Saint Paul, MN

METROPOLITAN REGIONAL ARTS COUNCIL

EIN 41-1684647

Arts, Culture & Heritage Community Arts & Public Programs AAPI communities Black communities Indigenous communities Latino communities Communities of color People with disabilities LGBTQ+ communities Children & youth

Mission

The Metropolitan Regional Arts Council improves arts access for Minnesota’s seven-county metro communities through grants, resources, and advocacy for artists and organizations.

IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) public charity Contributions are tax-deductible

Claim this page Visit mrac.org

About METROPOLITAN REGIONAL ARTS COUNCIL

The Metropolitan Regional Arts Council (MRAC) is the designated regional arts council serving the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area (Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington). It awards grants to individual artists and nonprofit organizations, provides technical assistance, and advocates for public investment in arts access across the region. In recent years MRAC has continued active grantmaking and program work, including Creative Connections and Next Step Fund awards for individual artists, Flexible Support grants for organizations (up to $25,000), and an Emergency Relief Fund providing rapid one-time aid to artists. MRAC explicitly prioritizes funding to address historic disparities by setting aside portions of some programs for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) applicants, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ applicants. MRAC operates as a steward of public arts funding in Minnesota (including allocations from the Arts & Cultural Heritage/Legacy funding stream), partners with private funders such as the McKnight Foundation on artist support programs, and maintains regular grant cycles, grantee announcements, and technical assistance for metro-area arts makers and organizations.

Notable achievements

Expanded Next Step Fund awards (FY24)

Partnered with the McKnight Foundation to fund an additional cohort of Next Step Fund applicants, increasing the FY23 funding rate through a one-time restoration that awarded dozens of artists who had ranked highly in the prior year’s review.

Sustained Flexible Support grants for organizations

Provides Flexible Support organizational grants (up to $25,000) across the seven-county metro region to sustain operations, capacity, capital needs, and programming that increase public access to the arts.

Rapid-response Emergency Relief Fund

Operates an Emergency Relief Fund offering rapid, short-term payments to artists facing unexpected lost income or urgent expenses, enabling quick assistance during personal or professional emergencies.

At a glance

Total assets: $863K
Annual revenue: $6.7M
Tax status: 501(c)(3)Public charity
EIN: 41-1684647
Location: Saint Paul, MN
Website: mrac.org
On Mahalo since: September 2026

Financial figures from the IRS Business Master File, the IRS’s registry of tax-exempt organizations.

Recognition

Designated regional arts council for the Twin Cities metro by state arts structures and a partner in Minnesota’s Arts & Cultural Heritage (Legacy) funding system.

Longstanding public stewardship role as a primary distributor of Legacy/State arts funds in the metro region and a recognized partner of private funders such as the McKnight Foundation.

Regularly featured in regional arts reporting and partner directories as a principal funder and capacity-builder for metro-area artists and arts organizations.

Is this your organization?

Claim this page to keep it current — add your logo, publish campaigns, and reach the donors and advisors discovering you on Mahalo.

Claim this page