The Knight Foundation’s Cultural Opportunity Fund allows Minnesota artists to produce an event at Saint Paul’s cherished venue
Saint Paul, Minnesota (November 21, 2023) — The Arts Partnership, a nonprofit collaboration between the Minnesota Opera, the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Schubert Club, is now accepting proposals for its Knight Foundation Cultural Opportunity Fund. Founded in 2015, the fund provides both full and partial grants that allow Minnesota performing artists and ensembles to rent the Ordway Concert Hall for an event or performance of their choosing.
“Minnesota is home to a vibrant community of amazing artists and artistic organizations of all sizes. We are so grateful to the Knight Foundation for their vision in establishing this fund which helps offset the cost of producing events in our amazing concert hall. The Arts Partnership is deeply committed to accessibility for all audiences and artists in the Twin Cities,” said Jon Limbacher, President of The Arts Partnership and Managing Director and President of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.
In 2014, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation endowed $1 million to create the Knight Foundation Cultural Opportunity Fund—intended for those who could not otherwise afford to rent the Concert Hall to produce a performance or event in the hall. Since then, 63 artists have received more than $240,000 in support to host concerts, film screenings, stage productions and author readings in the Concert Hall.
Submissions will be evaluated by a panel who review applications for clearly articulated outreach strategies, organizational capacity to execute a successful event, and productions that help fulfill that organization’s mission or advance the artist’s career. Learn more about the fund and eligibility here. The online application portal will close February 1, 2024, and award recipients will be notified in mid-March.