Below are the FY 2015-2016 grant application deadlines. All applications must be submitted using MRAC's online Grant Interface. Unless otherwise noted, all applications must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. on the deadline date. "Submitted" means that the application has been received and time-stamped by the MRAC Grant Interface server.  

7/13/2015         ArtsActivities Support, Round 1

8/31/2015         Capital

8/31/2015         Organizational Development

10/5/2015         Community Arts, Round 1

11/9/2015         Arts Learning, Round 1

1/11/2016         Community Arts, Round 2

3/7/2016           Arts Learning, Round 2

4/11/2016         Arts Activities Support, Round 2

4/11/2016         Arts Achievement Award

Weekly           Management Training Fund

Weekly           Emergency Accessibility

Monthly         Management Consulting Fund 

Back to top 

Creating a Volunteer Social Media Team 

Social media management can be a full-time job, but rarely can small arts groups afford that kind of staff time to really use the tools to engage donors, recruit program volunteers, or advertise a performance in channels where people spend their time. Creating a social media team which mixes staff, board and other volunteers can really extend a nonprofit's reach. The challenge then becomes managing all that effort in real time for measurable goals (often referred to as conversions in measurement tools like Google Analytics).

This session will dive deep into Hootsuite as one tool to manage scheduled posts, author roles, and monitoring channels for engagement. Ensuring consistent voice across authors and scheduling some posts for review will be discussed, as well as a brief overview of other platforms such as Tweetdeck and Buffer.  

Steve Boland is a nonprofit leader with expertise in building strong communities, creating effective financial and evaluation strategies, and using technology to further nonprofit fundraising and operational goals. Steve has over 20 years of nonprofit and public sector experience, including executive director positions at Saint Paul Neighborhood Network, Summit-University Planning Council, and Greater Frogtown Community Development Corporation. He holds a Master of Nonprofit Management from Hamline University and serves on the Board of Directors for Outfront Minnesota. You can often find his leading-edge industry opinions in publications of Nonprofit Quarterly, Community Tech Knowledge, and the Minnesota Council on Foundations.

Wednesday June 3rd, 2015 10:00 am to 12:00 pm 

Presented by Bethany Gladhill and Shannon Forney 

Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, 2324 University Avenue W, St Paul, MN 55114 

Does your arts organization have a management need for creating a fundraising plan, conducting an audience study, or restructuring account codes for more accurate reporting? Did you know that Management Consulting Fund projects can be effective pre-planning grants for a larger organizational development project? Did you know that groups located in the greater metro are eligible for two Management Consulting Fund grants in a year?

This session will walk through how to articulate a bite-size management project that is relevant and competitive for the Management Consulting Fund grant program. Hear from veteran arts consultant Bethany Gladhill about best practices and pitfalls in working with a consultant. You will learn why it is so critical to articulate and agree on project goals and expectations and get the inside scoop on this small but mighty grant program.

Bethany Gladhill is an experienced consultant in nonprofit and arts management in the areas of strategic planning, evaluation, operational management, marketing, and fundraising. Following positions as Director of Operations at Theatre de la Jeune Lune, Finance Director at the Jungle Theater, and Managing Director of Nautilus Music-Theater, she began working exclusively as a consultant in 2010. Bethany holds a BA from Tufts University and a Masters of Historic Preservation from Goucher College, Baltimore.

Shannon Forney is the MRAC Program Director for the Management Consulting Fund, Management Training Fund, Organizational Development, Capital and Emergency Accessibility grant programs. She holds a Masters of Administration in Nonprofit Management from Hamline University's School of Business in St. Paul, Minnesota and a BA in Theater from Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio.