forecast's grant program per annual cycle. Artists who received a project grant in the immediately preceding year are also ineligible for another project grant in consecutive years.
Program Benefits & Awards
Forecast Public Art will award five grants of $10,000 each, providing financial support for the creation of new public artwork. Funding can help artists realize ambitious projects, engage communities, develop their professional practices, and expand their public art experience.
Projects may receive additional support from public agencies, nonprofit organizations, or in-kind contributions. Private commissions are not eligible.
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 18 October 2026
- Notification: December 2026
- Grant period: January 1–November 30, 2027
- Project funding: January/February 2027
- Final reporting deadline: 30 November 2027
Location
Minnesota, United States
Additional Details
All funded installations and events must be accessible without admission charges or ticket fees. Selection criteria include proposal quality, feasibility, artistic development, community benefit, and the quality of submitted work samples. Forecast particularly encourages applications reflecting Minnesota's racial, cultural, gender, artistic, and geographic diversity.