Producer Funding Opportunities

Minnesota Fringe has financial assistance opportunities for producers** of all experience levels.

OPPORTUNITY	DESCRIPTION	WHO CAN APPLY	NUMBER AWARDED	FUNDS PROVIDED BY
Touring Artist Grant*	Producer fee completely compensated	Touring artist who demonstrates curiosity, compassion, and courage to share their story with new audiences.	Up to 1	The Jill Miersch Touring Artist Fund*
Fee Deferment	Deferment of the initial producer fee, taken out of your box office payout at the end of the festival	Producers on a budget who find the $450 - $650 producer fee to be a hurdle to producing	Up to 3	Your box office proceeds
Festival Artist Grant	Producer fee completely compensated	Producers of all experience levels that are looking to challenge themselves with a new production or skill	Up to 3	Donors and Artists

*The Touring Artist Grant is made possible by a generous gift from the family of Jill Miersch, and will be given to one touring artist per year for six years (2023-2028) to extend Jill's light and sparkle to adventurous artists.

**Applicants selected from the Platinum Lottery are not eligible for financial assistance opportunities.

To apply for any of these funding opportunities, please fill out the appropriate application information below. Please make sure you take the time to review your information before submission—there will not be an opportunity to edit your responses once they are submitted.

IMPORTANT: This is a separate application from your lottery application and does not cover application fee. You will still need to pay to apply to a lottery (or pay-what-you-can if you are applying to the BIPOC Lottery). You must win a spot in the Fringe lottery in order to be granted a funding opportunity. Please make sure to apply to at least one tier in the Minnesota Fringe Festival for your funding application to be reviewed. Producers selected in the Platinum Lottery are not eligible for financial assistance opportunities.

NOTE: We strongly suggest filling out the application on a desktop or laptop rather than mobile device.

The Festival Lottery will be held February 24, 2025. If your show is drawn in the lottery or comes off the wait list in the following week, we will let you know if you've been selected for a funding opportunity. If your show is drawn in the lottery but your request for funding is denied, you must pay the full producing fee within the fee deadline to keep your place in the festival. Being drawn in the lottery does not guarantee fee deferment or grant receipt.

All funding opportunities are reviewed anonymously and awarded by the Minnesota Fringe Artist Committee based on rubrics illustrated below for each opportunity. The 2025 Artist Committee includes: Jeremy Motz, Victoria Pyan, Natalie Wass, Kirsten Stephens, Lillian Conforti, Allison Broeren, Anthony Stanton, Lindsey Fallenstein, Les Kurkendaal, Megan Wells, Lauren Hance, Varghese Alexander, and Timothy Kelly.

* Required

GENERAL INFORMATION: This information is needed for all funding opportunities.

First Name *

Last Name *

Email Address *

Producing Company Name *

Do you or any of your main collaborators have prior experience producing shows, either at Minnesota Fringe or elsewhere? (300 characters) *

Share with us an elevator pitch for the show you hope to produce. We understand this may change or evolve during your process. (300 characters) *

What categories and elements best describe your production? (hold Shift key to select more than one option): *

What is it about the Minnesota Fringe Festival that makes you want to produce your project here (500 characters)? *

Please describe what your company or show would add to the broad range of work presented at the Fringe Festival (500 characters): *

Where did you hear about these funding opportunities? Please check all that apply:
Fringe File
Website
Facebook
Instagram
TikTok
Previous Festival participant
Other

I am applying for (check all that apply and complete the corresponding application information below): *
Touring Artist Grant
Fee Deferment
Festival Artist Grant

TOURING ARTIST GRANT APPLICATION
The family of Jill Miersch wishes to extend Jill's light and sparkle to adventurous artists. Each year, for 6 years, a touring artist who demonstrate curiousity, compassion, and courage to share their story with new audiences will be awarded the opportunity to produce at no cost. Applicants need only answer the questions above to be considered.

FEE DEFERMENT APPLICATION
Minnesota Fringe is able to offer a limited number of fee deferments to minimize the up-front costs for selected producers. If you are drawn in the lottery and granted a deferment, we'll take your production fee out of your box office payment at the end of the festival.

