Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund
In 2008, Minnesota’s voters passed the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment (Legacy Amendment) to the Minnesota Constitution to: protect drinking water sources; to protect, enhance, and restore wetlands, prairies, forests, and fish, game, and wildlife habitat; to preserve arts and cultural heritage; to support parks and trails; and to protect, enhance, and restore lakes, rivers, streams, and groundwater. To learn more about the Legacy Amendment, go to About the Funds | Minnesota’s Legacy
The Legacy Amendment increased the state sales tax by three-eighths of one percent beginning on July 1, 2009, and continuing until 2034. The additional sales tax revenue is distributed into four funds as follows: 33 percent to the clean water fund; 33 percent to the outdoor heritage fund; 19.75 percent to the arts and cultural heritage fund; and 14.25 percent to the parks and trails fund. A portion of the arts and cultural heritage fund dollars are allocated to the Minnesota State Arts Board, and a percentage of these are distributed to each of the 11 regional arts councils throughout the state, including the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council.
Whenever you see the logo to the left at an art event, at a park, or anywhere else in Minnesota, you know that it was made possible thanks to the voters of Minnesota who approved the Legacy Amendment! To see a map of all Legacy-funded projects throughout the state, go to Legacy Map.
Since February 2010 when SEMAC awarded its first grants using arts and cultural heritage fund dollars, 655 grants for a total of $5,824,733 have been made to nonprofit arts and on-arts organizations throughout SEMAC’s 11-county region.
| FY2010 $330,837 | FY2014 $410,845 | FY2018 $404,065 | FY2022 $372,935 |
| FY2011 $409,266 | FY2015 $412,980 | FY2019 $403,270 | FY2023 $494,184 |
| FY2012 $342,835 | FY2016 $373,990 | FY2020 $379,087 | FY2024 $492,710 |
| FY2013 $441,884 | FY2017 $494,030 | FY2021 $153,145 |
Hundreds of organizations in SEMAC’s 11-county region presented arts programming that was made possible by the arts and cultural heritage fund. See lists of the awards here, organized by county: