Workshops
Expand your skills and knowledge with SEMAC’s workshop offerings designed for southeastern Minnesota’s creative community. Our Grants & Funding Workshops provide step-by-step guidance through SEMAC’s funding opportunities, while our Artist Business Skills Workshop Series—offered through our exciting new partnership with Springboard for the Arts—covers essential topics like career planning, time management, and portfolio development. Additionally, our Organization Skills Workshop Series offers capacity-building resources specifically designed for arts organizations and nonprofits.
SEMAC Grant Writing Workshops
SEMAC Grant Workshop for Programming and Project Support for Organizations
Wednesday, August 27 | 6-8:30p via Zoom
Join SEMAC for a free virtual workshop via Zoom to learn about SEMAC’s Programming and Project Support for Organizations grants supporting arts creation, performance, publication, and exhibition in southeastern Minnesota.
SEMAC Executive Director Anastasia Shartin will guide participants through these $5,000 presenter/production assistance grants. The workshop will cover eligibility requirements, application best practices, and offer a step-by-step walkthrough of the application process.
Programming Grants fund activities directly involved in bringing arts experiences to southeastern Minnesota communities. Recipients may reapply annually once previous grant activities are complete. The next Programming and Project Support grant application opens September 1, 2025 with a submission deadline of September 30, 2025.
Registration required. Contact sharon@semac.org or (507) 281-4848, 711 TTY with questions or accessibility needs.
SEMAC Grant Workshop for Artists & Culture Bearers in the Schools
Wednesday, September 10 | 6-8:30p via Zoom
SEMAC Executive Director Anastasia Shartin and Outreach & Accessibility Manager Sharon Mansur will guide participants through this $2,000 to $4,000 grant opportunity to provide students with opportunities to work directly with artists and culture bearers during the school day. The workshop will cover program guidelines, application strategies, and provide a step-by-step walkthrough of the application process.
The lead applicant for this grant can either be an individual artist or culture bearer living in the SEMAC region or the school in which the residency will take place. Grant activities must supplement the school’s arts curriculum and not be a substitute for these basic requirements.
Applications for the 2025-26 will be awarded until available funds run out. Applicants who submit by August 1 will be notified in early September. Applicants who submit by October 1 will be notified in mid-November. And applicants who submit by December 1 will be notified in mid-January.
Registration required. Contact sharon@semac.org or (507) 281-4848, 711 TTY with questions or accessibility needs.
Artist & Culture Bearer Business Skills Workshop Series in Partnership with Springboard for the Arts
SEMAC is excited to partner with Springboard for the Arts to offer their Work of Art: Business Skills for Artists workshop series virtually for individual artists and culture bearers living in SEMAC’s region.
Springboard’s Work of Art: Business Skills for Artists is a professional development curriculum designed to teach business skills to artists and culture bearers in all disciplines – visual, performing and literary arts. It starts with career planning and moves through topics like pricing, marketing, funding, and business plans. Work of Art can be helpful if you are just starting your creative career, or if you need a refresher as you advance your work.
These fall workshops are all FREE to attend, and you can sign up for one, two, or all three. Please note that these sessions will not be recorded. Automated Zoom captions will be available.
Contact sharon@semac.org, (507) 281-4848, 711 TTY with questions or accessibility needs.
Career Planning
Wednesday, September 3, 2025 | 6p-9p via Zoom
Where do you want to be both artistically and professionally? Learn how to define your values, identify key choices and develop a plan to achieve your career goals.
Time Management
Wednesday, October 1, 2025 | 6p-9p via Zoom
Discover analytical and tool-based approaches to manage your time. These tools will help you tackle hurdles related to efficiency, flexibility, and structure to help you reach your artistic goals.
Portfolio Kit
Wednesday, November 5, 2025 | 6p-9p via Zoom
Your portfolio is the core of your promotional material and professional calling card. Focus on the essential elements: sharpening your artist statement, tailoring your artistic resume, and curating and formatting your work samples.
Springboard’s Work of Art: Business Skills for Artists curriculum is available as a free workbook (in English and Spanish) and downloadable from the Springboard for the Arts website as a helpful reference during or after the workshops.
For more about Springboard’s Work of Art program: springboardforthearts.org/professional-growth/work-of-art-program/
Organization Skills Workshop Series
SEMAC is excited to partner with Propel Nonprofits and the Minnesota Alliance for Volunteer Advancement (MAVA) to offer a series of online workshops that will provide organizations with the help they need to succeed. The workshops are free and open to staff, board, and volunteers with arts organizations in SEMAC’s 11-county region. Sign up for one, two, three, or all four!
Registration for each Propel workshop is limited to 45 participants. Organizations should identify one or two representatives who can attend and bring back information to share with their group. Please note: workshops will not be recorded.
Fundamentals of Nonprofit Board Governance
Thursday, October 23, 2025 | 1p-4p via Zoom
After attending this workshop, board members will be empowered to participate in board meetings and other engagements with more confidence and knowledge about their role. They will learn typical board responsibilities and explore the nuances of board authority and relationships. Participants will receive Propel’s Fundamentals of Nonprofit Board Governance workbook, which includes the Fiduciary Duties of Directors of Charitable Organizations.
Fundamentals of Nonprofit Finance
Thursday, December 4, 2025 | 1p-4p via Zoom
This workshop is ideal for anyone new to the nonprofit sector, nonprofit finance, or to their position as staff or board member or those looking for a refresher. Designed to make you more comfortable with nonprofit finance, the workshop will walk through nonprofit finance terminology, financial statements, and staff and board roles and responsibilities.
Mastering Volunteer Recruitment and Retention Across Generation and Diverse Populations with MAVA
Thursday, February 19, 2026 | 1p-3p via Zoom
This workshop will focus on strategies to prioritize people-centered practices for recruitment and retention of prospective volunteers. We will unlock the potential of your recruitment and retention efforts by centering your strategies in inclusive practices and approaches. This interactive workshop focuses on effective strategies to support creating a robust recruitment plan and understanding volunteer motivations linked to retention and overall satisfaction. Registration for this workshop is unlimited.
Strategy, Planning, Outcomes: Bridging Your Strategy Work with Ground Level Impacts with Propel
Thursday, April 23, 2026 | 1p-3p via Zoom
Are you looking to understand how strategy, planning, and outcomes show up in your work in the nonprofit sector? Join us to explore the connections between organizational strategy and service impacts. You will walk away from this training with an understanding of the nine gears of effective nonprofits, strategy planning frameworks, and the practical application of outcomes development.
Propel Nonprofits’ mission is to fuel the impact and effectiveness of nonprofits with guidance, expertise, and capital. This mission is in service to a vision of a diverse network of mission- driven nonprofits building a healthy, vibrant, and more just community. To learn more about Propel, visit Propel Nonprofits.
The Minnesota Alliance for Volunteer Advancement (MAVA) advances the power of volunteerism to deepen community impact through uplifting community voices, building connections, providing education, and promoting advocacy. MAVA’s vision is a world in which everyone has an equitable opportunity to positively impact their community through volunteerism. Learn more about MAVA here.