We’re seeking community documenters — everyday storytellers, artists, organizers, or creatives — who can quickly film what’s happening around them and send us 8–10 raw vertical video clips that highlight something distinct, local, and creative.

We’re looking for short, unedited vertical video clips that showcase creative people, projects, and events in your community. If you’ve ever thought, “People need to see this!,” we want to hear from you.

That could mean:

• A public art project taking shape
• A joyful community gathering
• A local artist at work
• A food, craft, or culture moment unique to your area

We’ll take care of editing, scripting, and publishing videos on Arts Midwest’s Instagram, Youtube, and TikTok. You’ll get credit and $250 compensation for your footage and a short write-up of what you’ve captured.

Arts Midwest covers Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and the Native Nations that share this geography. Pitches from outside of this region will not be considered.

A brief pitch of what you plan to capture is due August 17, 2025.

What You’ll Submit if Selected

• Video documentation: 8-10 *solid* unedited clips, at least 15 seconds each, shot vertically and high resolution (min. 1080 x 1920)
• Short summary: 200-300 words (who, what, when, why + any distinct details)
• Contact info for a recommended source: for proofing and fact-checking purposes

Total compensation for these deliverables (from a selected pitch) is $250.

Final videos will be published on Arts Midwest’s Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts.

Timeline

• July 29, 2025 – Call for Pitches opens
• August 17 – Pitches due
• Week of August 25 – Notifications to selected community documenters
• August 25 – September 30 – Selected community documenters take videos and send them to us
• September and October – Final edited videos published

Before You Pitch

• Will I be able to film this between August 25–September 30?
• If it’s an event or a person, will they be available and okay being filmed?
• Do I have a phone or camera that shoots high-res, vertical video?

See Examples

Our Video Guide

You don’t need to be a filmmaker—just a curious, thoughtful observer. Think: “What moments would I want to share with someone who couldn’t be here?”

Read More

Photo Credit: Taylor Dorrell / Arts Midwest

How to Pitch Us

The Call for Pitches will close on August 17, 2025. We’ll send notifications to selected community documenters during the week of August 25.  Due to high submission volume, we may not be able to respond to every pitch.

To pitch us, fill out our pitch submission form. You’ll be asked for the following information:

• What are you proposing to cover?  (50 words) 
  • Tell us about the event, project, or person at the heart of your story. What is distinct about this story?
• What makes it distinct or creative? (100 words)
  • Elaborate on why this story or subject. 
• What makes it visually interesting? (50 words)
• When would you be able to film it? (25 words)
• What is your connection to this story? (50 words)  
• Tell us about yourself.  (100 words)
• Provide links to up to three work samples and/or a portfolio so we can get an idea of your skills. 
  • Work samples do not have to be published works, but should show your video filming skills.  

The post Call for Pitches: Short-Form Video from Your Community appeared first on Arts Midwest.

Culture bearers and folk arts practitioners are deeply rooted in the practice and preservation of cultural traditions through craft, storytelling, dance, performance, visual arts, language preservation, foodways, and more. Cultural identities may include geographic communities, occupational groups, or family traditions.  

Folk arts and culture bearer practices are often connected to cultural communities and prioritize sharing knowledge with the next generation. Some of the titles they may use are culture bearer, folk artist, taproot artist, traditional artist, elder artist, and ancestral knowledge bearer. 

• WHAT: The 2025 Midwest Culture Bearers Award is a $5,000 unrestricted, non-matching award. It honors and amplifies the work of nine Midwestern culture bearers each year. 
• WHO: If you have a folk arts or traditional cultural practice that you have engaged in for at least 10 years and prioritizes the next generation of practitioners, you may apply.
• WHEN: Applications close at 11:59 pm CST on July 21, 2025. Awards will be made in September–October 2025.
• WHERE: You must live in the Arts Midwest region. This includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and the Native Nations that share this geography. 

You may get help from someone else to complete your application. Or, you can nominate someone with their permission. 

About the Midwest Culture Bearers Award

The Midwest Culture Bearers Award will honor and amplify the work of nine Midwestern folk arts and culture practitioners each year. This award seeks to financially support folk arts and culture practitioners, as well as create opportunities for further recognition and relationship-building across the region. 

Selected individuals will each receive a $5,000 unrestricted, non-matching award. Additionally, we will offer professional development and networking opportunities, and stories featuring awardees and their work.  

Read the Application Guidelines

Learn more about the 2025 Midwest Culture Bearers Award, eligibility requirements, and how to upload and submit your application.

Learn More and Apply

Photo Credit: Mia Beach / African American Arts Institute

The post Now Accepting Applications: 2025 Midwest Culture Bearers Award appeared first on Arts Midwest.

What does creativity look like where you live? How is it distinctly of, by, and for your community? Tell us more!

What We’re Looking For

We’re seeking engaging, people-centered stories that showcase the power of creative action across our coverage region—especially from Greater Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin. 

We cover Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and the Native Nations that share this geography. Pitches from outside of this region will not be considered. 

Pitches are due April 6, 2025. 

Selected pitches will be contracted for 500-word written articles to be published by Arts Midwest’s Creativity News Desk starting May 2025. The compensation of the 500-word story is $500; paid once all deliverables are finalized and ready for publishing.

Timeline

• March 20, 2025 – Call for Pitches opens 
• April 6 – Deadline to submit pitches 
• Week of April 14 – Notifications to selected writers
• May – July – Stories published 

How to Pitch Us

The Call for Pitches will close on April 6, 2025. We’ll send notifications to selected writers during the week of April 14. Due to high submission volume, we may not be able to respond to every pitch. 

To pitch us, fill out our pitch submission form. You’ll be asked for the following information: 

• Who or what does your story feature? (50 words) 
  • Tell us about the person, project, or idea at the heart of your story. What excites or inspires you about it? 
• What’s the story you want to tell?  (100 words) 
  • Tell us a little more about the specific angle you’d like to approach the story from. What aspects of the story/subject feel distinctly of, by, and for the community? What aspects of the story speak to “creativity at work”? 
• What is your connection to this story? (50 words) 
  • Why this story or subject? 
• Will you be the writer for the story idea you’re pitching?  
  • Yes.  
  • No, I’m just submitting the idea for Arts Midwest to assign to someone else. 
• If you’ll be the writer, tell us about yourself.  (100 words) 
• Provide links to up to three work samples and/or a portfolio so we can get an idea of your range of work. 
  • Work samples do not have to be published works, but should show your reporting, interviewing, and writing skills.  

The post Call For Pitches: Creativity at Work in Midwest Communities appeared first on Arts Midwest.

This year, we are excited to introduce a new grant program for paid Apprenticeships. Grants of up to $30,000 offer theaters the ability to provide opportunities for early-career professionals to gain hands-on experience in roles such as set design, operations, and theater administration. The programming that apprentices support does NOT have to be Shakespeare related. 

As in previous years, theaters can continue to bring Shakespeare’s works to life for students through our Schools and Juvenile Justice grant programs.

Shakespeare in American Communities At-A-Glance

• What is it? Shakespeare in American Communities is a theater program that provides grants to nonprofit theater organizations in the U.S. to present high-quality productions and educational activities based on Shakespeare’s works. There are three grant opportunities available: the Schools Program, Juvenile Justice Program, and Apprenticeships Program.
• Who can apply? Nonprofit theater organizations that have at least two years of relevant experience for their chosen grant opportunity. Take a short eligibility quiz to find out which opportunity is the best fit for your organization.
• Where? Your organization must be located and operate within the United States or the Native Nations that share this geography.
• When to apply? A mandatory Intent to Apply is due January 30, 2025, with final applications due February 13, 2025.

Take an Eligibility Quiz

Curious which Shakespeare in American Communities grant is the best fit for your organization? Take a short eligibility quiz to find out!

Schools Program: Brings Shakespeare-inspired theater and education programs to middle and high schools, with new flexibility to perform in community venues. Matching grants range from $15,000 to $25,000  

Juvenile Justice Program: Engages young people in juvenile justice settings, offering performances and workshops. Non-matching grants range from $15,000 to $25,000.  

Apprenticeships Program: New this year, supports theater companies in providing paid apprenticeships to early-career theater professionals. Matching grants range from $20,000 to $30,000

Take the Quiz

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company

Cincinatti, OH

Shakespeare in American Communities

Photo Credit: Cincinnati Shakespeare Company

About Shakespeare in American Communities

An initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in partnership with Arts Midwest, Shakespeare in American Communities brings the works of William Shakespeare to students, communities, and juvenile justice facilities across the country.

Since its inception in 2003, Shakespeare in American Communities has supported more than 16,000 performances and 60,000 educational activities in all 50 states. Each year, the program reaches thousands of young people with inspiring productions and hands-on learning experiences.

