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VERVE Grants for Spoken Word Poets

VERVE grants of up to $3,000 are awarded to emerging Minnesota spoken word poets. An emerging artist is an artist whose work demonstrates a sustained level of accomplishment and commitment, but who has not yet received recognition/ acknowledgement as an established creator from fellow artists and/or other arts professionals.

The purpose of this program is to make grants to support the creation and production of new artistic works by emerging Minnesota artists, and to contribute to the professional advancement of those artists.

Our goal is to provide financial assistance, professional encouragement, and recognition to a culturally and socio-economically diverse group of spoken word poets, in an effort to strengthen and support Minnesota’s literary community.

This program is funded by the Jerome Foundation.

Past VERVE grant recipients have used the grant to:

  • take time away from work to focus on their craft
  • take classes
  • hire a seasoned spoken word artist to mentor you
  • travel to develop a network for exchanges and collaborations with artists in
  • other cities
  • attend a festival or a conference
  • develop a performance piece
  • develop and implement a marketing plan
  • design a tour
  • produce a CD
  • explore new mediums for spoken word such as the Internet, CD-rom or DVD technology

These are just a few of the possibilities! We encourage applicants to give serious thought to how this grant could make a difference in their career.

Before You Apply...

NEW! Grant Workshops

These workshops are designed to help you create and develop a strong grant project and write a fantastic proposal. Whether you will be applying for a grant this year, or are considering the possibility for the future, we encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to strengthen your grant-writing skills. Upcoming workshops will be announced on our Literary Arts Calendar.

Staff Assistance

Our Literary Programs Manager is a great resource for help on your application. Our staff members do not make funding decisions, so we can be a useful and objective source of help as you plan your project and write your proposal.

Read Winning Proposals!

You can read successful proposals from former grantees in our writer’s resource center.

For more information, call us at 612.871.4444 or email Julie@intermediaarts.org.

Download the 2008 VERVE Grant Application

2008 APPLICATION DEADLINE: November 2, 2007