McKnight Fellowships for Choreographers

The McKnight Fellowships for Choreographers annually awards three fellowships of $25,000 each to Minnesota choreographers. The awards are unrestricted and can help an artist set aside periods of time for study, reflection, experimentation, and exploration; take advantage of an opportunity, or work on a new project.

The intent of the McKnight Artist and Culture Bearers Fellowship is to recognize and support Minnesota artists and culture bearers who are beyond early practice, have sustained experience in their discipline, and demonstrate exceptional accomplishments. In addition to the cash award, fellows receive additional support for career development and are invited to attend a four-day retreat in rural Minnesota. Fellows are also offered funds for research and development that can be used to visit New York City during APAP and engage collaborators and spaces in their creative process.

Support for individual artists has been a focus of the McKnight Foundation’s Arts and Culture program since its inception. The foundation recognizes that the arts cannot flourish or enhance community life without the ideas, energy, and drive of individual artists and culture bearers and that artists cannot make these contributions without unfettered creative time. Awards are made in 15 disciplines through 13 arts organizations.

AWARDS

Three unrestricted fellowships of $25,000 will be awarded.

APPLICATION DEADLINES

The fall Intent to Apply step is now closed.

Final Application: Wednesday, March 19th, 2025 at 3:00 pm CST

The full application will open in mid-January.
The final deadline is firm, the application site will close at exactly 3:00 pm CST on the deadline day.
Applicants will be notified of the decisions in early June 2025.

CRITERIA

Fellowships provide recognition and financial support for Minnesota choreographers who are beyond the early practicing stage of their careers. The program is designed to award choreographers who have sustained experience in their discipline and demonstrate exceptional accomplishments. Applicants are asked to demonstrate a substantial body of work over a period of time.

The intent of this program is to recognize and support dance artists living and working in Minnesota (or in a Native Nation that shares this geography) who demonstrate a sustained level of accomplishment and commitment. Artists should be part of and contributing to the creative, cultural and community fabric of Minnesota.

Resumé and application materials should indicate a history of sustained and committed choreographic work over a period of at least eight years, demonstrated through public performances, creative work, or other work in the field. Accomplishments must be outside of accredited degree programs, i.e. student performances will not count towards the minimum eight-year period of committed choreographic work.

ELIGIBILITY

Artists who are eligible for these fellowships:

• Have or maintain Minnesota (or in a Native Nation that shares this geography) residency for at least one year prior to application and for the duration of the fellowship year. Proof of residency will be required.
• Are clearly beyond early practice, or the emerging stage of their career, with a body of work that demonstrates a sustained level of accomplishment and commitment. Applicants must demonstrate a substantial body of work, created over a period of time. A minimum of 8 years of committed choreographic is required. (This number increased for the 2025 application year. Learn more here.)
• Can only apply to one McKnight Artist Fellowship in any artistic discipline within a year.
• Have not been a recipient of a McKnight Artist Fellowship within any artistic discipline in the last five years (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024)
• Demonstrate growth and ongoing artistry since any past McKnight Artist & Culture Bearer Fellowship.
• Are not staff, board, or immediate family of the McKnight Foundation or Artspace.
• Are not enrolled full-time in an academic program. 
• Applicants must have a social security number or other US federal tax number to be awarded.
• Individual choreographers and choreographic collaborators are eligible to apply. 
• A choreographer whose principal body of work has been created in collaboration is not able to apply as an individual unless they have a significant body of independent work in their recent career. Instead, they are encouraged to apply as a collaborative group. Work samples and resume should clearly support this.

SELECTION PROCESS

A panel of one Minnesota-based and three out-of-state choreographers and arts administration will review applications and select fellowship recipients. As possible throughout the season, the Minnesota-based panelist will view applicants’ live performances.