New this year, the Schools program continues to offer more flexibility in where and how performances and educational activities take place. Organizations can now stage productions and educational activities in community settings, expanding access beyond traditional schools. Grantees are also not required to produce original Shakespeare plays. Rather, they may use adaptations or create new work inspired by William Shakespeare.  

Also new this year, grantees will particpate in virtual and in-person convenings with other program participants. Travel, lodging, and some meal costs for one representative will be covered.

Get Ready to Apply

For more details on how to apply and to explore our guidelines, visit the Shakespeare in American Communities program page.

Learn More

American Players Theatre of Wisconsin

Mount Horeb, WI

Shakespeare in American Communities

Photo Credit: American Players Theatre of Wisconsin

The post Now Accepting Applications: 2025-26 Shakespeare in American Communities appeared first on Arts Midwest.

This year, we’re excited to introduce a new theme: “Our Nature: How Our Physical Environment Can Lead Us to Seek Hope, Courage, and Connection.”

The 22 NEA Big Read books available for programming this cycle explore our relationship with the physical environment, from our cities and farms to our mountains and coastlines.

NEA Big Read At-A-Glance

• What is it? The NEA Big Read is a reading program that brings communities together around the central theme “Our Nature,” using one of 22 available books as inspiration.
• Who can apply? Nonprofit arts organizations, universities, libraries, service organizations, museums, school districts, and tribal governments are all encouraged to apply.
• Where? Your organization must be located and operate within the United States or the Native Nations that share this geography.
• When to apply? A mandatory Intent to Apply is due January 23, 2025, with final applications due January 30, 2025. Funded programs will take place between September 2025 and June 2026.

Read more about eligibility and how to apply in the guidelines.

About NEA Big Read

An initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in partnership with Arts Midwest, the NEA Big Read supports a range of events and activities designed around a single NEA Big Read book. The goal of this program is to inspire meaningful conversations, celebrate local creativity, elevate a wide variety of voices and perspectives, encourage cross-sector collaboration, and build stronger connections in each community.

NEA Big Read programs vary and can be as short as a week or as long as several months. Beyond discussions of the book, organizations may choose to include a kick-off event, invite the author for a visit, or have other events inspired by the content and themes of the book, including panel discussions, lectures, film screenings, art exhibitions, theatrical and musical performances, poetry slams, writing workshops and contests, and community storytelling events.

In addition to funding for purchasing the books themselves, each grant recipient is provided with resources to help them succeed. That includes outreach materials to gather people from all walks of life and training on how to work with local partners, how to develop public relations strategies, and how to lead meaningful book discussions.

The NEA Big Read welcomes applications from a variety of eligible organizations, including first-time applicants; organizations serving communities of all sizes, including rural and urban areas; and organizations with small, medium, or large operating budgets.

Explore the NEA Big Read Library

Each of the 22 titles available this cycle explore our relationship with the physical environment.

Learn More

Get Ready to Apply

Learn more about the types of projects that the NEA Big Read supports and review our grant guidelines.

Learn More

Wichitalks Event

Wichita, KS

NEA Big Read

Photo Credit: Sean Jones

The post Now Accepting Applications: 2025-26 NEA Big Read appeared first on Arts Midwest.

During this no-cost online fellowship, selected fellows receive national network building in a cohort, strategic learning sessions, and access to specialists in the field. 

Upon completion of this program, participants transition to alumni status and have opportunities to collaborate with the USRAO in their region as advisors, funding panelists, and/or other professional capacities.

National Leaders of Color Fellowship Overview

• What is it? The National Leaders of Color Fellowship is an eight-month no-cost online leadership development that runs from late fall 2024 through early summer of 2025.
• Who can apply? Candidates who self-identify as Black, Indigenous and/or a person of color and self-identify as an early or mid-career leader in the field of arts and culture.
• Where: Individuals should be current resident of the United States (including U.S. Jurisdictions).
• When to apply? Applications are due Sunday, October 13, 2023 (11:59 p.m. MT)

We expect that fellows will spend approximately 10 hours a month on the program, including meeting dates listed on the fellowship website as well as ongoing opportunities to connect with your USRAO (Regional Arts Organization).

Join an Information Session

Join Creative West for an information session on September 26 at 5 p.m. MDT.

You’ll get an overview of the LoCF program, a walkthrough the application process and application system, and have a chance to ask questions.

