Dancer Fellow Sam Aros-Mitchell by Canaan Mattson

The McKnight Fellowships for Dancers annually award three fellowships of $25,000 each to Minnesota dancers. The awards are unrestricted and can help an artist set aside periods of time for study, reflection, experimentation, and exploration; take advantage of an opportunity, or work on a new project.

The intent of the McKnight Artist and Culture Bearers Fellowship is to recognize and support Minnesota artists and culture bearers who are beyond early practice, have sustained experience in their discipline, and demonstrate exceptional accomplishments. In addition to the cash award, fellows receive additional support for career development, are invited to attend a four-day retreat in rural Minnesota, and are eligible to have an original solo work commissioned for an evening titled SOLO.

Support for individual artists has been a focus of the McKnight Foundation's Arts and Culture program since its inception. The foundation recognizes that the arts cannot flourish or enhance community life without the ideas, energy, and drive of individual artists & culture bearers and that artists cannot make these contributions without unfettered creative time. Fellowship awards are made in 15 disciplines through 13 arts organizations and presenters.

APPLICATION DEADLINES:

The Intent to Apply is now open.
Deadline for this application is Wednesday Sept. 4th at 11:59pm CST

Submit the online Intent to Apply form and notify us of your upcoming performances using the Calendar form by September 4th, 2025, at 11:59 pm CST.

This step is not required for the final application in the spring, but is heavily encouraged. The form only takes 5 - 10 minutes to complete. Only artists who have completed the Intent to Apply can submit performances to the calendar and have Minnesota-based panelists attend in-person when possible.

Final Application: Wednesday, March 19th, 2025 at 3:00 pm CST

Our full application will open in early January.

The final deadline is firm, the application site will close down at exactly 3:00 pm CST on the deadline.

Applicants will be notified of the decisions in early June 2025.

Watch this video to hear an overview of the program. Closed captioning available.