The Loft's Access Funds Pool is open for classes taking place in September 2023 - August 2024. The Loft's Access Fund model allows you to submit a single online application for adult class access funds. These opportunities are meant to reduce financial barriers to participation in Loft classes and are available to individuals who can provide proof of eligibility, such as participation in one or more public assistance programs.* Once accepted, available seats are emailed out as they become available, about 1-2 times a month. These email alerts will give you access to a list of classes that are currently access fund viable. If you are interested in any of these classes, you will need to call the Loft Education office at 612-379-8999 to claim your class and be given a promo code (applied during checkout) that will provide a 95% reduction in tuition for a class. The access fund recipient pays the remaining 5% cost, which will vary depending on the regular price of the class.
The Loft is committed to equity in our programming by creating opportunities for folks who face barriers to participation in artistic career development. While Loft class access funds are focused on reducing financial barriers, we want to strongly encourage individuals from historically marginalized communities to apply, including, but not limited to, Black and Indigenous people and people of color (BIPOC), LGBTQIA+ individuals, people with disabilities, as well as low income individuals.
Please note: these seats are offered first-come first-served, about a week to two weeks before the respective class starts. You can sign up for specific genres of classes or call out a specific class you are interested in; however, that does not guarantee a spot. Meaning, you'll have to wait for a class that matches your interests and schedule. To apply, please provide proof of eligibility that includes: 1) Your name & address 2) Public assistance program name** 3) A recent date. Then, use your mobile phone's camera, scanner, or good old snail mail to send us your documentation after, or along with your online application below.
More questions? Read our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
*If you are not eligible for our access fund program but still require financial assistance, please consider our payment plan option through Sezzle to help manage the cost of class tuition. **Examples of Accepted Public Assistance Programs
- TANF
- MFIP
- General Assistance
- WIC
- Medicaid, Medical Assistance, or Minnesota Care
- SSI (Disability, Not Retirement)
- Food Stamps
- Unemployment
- Section 8 Housing
- Free or Reduced Price School Meals
McKnight Fellowships for Writers, $25,000 Loft Awards in Poetry/Spoken Word and in Children’s Literature/Younger Children
DEADLINE: 11:59 p.m. CT Monday, December 11, 2023. Entries must be submitted through our online portal Submittable by 11:59 p.m. CT. The Loft offices are closed on Mondays, so please plan accordingly.
The Loft Literary Center is pleased to announce the 2024 McKnight Fellowships for Writers, made possible by the generous support of the McKnight Foundation.
The McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowship disciplines include: Printmaking (Highpoint Center), Book Arts (MCBA), Fiber Arts (Textile Center), Choreographers and Dancers (Cowles Center), Media Artists (FilmNorth), Visual Artists (MCAD), Ceramics (Northern Clay Center), Composers (American Composers Forum), Musicians (MacPhail Center), Writers (Loft Literary Center), Playwrights (Playwrights’ Center), Theater Artists (Playwrights’ Center), Culture Bearers (Indigenous Roots), and Community-Engaged Artists (Pillsbury House).
ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
The intent of the McKnight Artist and Culture Bearers Fellowships program is to recognize and support artists and culture bearers who are beyond emerging and have sustained experience in their area of practice. Fellows demonstrate achievement, commitment, and high level proficiency in artistic and/or culture bearer practice that contributes to their field and impacts and benefits people in Minnesota.
The McKnight Fellowships for Writers provide Minnesota writers who are beyond emerging with an opportunity to work on their craft for a concentrated period of time.
One $25,000 fellowship is awarded each year in children’s literature, including poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. This year’s award is offered to a writer for children under 8 years of age.
Four $25,000 fellowships are offered in alternating years to writers of creative prose and poetry/spoken word. The 2024 year cycle is in poetry/spoken word.
There will be four awards for poetry/spoken word.
In addition to the award money, fellows are offered a variety of professional development opportunities, including an opportunity to participate in a fully-funded artist residency through a partnership with the Artist Communities Alliance.
These fellowships do not support the work of playwriting, journalism, or nonfiction that is written primarily for educational or technical use.
JUDGING FOR THE MCKNIGHT FELLOWSHIPS FOR WRITERS
Prominent writers and editors living outside of Minnesota serve as the judges. There are no screening judges. All manuscripts are judged anonymously.
Due to the number of entries received, it is not possible for the judges to make individual comments on the manuscripts.
ELIGIBILITY
General Requirements
Applicants must have been legal residents of Minnesota for the 12 months prior to the application deadline (since December 11, 2022) and must reside in Minnesota for the duration of the fellowship.
Applicants may not be enrolled full-time in any academic program.
Applicants may apply for only one McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowship per year. You may not apply for the Award in Poetry/Spoken Word and also apply for any other McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowships, including the Award in Children’s Literature.
Recipients of 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, or 2023 McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowships in any discipline are not eligible to apply. Honorable mentions are eligible.
Loft and McKnight Foundation staff and board members are not eligible. Immediate family members of staff or board members of the Loft or McKnight Foundation are also not eligible.
If you have questions about your eligibility for the McKnight Fellowships for Writers, please email Marion Gómez, program manager of awards, at mgomez@loft.org by December 7, 2023.