Sign Up

Read the Application Guidelines

Learn more about the National Leaders of Color Fellowship, eligibility requirements, and how submit your application.

Learn More

Meet the 2023–24 Arts Midwest Fellows

Fifty-three fellows from communities across the U.S. were selected to participate in last year’s fellowship program. Meet our Midwestern Cohort.

Read More

The post Now Accepting Applications: 2024–25 National Leaders of Color Fellowship appeared first on Arts Midwest.

Our stories have covered how Ohio funk influenced music, why Columbus, Indiana, is an architectural mecca, and how the Lakota Song Repatriation Project is reclaiming Lakota culture.

We’re excited to bring more stories that show the vitality of Midwestern creativity in arts and culture through the ages. So, if you have a great story from your community, pitch it to us!

We’re focusing on stories from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and the Native Nations that share this geography. Pitches from outside of this region will not be considered.

Pitches are due September 30, 2024.

Selected pitches will be contracted for 500-word written articles to be published by Arts Midwest’s Creativity News Desk starting November 2024. The compensation of the 500-word story is $500; paid once all deliverables are finalized and ready for publishing.

Timeline

• September 17, 2024 – Call for Pitches opens
• September 30 – Call for Pitches closes
• Week of October 14 – Notifications to selected pitches
• November to March – Stories published

How to Pitch Us

The Call for Pitches will close on September 30, 2024. We’ll send notifications to selected pitches during the week of October 14. If we receive a high volume of pitches, we won’t be able to respond to everyone.

To pitch us, fill out our pitch submission form. You’ll be asked for the following information:

• What or whom does your story feature? (50 words)
  • Tell us about who you’d like to feature, and share what feels exciting and inspiring to you in their story.
• What is the story you’d like to share about Midwestern artistic or cultural history, in relation to your story subject? (100 words)
  • Tell us a little more about the specific angle you’d like to approach the story from. What aspects of the story/subject are you most interested in? What aspects of the story speak to the history of Midwestern creativity?
• What is your connection to the story/subject? (50 words)
  • Why this story or subject?
• Will you be the writer for the story idea you’re pitching?
  • Yes.
  • No, I’m just submitting the idea for Arts Midwest to assign to someone else.
• If you answered ‘Yes’ above, provide a short bio about you and your work. (100 words)
• Provide links to up to three work samples and/or a portfolio so we can get an idea of your range of work.
  • Work samples do not have to be published works, but should show your reporting, interviewing, and writing skills.

The post Call For Pitches: History of Midwestern Creativity in Arts and Culture appeared first on Arts Midwest.

• What is it? Cultural Sustainability: Equity-Based Operating Grants is a general operating grant pilot program that offers grants of up to $67,000.
• ​Who can apply? Arts and cultural organizations rooted in communities of color with annual operating expenses up to $500,000. Nonprofit organizations, fiscally sponsored organizations, and federally recognized tribes can all apply for this grant.
• ​Where? Your organization must be located and operate within Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, or the Native Nations that share this geography.*
• ​When to apply? Applications close at 11:59 pm CST on October 15, 2024. Grants will be made in January 2025.

* If your organization is located outside of Arts Midwest’s nine-state region, you still may qualify for a Cultural Sustainability grant through another US. Regional Arts Organization. Learn more here. 

About Cultural Sustainability: Equity-Based Operating Grants 

Cultural Sustainability: Equity-Based Operating Grants is a pilot program offered by the six U.S. Regional Arts Organizations (USRAOs) in partnership with The Wallace Foundation. It will give general operating support grants to arts and cultural organizations rooted in communities of color with annual operating expenses up to $500,000.

In total, Arts Midwest will be awarding 18 general operating grants across our nine-state region.

• 9 Organizations (one per state) with operating expenses between $0-$249,999 will receive a $55,000 general operating grant.
• 9 Organizations (one per state) with operating expenses between $250,000-$499,999 will receive a $67,000 general operating grant.

Over the 15-month pilot program, Arts Midwest will offer five virtual workshops on topics focusing on long-term visioning and sustainability planning. Grantees will also be invited to join virtual peer networking sessions and quarterly check-ins with Arts Midwest staff.

Arts Midwest believes that equity means ensuring that everyone has access to the resources and opportunities they need to thrive. Learn more about our commitment to equity by reading our Equity Action Plan.

Read the Application Guidelines

Learn more about Cultural Sustainability: Equity-Based Operating Grants, eligibility requirements, and how to upload and submit your application.

Learn More and Apply

Photo Credit: Alana Horton

The post Announcing Cultural Sustainability: Equity-Based Operating Grants appeared first on Arts Midwest.

The Peter Capell Award for Midwestern Creativity & Entrepreneurship award celebrates Midwesterners whose work demonstrates entrepreneurial thinking and business acumen in the creative sector.

If you’ve been working in Iowa’s creative or cultural field for at least 10 years, this award might be for you!

Overview

• What: A total of $5,000 in awarded funds, comprised of one unrestricted $2,500 award from Arts Midwest, accompanied by another $2,500 matching grant award from the Iowa Arts Council.
• Who: An Iowan who works in creative or cultural programming, demonstrates entrepreneurial thinking and business acumen in their role, and who has at least ten years of experience in the field.
• Where: You must live and/or work in Iowa or the Native Nations sharing this geography. Your primary impact should be within that geographic region. 
• When: Nominations are due by September 16, 2024, with an awardee being announced at the end of October.

Anyone may submit a nomination, and self-nominations are allowed. Nominations are due on September 16, 2024.

Nominations will be submitted via our grants portal, SmartSimple. First time users of SmartSimple will need to register in the category of Individuals. Refer to this video walkthrough for registration assistance.  

About the Peter Capell Award for Midwestern Creativity & Entrepreneurship

Peter Capell served on the Arts Midwest Board of Directors for 23 years and served as Board Chair from 2012 until 2021. During his time as Chair, he led Arts Midwest through the creation and launch of new national programs like Creating Connection; the development of Arts Midwest’s first major giving campaign; and a founder leadership transition. He is a passionate advocate for creativity and entrepreneurialism, a markedly generous philanthropist, and is deeply committed to strengthening and celebrating the Midwest creative sector.

In honor of Peter’s contributions to Arts Midwest and Midwestern creativity, the Peter Capell Award for Midwestern Creativity & Entrepreneurship was established as a time-limited award, running for nine years beginning in 2022. Tyrone Phillips, founding artistic director at Definition Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, was the winner of the inaugural award in 2022.

Read the Application Guidelines

Learn more about the Peter Capell Award for Midwestern Creativity & Entrepreneurship, eligibility requirements, and how to submit your application.

Learn More and Apply

Photo Credit: Art on the Prairie

The post Applications are now open for the 2024 Peter Capell Award for Midwestern Creativity & Entrepreneurship appeared first on Arts Midwest.

Culture bearers keep their cultural traditions alive through craft, storytelling, dance, performance, visual arts, foodways, language preservation, and more. They are folk and traditional artists, folk arts and culture practitioners, taproot artists, elder artists, and ancestral knowledge bearers. They are deeply connected to their communities and share their knowledge with new generations. 

• What is it? The Midwest Culture Bearers Award is a $5,000 award. It honors and amplifies the work of nine Midwestern culture bearers each year. 
• Who can apply? If you have been practicing arts and culture rooted in your heritage and ancestry for over 10 years and share your practice with your community, you can apply. 
• Where? You must live in the Arts Midwest region. This includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and the Native Nations that share this geography. 
• When to apply? Applications close at 11:59 pm CST on July 29, 2024. The first awards will be made in September 2024. 

You can get help from someone else to complete your application. Or, you can nominate someone with their permission. 

About the Midwest Culture Bearers Award 

The Midwest Culture Bearers Award honors and amplifies the work of nine Midwestern culture bearers each year. Each selected individual will receive a $5,000 unrestricted, non-matching award. Arts Midwest will create feature stories about each awardee and their work. Awardees can also join relationship-building activities, group conversations, and other opportunities for connection and discussion. 

This award is shaped by research and conversations with folk arts and culture practitioners and stakeholders that took place between 2021-2022. We acknowledge the incredible work of our State Arts Agencies, as well as First Peoples Fund, McKnight Culture Bearers Fellowship, and Tending to the Taproot. Their efforts have inspired this program and highlighted the need to support and honor culture bearers and practitioners. 

The Midwest Culture Bearers Award is supported by Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts for project management.

Read the Application Guidelines

Learn more about the Midwest Culture Bearers Award, eligibility requirements, and how to upload and submit your application.

Learn More and Apply

Rachel Von Stroup / Arts Midwest

The post Announcing the Midwest Culture Bearers Award  appeared first on Arts Midwest.