Award Rubric
Using a scale of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest), the Minnesota Fringe Artist Committee will score applications based on the following elements:

EXPERIENCE
Does the applicant or their collaborators have prior experience in production or performing arts? Will this award create a doorway for individuals to come to the stage for the first time? (Note: prior producing or performing experience is not prerequisite for award)

INNOVATION
Is the production a new work or does it tell an established story in a new way? Does the production present new artistic opportunities for an established producer or allow a first-time producer to explore a unique vision? Does it present an element to Fringe audiences that is rarely seen?

INCLUSION
Does this production champion underrepresented voices or themes when compared to our current local, national and international performing arts community? Could this production help cultivate new and first-time theater-going audiences?

BUDGET FEASIBILITY
Does the budget show understanding of the correlation between the realistic costs and limitations for production of the show within the Fringe structure?

NARRATIVE
Does the applicant create a case for fee deferment? Are there high financial barriers involved? Does the producer display a strong preliminary plan for production?

Please explain your situation and why you are requesting a fee deferment (500 characters):

Please enter your budget manually below or upload a file. Your fee deferment application will be considered incomplete without a budget.

Note: Your budget need only be a projected estimate. Your expenses should equal your income unless you're prepared to lose money. Things you may choose to include: Your personal contribution to production costs; Donations from others; Estimated box office income (in 2024, the median artist payout was $1367); Other revenue; Artist fees and stipends; Production materials for sets, props, costumes, rehearsal space, etc.; Royalties if you're using a published play or copyrighted material; Marketing (postcards, ads, etc); Other expenses.

Attach File (250Mb Limit)

Is there anything else you’d like to tell the review committee about yourself and/or your project proposal? (500 characters)

FESTIVAL ARTIST GRANT APPLICATION
Through the generous support from Minnesota Fringe donors, we are able to offer Festival Artist Grants for up to three producers. This grant is awarded to individuals of all experience levels who are stepping outside their comfort zone by entering the Fringe arena with a big personal challenge. If you are drawn in the lottery and awarded a Festival Artist Grant, your producer fee will be completely waived.

Award Rubric
Using a scale of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest), the Minnesota Fringe Artist Committee will score applications based on the following elements:

EXPERIENCE
Does the applicant or their collaborators have prior experience in production or performing arts? Will this award create a doorway for individuals to come to the stage for the first time? (Note: prior producing or performing experience is not prerequisite for award)

INNOVATION
Is the production a new work or does it tell an established story in a new way? Does the production present new artistic opportunities for an established producer or allow a first-time producer to explore a unique vision? Does it present an element to Fringe audiences that is rarely seen?

INCLUSION
Does this production champion underrepresented voices or themes when compared to our current local, national and international performing arts community? Could this production help cultivate new and first-time theater-going audiences?

ADVANCEMENT IN RISK-TAKING
Will this grant subsidize risk that would otherwise be challenging for the producer to achieve considering revenue constraints, such as exploration of a new style, method, or genre of work?

Please describe how your show may contribute to a more diverse, inclusive, and adventurous artistic ecosystem and larger community (500 characters):

Where did the idea for this innovative step forward come from? Who are some artists or examples that may have affected your practice? (500 characters)

How will this grant help you to cultivate risk and innovation in your artistic practice? What will you learn? What are your goals? (500 characters)

What are the challenges and risks of this production? How do you plan to overcome these challenges? Is there a backup plan for elements that may not go according to plan? (1000 characters)

Is there anything else you’d like to tell the review committee about yourself and/or your project proposal? (500 characters)

AGREEMENTS AND SUBMISSION

By checking the box below, you agree to the following terms of the applications and awards.

I agree that I have checked my responses and that all materials I hereby submit are final.

I agree to allow my application to be used as a reference example for applicants in future festivals.

I agree that I am the primary producer of the project.

All festival funding opportunity recipients will be required to participate in pre- and post-festival surveys, including a final report. Recipients may be asked to come to the office for a follow-up interview to promote future grants.

I AGREE *

Producer Funding Opportunities

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