Skip to content

A Transformational Investment in Midwestern Creativity

by Torrie Allen

A quilt-style graphic made of alternating diamonds and triangles in Arts Midwest brand colors—yellow, coral, lavender, and navy. Dozens of small photos fill some of the shapes, showing scenes of Midwestern creativity: dancers performing, musicians playing outside, artists working in studios, kids participating in cultural activities, handmade quilts, theater rehearsals, community celebrations, murals, and public art sculptures.
A quilt of creativity from across the Midwest, featuring photos from Arts Midwest grantees and story features.

A historic $20 million gift from MacKenzie Scott will fuel new possibilities for the Midwest’s creative ecosystem.


Today marks a historic moment for Arts Midwest.

We are honored and humbled to share that philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has made a transformational $20 million unrestricted donation to support our work. This gift, which builds on her 2021 support of Arts Midwest, is the largest in the organization’s history.

This extraordinary investment comes at a pivotal time for the Midwest. Every day, we see the impact that creative Midwesterners make across the region, using art to build community, belonging, and opportunity.

And yet, the Midwest’s creative sector faces real pressures and continued uncertainty. This gift creates room to dream boldly about how we can support the people, organizations, and ideas shaping our future.

We’re excited to explore how this gift can have the greatest impact and strengthen Midwestern creativity in meaningful and enduring ways. At this time, we are not accepting proposals about the use of these funds, but we’ll share more as our work progresses.

To stay connected and receive updates on our work — including future news about this gift — we invite you to sign up for our newsletter.

With gratitude,

Torrie Allen
President & CEO, Arts Midwest