2026 midwest culture bearers award

The Midwest Culture Bearers Award honors and amplifies the work of 18 mid-career and established Midwestern cultural practitioners each year. This award financially supports cultural practitioners, as well as create opportunities for further recognition and relationship-building across the region.

Selected individuals will each receive a $5,000 unrestricted award. No cost share or match is required to receive these funds. Additionally, we offer awardees virtual professional development and networking opportunities, and the opportunity to have a story written about their work.

More About the Award

Generously supported by Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, the Midwest Culture Bearers Award honors, amplifies, and financially supports cultural practitioners, and creates opportunities for recognition and relationship-building across the Midwest.

Arts Midwest uses the term “Culture Bearers” to honor individuals who carry and sustain living cultural traditions instead of “Folk & Traditional Arts,” because it can unintentionally limit recognition of practices that extend far beyond just “art.”

Many communities carry culture that is intertwined with daily life, ceremony, language, foodways, and generational knowledge. We strive to use community-centered language to describe how cultural knowledge is held and passed on, recognizing the full spectrum of cultural expression.