Arrowhead Regional Arts Council

What Arrowhead Regional Arts Council does

Arrowhead Regional Arts Council (ARAC) is a nonprofit regional arts council headquartered in Duluth, Minnesota, and one of 11 statutory regional arts councils in Minnesota. It was founded to administer state arts funding across seven counties (Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, St. Louis) and five tribal nations (Fond du Lac, Grand Portage, Bois Forte, Leech Lake, and one additional) in northeastern Minnesota. Its primary capital source is appropriations from the Minnesota State Legislature via the State general fund and the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund (created by the Legacy Amendment), supplemented by grants from the McKnight Foundation, donations processed through Qgiv, and participation in the Artist Emergency Relief Fund Network stewarded by Springboard for the Arts.

ARAC's core "products" are grant programs rather than commercial offerings: Operating Support Grants (up to $15,000 plus an optional $2,000 Accessible Arts overlay) for nonprofit arts organizations; Art Project Grants for organizations (up to $5,000) and individuals (up to $4,000); the Artist Equity Grant (up to $4,000) restricted to BIPOC, LGBTQIA2+, disabled, veteran, and senior (65+) artists; and the Emergency Relief Fund ($500 or $1,000) for artists in critical healthcare, housing, equipment, or legal emergencies, awarded by random drawing. Applications are processed through Foundant's Grant Interface platform; intake also includes Google Forms for project change and advisement requests, with computer access support routed through the Arrowhead Library System. The organization runs with an 11-person staff led by Executive Director Rebecca Graves (appointed June 2022) and Director of Grants Emma Deaner (appointed November 2024); the council transitioned to a remote operating model in May 2025.

Recent disbursement evidence indicates active grantmaking: $447,650 in June 2025 (102 recipients), $260,700 in Fall 2025 (69 recipients), and $353,376 in Spring 2026 (106 recipients), plus over $90,000 cumulatively through the Emergency Relief Fund. ARAC is governed by a Board of Directors and is operating under its DBA "ARAC," with no parent company or subsidiaries. Marketing and applicant acquisition run through the council's website, email newsletter, Instagram (@aracouncil), Facebook, and event submissions, complemented by advocacy work via Minnesota Citizens for the Arts.

Name

Arrowhead Regional Arts Council

Legal name

Arrowhead Regional Arts Council

Website

https://aracouncil.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Arrowhead Regional Arts Council (ARAC) is a nonprofit regional arts council in Duluth, Minnesota, one of 11 statutorily designated regional arts councils in Minnesota. ARAC distributes state and private foundation grants to individual artists and nonprofit arts organizations across seven counties and five tribal nations in northeastern Minnesota.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts Grant Funding

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ), Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC), Indigenous, Ethnic & Folk Arts/Heritage Organizations (BPAGAHAI)

Keywords

• Regional arts council
• Arts grant funding
• Nonprofit arts grants
• Artist funding programs
• Cultural arts support

Headquarters

HQ city

Duluth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. State Legislative Appropriations: Primary funding is derived from appropriations from the Minnesota State Legislature, including the State's general fund and the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund (Legacy Amendment), as approved by Minnesota voters.
2. Private Foundation Grants: ARAC receives generous grants from the McKnight Foundation and participates in the Artist Emergency Relief Fund Network, which is supported by F.R. Bigelow Foundation, Jerome Foundation, Knight Foundation, and Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation.
3. Donations: ARAC accepts donations to support its programs, including the Emergency Relief Fund. Donations are collected through a third-party platform (Qgiv).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Arrowhead Regional Arts Council is a nonprofit regional arts council that distributes grant funding to individual artists and arts organizations across seven counties and four tribal nations in northeastern Minnesota. It administers five core grant programs (Operating Support, Art Project for Organizations, Art Project for Individuals, Artist Equity, and Emergency Relief Fund), funded primarily by Minnesota State Legislature appropriations, the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund (Legacy Amendment), and the McKnight Foundation. Applications are processed through the Foundant Grant Interface platform, and grants are awarded at no cost to recipients.

