To support the planning and implementation of the national endowment for the arts big read program nationwide

Arts Midwest, Incorporated received a $1.582 million Project Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) under the Promotion of the Arts Grants to Organizations and Individuals program (CFDA 45.024), with an award date of July 1, 2025, and a completion date of December 31, 2027. The grant supports the planning and implementation of the NEA Big Read program on a nationwide scale. The Big Read initiative promotes community-wide reading engagement and literary discussion across multiple communities, leveraging Arts Midwest's regional infrastructure and established partnerships to deliver this national arts program.

As a regional non-profit arts organization headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Arts Midwest serves as a key operational partner to the NEA in delivering this literary arts initiative. The organization's role involves coordinating program logistics, managing implementation across participating communities, and facilitating the literary engagement activities that constitute the Big Read program's core offerings. This award represents a significant continuation of Arts Midwest's consistent partnership with the NEA in implementing major national arts programming focused on advancing public participation in and access to the arts.