The Minot Area Council of the Arts has been selected to receive a $250,000 American Rescue Plan grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to help the arts and cultural sector recover from the pandemic.

MACA will use the funding to distribute grants to eligible recipients to save jobs and to fund operations and facilities, health and safety supplies, and marketing and promotional efforts to encourage attendance and participation.

In total, the NEA will award grants totaling more than $20 million to 66 local arts agencies nationwide for subgranting.

“The NEA’s significant investment in local arts agencies, including the Minot Area Council of the Arts, is a key element in helping the arts and culture sector recover and reopen, while ensuring that that American Rescue Plan funding is distributed equitably,” said Ann Eilers, NEA’s acting chair. “These grants recognize the vital role of local arts agencies and will allow them to help rebuild local economies and contribute to the well-being of our communities.”

Justin Anderson, executive director of the Minot Area Council of the Arts, said they look forward to playing a role in these recovery efforts. “This is an amazing opportunity to support the arts across the state,” he said.

MACA will be distributing the ARP funds to arts organizations and individual artists throughout North Dakota.

The Minot Area Council of the Arts will be releasing more detailed information about their grant cycle in January.

This is the second of three installments of the NEA’s American Rescue Plan funding. The third installment of APR funding to arts organizations to support their own operations will be announced in early 2022.