Product overview

Arrowhead Regional Arts Council (ARAC) is a regional arts council providing grant programs to support individual artists and arts organizations in northeastern Minnesota. The organization offers a portfolio of grant programs including: Operating Support Grants (up to $15,000) for organizational operations, Art Project Grants for both organizations ($5,000 max) and individuals ($4,000 max), the Emergency Relief Fund ($500-$1,000) for artists in crisis, and the Artist Equity Grant ($4,000) for underrepresented artists. These programs are funded through Minnesota State Legislature appropriations, the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, and the McKnight Foundation. ARAC uses the Foundant Grant Interface platform for application processing and the Qgiv platform for donations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Operating Support Grant Provides up to $15,000 of unrestricted funding to arts organizations in the Arrowhead Region of northeastern Minnesota for core programming and general operations. Includes an optional Accessible Arts opportunity providing up to $2,000 in additional funding for disability-related access improvements, bringing the combined total to up to $17,000 per organization. Intended for nonprofit arts organizations, arts-producing and presenting organizations, community arts schools, conservatories, and artist service organizations.
• Art Project Grant for Organizations Provides up to $5,000 in funding to nonprofit organizations in the Arrowhead Region to support relevant, meaningful arts activities with community impact. Eligible projects include general art projects and arts education projects such as creation, performance, exhibition, publishing, workshops, festivals, and professional development.
• Art Project Grant for Individuals Provides up to $4,000 in funding to individual artists in the Arrowhead Region to support relevant, meaningful arts activities that have value to the artist and community. Eligible activities include creation, performance, exhibition, publishing, workshops, festivals, arts education, and professional development.
• Emergency Relief Fund Provides $500 or $1,000 awards to individual artists in the Arrowhead Region who have experienced a critical need relating to personal healthcare, housing, equipment, or legal emergencies. The program is non-competitive, with awards determined by random numerical drawing rather than panel review, reducing friction for artists in crisis. Total cumulative funding channeled to this program exceeded $90,000.
• Artist Equity Grant Provides up to $4,000 to individual artists in the Arrowhead Region who are Black, Indigenous, People of Color, people with disabilities, people age 65+, military veterans, and/or individuals who identify as LGBTQIA2+. Supports projects that foster artistic growth and professional development. Funded with support from the McKnight Foundation.

Quantifiable outcome

• On November 19, 2025, $260,700 awarded to 69 recipients (58 individual artists and 11 organizations)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Springboard for the ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Springboard for the Arts stewards the Artist Emergency Relief Fund Network, a statewide direct emergency relief program for artists across Minnesota. ARAC participates in this network as one of five Regional Arts Councils, with the Emergency Relief Fund providing $500 or $1,000 to individual artists in critical need.
• Arrowhead Library SystemminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerARAC partners with the Arrowhead Library System to provide computer access for applicants who do not have access to a computer for the online grant application process.
• Minnesota Citizens for the ArtsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerARAC encourages community members to join as members of Minnesota Citizens for the Arts and participate annually at Arts Advocacy Day in St. Paul, supporting statewide arts funding advocacy.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Mid-America Arts Alliance: A regional arts organization serving multiple states in the central U.S. with grantmaking and artist services; comparable in mission and arts-funding focus but operates across a larger multi-state footprint rather than a single region.

Broad incumbents

• National Endowment for the Arts: The federal-level arts funding agency that supports state and regional arts infrastructure including through partnerships with state arts agencies; operates at much broader national scale but shares the grantmaking and arts ecosystem-building mission.
• Minnesota State Arts Board: The state-level arts agency that channels Legacy Amendment and state appropriations to the regional arts council system, including ARAC; broader in scope (statewide) and operates as the umbrella funding and policy body for the regional council network.

Direct peers

• Springboard for the Arts: Minnesota-based artist services organization that stewards the Artist Emergency Relief Fund Network in which ARAC participates; it provides direct resources and programs to individual artists statewide and is a co-grantmaking partner on Emergency Relief Fund rounds.
• Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council: A Minnesota regional arts council peer funded through the same Legacy Amendment and state appropriations, serving individual artists and nonprofit arts organizations in its region with a comparable grant tier portfolio.
• Region 2 Arts Council: One of the 11 Minnesota regional arts councils, administering grants to artists and arts organizations in its region under the same state funding architecture as ARAC, making it directly comparable in scale and program mix.
• Metropolitan Regional Arts Council: One of the other 11 regional arts councils in Minnesota, serving the Twin Cities metro area with a comparable grantmaking portfolio for individual artists and arts organizations funded by the same Legacy Amendment and state appropriations.
• Five Wings Arts Council: A Minnesota regional arts council funded via the same state appropriations model, providing individual artist and organizational grants in its multi-county service area — directly parallel to ARAC's mandate.
• Central Minnesota Arts Board: A sister Minnesota regional arts council with a parallel mandate to fund artists and arts organizations in central Minnesota using the same state appropriations framework, directly comparable in structure, programs, and funding model.
• Southwest Minnesota Arts Council: Another of the 11 Minnesota regional arts councils, providing grants to artists and arts organizations in the southwestern region through identical state funding mechanisms — making it directly comparable in mission, scale, and program structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/aracouncil
• Facebookfacebook.com/aracouncil
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arrowhead-regional-arts-council

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Arrowhead Regional Arts Council