NORTH DAKOTA COUNCIL ON THE ARTS

What NORTH DAKOTA COUNCIL ON THE ARTS does

North Dakota Council on the Arts (NDCA) is a state government service and program agency established by the North Dakota State Legislature in 1967, headquartered in Bismarck with a statewide mandate to strengthen arts and cultural participation across the state's eight regions. The agency operates with an annual budget of just over $2 million, sourced from a direct state legislative appropriation plus pass-through funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, and is governed by a nine-member board appointed by the governor.

NDCA's core offering is a portfolio of roughly nine recurring grant programs (Accessibility Grant, Artist Growth and Development, Arts in Education Collaboration, Artist in Residence, Community Arts Access, Institutional Support, Professional Development, Special Projects, and the Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship) plus a slate of signature programs such as Art for Life, Arts Across the Prairie, the Governor's Awards for the Arts, Poetry Out Loud, the Poet Laureate/Troubadour positions, the Heritage Center exhibits, and the Statewide Arts Convening. In FY26 it awarded nearly 200 grants totaling $1,051,570 to eligible artists, schools, and organizations. The agency maintains no proprietary technology products; its operational infrastructure consists of a website, a third-party online grant portal, an email newsletter, and social media channels.

Its customer base is structurally the population it serves rather than commercial buyers: 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organizations, K-12 schools, individual artists, and North Dakota communities including tribal and emerging cultural groups. NDCA supplements its core funding with grants from foundations such as the Bush Foundation and the American Scandinavian Foundation, and executes strategic partnerships with the State Historical Society of North Dakota, ND Parks and Recreation, Prairie Public Broadcasting, Americans for the Arts, and Carnegie Hall (via Minot Symphony Orchestra). The nonprofit arts sector NDCA supports generated $151.8 million in economic activity and 3,335 jobs in 2022.

Name

NORTH DAKOTA COUNCIL ON THE ARTS

Legal name

North Dakota Council on the Arts

Website

https://arts.nd.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

North Dakota Council on the Arts is a state government arts agency established in 1967 that distributes grants, programs, and partnerships to artists, schools, nonprofits, and communities across North Dakota through a $2 million-plus annual budget.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Arts Agency Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ), Intergovernmental Affairs & Federal Grants Administration (BPAIAAAC)

Keywords

• State arts agency
• Arts grant programs
• Arts education funding
• Folk arts preservation
• Cultural heritage programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Bismarck

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. State Appropriation: Annual budget of over $2 million through appropriation from the North Dakota State Legislature
2. National Endowment for the Arts: Federal funding support from NEA passed through to grant programs
3. Grants Distribution: Majority of NDCA budget awarded to organizations and individuals through various grant programs including Accessibility Grant, Arts in Education, Community Arts Access, Institutional Support, and Individual Artist grants

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

North Dakota Council on the Arts (NDCA) is a state government service and program agency that distributes arts funding through multiple grant programs to nonprofit arts organizations, K-12 schools, and individual artists. It administers arts education initiatives, folk and traditional arts programs, public art projects, publications, and statewide convenings. The agency operates with an annual budget of over $2 million sourced from state legislative appropriations and National Endowment for the Arts pass-through funding.

Product overview

North Dakota Council on the Arts (NDCA) is a state service and program agency that operates as a unified portfolio of grant programs and arts initiatives. The organization offers multiple grant programs (Accessibility Grant, Artist Growth and Development, Arts in Education Collaboration, Artist in Residence, Community Arts Access, Institutional Support, Professional Development, Special Projects, and Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship), alongside signature programs including Art for Life Program, Arts Across the Prairie, Featured Artists at the Capitol, Governor's Awards for the Arts, Murals Across North Dakota, NDCA at Heritage Center, Poet Laureate, Poetry Out Loud, Statewide Arts Convening, and Troubadour. NDCA also publishes folk arts publications and maintains a Rostered Artists directory. The majority of NDCA's budget supports these grant programs, with additional emphasis on education, convening, and partnerships to strengthen the creative capacity of North Dakota.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Arts Across the Prairie: A first-of-its-kind statewide public art program for placemaking in rural North Dakota
• Art for Life Program
• Murals Across North Dakota

Products and services

• Accessibility Grant Grant program awarding up to $2,000 to arts and non-arts organizations to make arts programs and facilities more accessible.
• Artist Growth and Development Grant of $5,000 to individual artists for the creation of new artwork in rotating disciplines every 3 years.
• Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program Grant of up to $4,500 for master traditional artists to pass on skills and knowledge to apprentices over an extended period.
• Arts in Education Collaboration Grant of up to $6,000 for K-12 collaborative arts programming during or after school, including summer programs.
• Artist in Residence Grant of up to $3,000 to bring professional artists into pre K-12 classrooms during or after school, including summer programs.
• Community Arts Access Grant of up to $4,000 for arts programming or activities in North Dakota communities.
• Institutional Support Grant of $4,000 to $11,000 providing 3 years of operating support to arts organizations that are 501(c)(3) nonprofits with minimum part-time staff.
• Professional Development Grant of up to $1,000 for arts-related learning activities, including organizational development.
• Special Projects Grant of up to $1,500 for new community events of all disciplines that include the arts.
• Art for Life Program Program that improves emotional and physical health and wellness of elders in care facilities through intensive art and artist interaction, including sub-programs Sundogs Toolkit, TellTale Stories, and Tiny Print Press.
• Arts Across the Prairie First-of-its-kind statewide public art program for placemaking in rural North Dakota.
• Folk and Traditional Arts Program that highlights and supports traditional culture and folk art throughout North Dakota through fieldwork, apprenticeship grants, and documentation.
• Governor's Awards for the Arts Biennial awards program presented with the Governor's Office to recognize organizations and individuals for outstanding contributions to the arts.
• Murals Across North Dakota Statewide initiative to document, promote, and celebrate murals across North Dakota, part of NDCA's 60th anniversary celebration.
• NDCA at Heritage Center Exhibits at the State Historical Society's Heritage Center and State Museum in Bismarck, featuring North Dakota artists and cultures.
• Poet Laureate Honorary position promoting reading, writing, and appreciation of poetry through public appearances and teaching opportunities across the state, now administered by NDCA.
• Poetry Out Loud National recitation contest partnered with NEA, engaging high school students in poetry memorization and performance.
• Statewide Arts Convening Biennial gathering bringing together artists, arts organizations, cultural workers, and heritage advocates from across North Dakota.
• Troubadour State Troubadour position established by the 69th Legislative Assembly with a five-year term, administered by NDCA.
• ND Artist Training Cohort Training program providing online and on-site training for up to 80 ND artists with a $1,500 stipend, travel, lodging, and per diem to increase skill levels for public art production.

Quantifiable outcome

• $151.8 million in annual economic activity generated by nonprofit arts and culture sector in 2022
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• North Dakota Parks and Recreation DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partnership for Artist in Residence program placing professional artists in North Dakota state parks. 2026 Parks Artists in Residence announced.
• Various State Agencies and Nonprofit OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026NDCA partners with various state agencies and nonprofit organizations throughout the state in the presentation and support of arts-related programs, including accessibility initiatives, elder care facilities, and community arts organizations.
• Bush FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Foundation support for folk arts programming and documentation projects. Previously funded folk art documentaries.
• Carnegie HallminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Minot Symphony Orchestra partnership to bring Carnegie Hall's Link Up educational program to North Dakota schools for the first time.
• Arts MidwestminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partnership for Return on Investment (ROI) reports in North Dakota. Produced 2020 and 2022 ND ROI Reports.
• Prairie Public BroadcastingminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partnership to produce documentaries featuring traditional artists and folk arts, including 'A Lyrical Life: The Struggle and Hope of South Sudan' and other folk art documentaries.
• Americans for the ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Partnership for conducting Arts & Economic Prosperity studies measuring economic impact of nonprofit arts and culture sector. Studies show $151.8M impact in 2022 and $109.2M in 2017.
• State Historical Society of North DakotacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Partnership to showcase North Dakota artists and cultures through exhibits at the Heritage Center and State Museum in Bismarck. Joint exhibits include 'On the Edge of the Wind', 'Sundogs and Sunflowers', and other cultural exhibitions.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Minnesota State Arts Board: Minnesota's state arts agency, a direct peer in function and mission — distributes state legislative appropriations and NEA pass-through funds through competitive grants to individual artists, organizations, and schools. Provides the closest comparative reference point for NDCA's per-capita funding scale and program portfolio.
• South Dakota Arts Council: South Dakota's official state arts agency, structurally and functionally analogous to NDCA — distributes state and NEA-funded grants to artists, organizations, schools, and communities across a similarly rural and sparsely populated state. Operates the same grant-program-plus-services model with a comparable statewide mandate.
• Montana Arts Council: Montana's state arts agency, directly comparable to NDCA in serving a rural Western state with significant Indigenous cultural heritage programming. Operates grant programs, folk arts initiatives, and arts-in-education services using the same state appropriation + NEA funding model.
• Wyoming Arts Council: Wyoming's official state arts agency — a direct peer that administers state and NEA-funded grants to artists, organizations, and communities across Wyoming's similarly low-density geography. Operates with a comparable small-staff model and program portfolio (arts in education, community arts, folk arts).

Others

• Americans for the Arts: National nonprofit that partners with NDCA on the biennial Arts & Economic Prosperity studies ($151.8M economic impact finding) and provides advocacy, research, and capacity-building services to the state arts agency network. Not a direct competitor but a critical peer ecosystem organization.
• Arts Midwest: One of six non-profit regional arts organizations funded by the NEA, serving North Dakota and other Midwestern states. Partners with NDCA on the biennial ROI reports and operates complementary grant programs that interact with NDCA's portfolio.
• National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA): The membership organization of the U.S. state and jurisdictional arts agencies — of which NDCA is a member. Comparable as an ecosystem peer that convenes, advocates for, and provides professional development to the network of state arts agencies NDCA belongs to.

Broad incumbents

• National Endowment for the Arts: The federal-level arts funder that supplies pass-through grants to NDCA and every U.S. state arts agency. Comparable as a peer in mission (public-sector arts grantmaking) but operates at national scale and is the upstream funding source for NDCA rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NDCouncilArts
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@NDCouncilArts
• Facebookfacebook.com/NDCouncilontheArts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/artsnd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 NORTH DAKOTA COUNCIL ON THE ARTS