Our interest in building a participant-led learning cohort is anchored in our belief that organizations in this region have a lot of expertise and knowledge, including what they need to improve their work and strengthen their organizations. We have also heard from people—particularly people of color, Indigenous people and people working in rural communities and smaller cities—that they feel isolated and want to connect with and learn from others doing similar work.
To help build the participant-led learning cohort, we will host annual in-person gatherings designed to provide inspiration, build relationships and offer opportunities for peer learning. Organizations will be expected to have two representatives (staff, board members or other volunteers) participate in these in-person gatherings. The first gathering will be November 2018, in the Twin Cities. Travel support, separate from the grant amount, will be provided for these representatives.
Participants will identify and design learning activities to improve their work and strengthen their organizations throughout the three-year program. This may include organizing or participating in a training on specific issues, convening local gatherings for peer learning, building a one-to-one coaching or mentoring relationship, conducting learning tours, or attending conferences. We will provide a pool of resources separate from the grant amount, to support these participant-driven learning activities.
We will provide general operating grants of up to $100,000 over three years to allow organizations to be participant-leaders in this learning cohort and to support their on-going efforts to integrate art and culture into problem solving in their communities.
Participants will be asked to generously share with other participating organizations, the Foundation and the broader field. This sharing is necessary to enable peer learning. We also hope to gather information and ideas that can be shared with other organizations seeking to make art central to problem solving.
Participants will also be asked to fully engage in our evaluation efforts for this program.