State of the Minnesota Regional Arts Councils
McKnight Foundation
The McKnight Foundation is a family foundation based in Minnesota and a longstanding supporter of the arts in Minnesota. It's committed to advancing a more just, creative, and abundant future where people and planet thrive.
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The McKnight Foundation undertook a comprehensive evaluation of its arts program, specifically focusing on the re-granting strategy to arts organizations. Over a two-and-a-half-year period, we helped develop foundational documents outlining artist support structures, a logic model, and an arts program theory of change. The evaluation, guided by weighted criteria such as ensuring Greater Minnesota opportunities, racial equity, and innovation, delved into the impact of the foundation’s funding on the 11 Regional Arts Councils (RACs) in Minnesota.
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Determine if outside arts organizations can support McKnight in identifying and funding regional artists.
Acquire a broader and more holistic understanding of opportunities for strengthening the ecosystem and reaching a more diverse range of artists.
Answer if investing in regional arts leaders can drive broader development of Greater Minnesota arts communities.
Provide recommendations for supporting the Regional Arts Councils.
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The research identified four key areas of focus to benefit Greater Minnesota, with special attention given to racial equity and innovation. Through document analysis, phone interviews, and secondary data analysis, the report provided insights into the unique approaches of each RAC and presented a summary of overall findings and recommendations for the future.
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Jan 2017–Dec 2019
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Alyssa Camp — Client communication, interviews, tool design, data collection and analysis, theory of change and logic model, report writing, and presentation
Andrea Mader — Data collection and analysis
