MARSHALL — A total of 23 community and arts groups from around southwest Minnesota were chosen to receive grants from the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council this spring.

Last week, SMAC announced it would be awarding a total of $114,065 in funds to area organizations and one student artist.

The list included recipients of SMAC Art Project grants of up to $7,000 each, Quick Support for Organizations grants of up to $2,500, and a SMAC Art Study Opportunity for Youth grant. Sophia Budd, of Benson, was awarded $500 to attend International Music Camp at the International Peace Gardens in North Dakota this summer.

Local organizations said SMAC grants help make it possible to hold a wide variety of arts and art education events for the public. That was the case for the Southwest West Central Foundation for Innovation in Education, which was awarded $7,000 for its 2025 Young Artists Conference.

“The grant received by the SWWC Foundation to support the SWWC Conference for Young Artists makes a huge impact on students across the region,” said Foundation Executive Director Shelly Maes. Last fall, more than 690 students in kindergarten through eighth grade, teachers and parents attended the conference. The event gives students a chance to hear guest speakers, and take part in hands-on breakout sessions with artists.

“We use grant funds to help cover costs for the keynote speaker and presenters so we can keep registration fees low for schools and families,” Maes said. “Without the grant, fees would likely increase and make it difficult for many to attend. And we want all kids to have this experience, no matter how much money they have or where they live.”

SMAC grant funding had an important impact for the Marshall Area Fine Arts Council’s 2025-26 concert series, said MAFAC President Charlotte Wendel. MAFAC was awarded a $3,865 grant.

“We couldn’t do it without them,” Wendel said. “We’re very grateful for SMAC.”

MAFAC’s concert series brings in a variety of musicians and performers to the community, she said.

“We think that’s an important thing, to bring the arts in,” Wendel said. “We try to pick concernts that will appeal to everyone.” The 2025-26 concert series includes performances by Young Originals, and The Suits, SMAC said.

Grant funding helps with the cost of performance venues and performers, Wendel said.

Some of the 17 Art Project grant recipients also included Dakota Wicohan in Morton, the Dawson-Boyd Arts Association, Dawson-Boyd School District, Marshall Pride, Montevideo Community Education, and the Murray County Historical Society.

SMAC said a total of seven area organizations were also awarded Quick Support for Organizations grants. The grants help organizations with activities like planning or training, small equipment purchases, or small arts projects.

Valerie Quist, director of the Tracy Public Library, said a $2,500 Quick Support grant from SMAC will go toward a summer art camp program.

“We work with a local artist,” and hold classes for kids in two different age groups, Quist said. The grant funds allow the library to offer the art camp to families at a lower cost.

“It opens it up, so that people of any income level can participate,” she said. It was also good to be able to have a bigger variety of summer activities available for kids in the Tracy area, she said.

The Quick Support Grant might not seem like a big dollar amount, Quist said, “But for small organizations, we can do a lot with it.”

Some of the Quick Support grant recipients included the city of Marshall, for an art project during Marshall’s Juneteenth celebration; Dakota Wicohan in Morton; and the Tyler Area Arts Council, for a musical review performed for audiences including senior citizen groups.

All SMAC grants are reviewed by SMAC grant panelists, and must then be approved by the SMAC board. More information on grant programs is available online at www.swmnarts.org.