St. Cloud, Minn. – A grant round that works to expand the arts and one that aims to make a difference addressing homelessness in Central Minnesota are open. The Central Minnesota Community Foundation (CMCF) has opened their annual Central Minnesota Arts Grant round and Central Minnesota Difference Maker Grant round as of February 1, 2025.
The purpose of the Central Minnesota Arts Grant is to support small to medium size arts organizations that make arts more accessible to area residents. Other focus areas of the Central Minnesota Arts Grant include visual art and performing arts, including dance, music and drama.
The purpose of the Central Minnesota Difference Maker Grant round is to bring about a lasting positive change to homelessness in Central Minnesota. This grant round has two focus areas, homelessness supports and homelessness prevention. Some examples of eligible activities or programs include the following: emergency shelter operations and improvements, case management services, transitional housing programs, rental assistance programs, financial literacy or budgeting programs, and support services for individuals transitioning out of foster care, corrections or other institutions.
For both grant rounds, eligible organizations must be 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations, schools or governmental entities. The deadline to apply for the Central Minnesota Arts Grant round and Central Minnesota Difference Maker Grant round is March 31, 2025. For more information and specific criteria for each grant round, visit www.communitygiving.org/grants.
The Central Minnesota Community Foundation (CMCF) attracts and administers charitable funds for the benefit of the local community. Since 1985, CMCF has grown to $160.7 million in assets and awarded $166.7 million in grants to non-profits. The CMCF is governed by a local board of directors and is a partner of CommunityGiving, which is a network of community foundations united under a single framework to create efficiencies that maximize the impact of our donors. Collectively, CommunityGiving administers over 1,200 funds totaling nearly $240 million in assets. Learn more at communitygiving.org/cmcf