Organizer Information
The Visual Arts Fund (VAF) is a grant program established in 2016 by Midway Contemporary Art, with support from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. It is part of the Foundation’s Regional Regranting Program, established in 2007 to support independently organized, artist-centered and publicly engaged artistic activity across the United States and Puerto Rico. The Twin Cities is one of 42 regions participating in the program. In 2026, VAF will distribute $60,000 through six $10,000 grants to artist-organized projects in the Twin Cities metropolitan region.
Title & Description
Visual Arts Fund 2026
The Visual Arts Fund 2026 supports self-initiated, artist-organized projects that engage the public with visual art. Funded projects may include exhibitions or installations in temporary spaces, publications, event or performance series, digital initiatives, public art projects, and other activities rooted primarily in the visual arts. Projects must include a free, publicly accessible component within the Twin Cities seven-county metropolitan region.
The program is designed to support innovative and diverse projects that might otherwise not receive traditional funding. Projects may involve multiple artists and interdisciplinary elements, provided that visual art remains their primary context.
Categories
- Visual Art
- Installation
- Exhibition
- Public Art
- Digital Art
- Publication
- Interdisciplinary Art
- Artist-Organized Projects
Eligibility
The opportunity is open to individual artists or groups of artists, but projects must be artist-organized and self-initiated. Each project must designate a Lead Organizer who plays a key role in its creation and execution.
The Lead Organizer must live in one of the seven Twin Cities metro counties: Hennepin, Scott, Ramsey, Dakota, Anoka, Carver, or Washington. Collaborators may live anywhere. Lead Organizers do not have to be U.S. citizens but must have a Social Security number to receive payment.
501(c)(3) organizations, incorporated businesses, and students are not eligible, although PhD students may apply. Projects must primarily function within the visual arts and cannot charge admission or participation fees. Only one application may be submitted by each Lead Organizer per round.
Projects must begin on or after January 1, 2027 and be completed by June 30, 2028. Projects funded in previous cycles are subject to additional completion and reporting requirements.
Program Benefits & Awards
The 2026 VAF will award six grants of $10,000 each, for a total of $60,000. Funding can support artist and Lead Organizer stipends, materials, facility and equipment rental, production, marketing, reception costs, and other eligible project expenses.
Lead Organizers may budget up to 15% of the requested grant ($1,500) for their organizing time. The program supports fair payment for artists involved in funded projects. Grants are distributed in two payments, with the first half provided up front and the second half after project activity has begun.
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 26 September 2026
- Grantee Notification: December 2026
- Funding Awarded: January 2027
- Project Period: January 1, 2027–June 30, 2028
An in-person information session was scheduled for September 3, and a grant-writing workshop for September 17, 2026.
Location
Twin Cities seven-county metropolitan region, Minnesota, United States
Additional Details
Funded projects must provide an opportunity for free public engagement. VAF does not fund an individual artist presenting their own work exclusively, projects that are part of a 501(c)(3) arts organization's programming, projects presented at commercial galleries, or projects without a free public component.
Applications require a project summary of up to 100 words, responses to eight project-description questions of up to 100 words each, up to five short bios, visual support materials, and a balanced project budget. CVs and résumés are not accepted.
Applicants can contact vaf@midwayart.org or (612) 605-4504 with questions or to discuss project eligibility. Alternative formats and languages are available upon request.