Additional Requirements for the Awards in Poetry/Spoken Word
In addition to the general eligibility requirements, applicants must have either:
Published at least 12 original poems in no fewer than three literary journals or magazines that regularly feature poetry as part of their format. (Work published in an online journal that has an editorial process is eligible.) The same piece printed in a journal and in an anthology may only be counted once; applicants may not use multiple publications of the same work to meet the required number of pieces.
or
Published at least one full-length collection of poetry (page ranges for full-length poetry collections depend on the preferences of the publisher but generally are between 40 and 80 pages of poems).
or
Produced a full-length spoken word audiobook.
or
Produced a one person show with a presenting organization—the show must have been written by the applicant.
or
Written and performed spoken word/performance work, in contracted arrangements, for a minimum of three years, and with a minimum of eight performances with a minimum time slot of 15 minutes per performance. The three years do not have to be consecutive.
Work that is scheduled for publication/production between the contest deadline and April 1, 2024 may be included. In those cases, a letter from the press, editor, producer, community organizer, or curator stating the date of publication, release, or performance is required.
Additional Requirements for the Award in Children’s Literature: Writing for Children Under the Age of Eight
In addition to the general eligibility requirements, applicants must have:
Published a book for children under the age of eight, in any genre other than educational textbook material.
or
Published at least three pieces of original work in one or more publications that regularly feature creative work for children under the age of eight as part of their format. Work published in an online journal that has an editorial process is eligible. Work published in an anthology is eligible. The same piece printed in a journal and in an anthology may only be counted once; applicants may not use multiple publications of the same work to meet the three required pieces.
Work that is pending publication and will be published before April 1, 2024 is eligible. Please provide a letter from the editor or publisher with proof of publication.
Ineligible work in both awards:
- Student-only publications and self-published books.
- Work published on personal home pages or online sites that do not have an editorial process.
- Work in a genre outside the category in which you are applying. (e.g., creative prose may not be used to meet the publication requirements for the Award in Poetry/Spoken Word and children's literature for children eight years of age and older may not be used to meet the publication requirements for the Award in Children's Literature: Writing for Children Under the Age of Eight).
- A feature performance at a venue where the lineup is curated by the applicant.
- Work that has previously won a McKnight Fellowship for Writers. If you are a previous winner, you must submit a manuscript different from the one for which you received the earlier award.
- Translations.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Please prepare your writing/performance sample. Work samples may be published writing. All work samples must be anonymous. If your name appears as part of the manuscript text, omit it, use a pseudonym, or black it out so it is illegible. Do not include your name as part of the writing sample file name. Identifying information should only be included in the Submittable application form, which is concealed to the judge. Identifying information anywhere in the submitted files of your work sample will disqualify your submission.
You must apply through Submittable, and you will need to create a Submittable account if you do not already have one. If you have technical submission questions, please contact Submittable technical support at http://help.submittable.com/.
WORK SAMPLE
Loft Awards in Poetry/Spoken Word: Applicants must submit at least 15 but no more than 18 pages of a poetry manuscript (12-point font). Do not put more than one poem per page. Applicants may also submit 8–10 minutes of audio recorded poetry. If you are submitting an audio recording of spoken word poetry, you must ALSO include a written transcript in a document. Work samples may be submitted as PDF, DOC, or DOCX. Audio files may be submitted as MP3 or WAV files.
PROOF OF PUBLICATION
Applicants will need to provide proof of each publication necessary to meet eligibility. For books, we will need a photocopy or scanned image of the title and copyright pages. For journals and anthologies, we will need photocopies or scanned documents of either the cover or title page of the journal/anthology as well as the table of contents page(s) and the pages on which your work appears. If it is an online publication that has an editorial process, please provide links or screenshots of the publication. For audio publications, a scan of the album cover. For proof of a one person show, please provide a scan of the program for the event or a short letter from the producer or presenting organization. For proof of being a feature performer, please provide a simple list stating the performance venue and name, and month/date/time of the feature performances—you need only provide enough proof of performances to meet the eligibility requirement. Please collect all of these files into a single document for upload (PDF, DOC, or DOCX).
PROOF OF RESIDENCY
In your eligibility documentation document, please also include a photocopy or scan of your valid MN state ID or a copy of a utilities bill with your name and address and date. Failure to provide any of this eligibility proof will disqualify your application.
Loft Award in Children’s Literature:
Applicants must submit a manuscript that is at least five but no more than 20 pages in length and that is written for children under the age of eight. Picture book applicants may submit more than one manuscript to reach five pages. Manuscripts may be in prose or poetry, or a combination of the two. Prose manuscripts should be double-spaced. Poetry may be single- or double-spaced. All manuscripts must be typed in a 12-point font. Work samples may be submitted as PDF, DOC, or DOCX files.
PROOF OF PUBLICATION
Applicants will need to provide proof of each publication necessary to meet eligibility. For books, we will need a photocopy or scanned image of the title and copyright pages. For journals and anthologies, we will need photocopies or scanned documents of either the cover or title page of the journal/anthology as well as the table of contents page and the pages on which your work appears. If it is an online publication that has an editorial process, please provide links or screenshots of the publication. Please collect all of these files into a single document for upload (PDF, DOC, or DOCX).
PROOF OF RESIDENCY
In your eligibility documentation document, please also include a photocopy or scan of your valid MN state ID or a copy of a utilities bill with your name and address and date. Failure to provide any of this eligibility proof will disqualify your application.
Deadline: All applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. CT on December 11, 2023. No exceptions. The Loft offices are closed on Mondays. Plan ahead and give yourself extra time. We cannot accommodate late entries due to internet difficulty. If you have questions, please contact program manager of awards Marion Gómez at mgomez@loft.org and book an appointment or conversation at least one week in advance. Anyone waiting until the last week of the deadline may not be accommodated depending on scheduling.
Notification: Entrants will be notified of their status by the end of April, 2024. Winners will begin receiving payments in May, 2024.