McKnight Fellowships for Choreographers: Guidelines
AWARDS
Three unrestricted fellowships of $25,000 will be awarded.
APPLICATION DEADLINES:
Intent to Apply deadline has now passed
Applicants who miss the Intent to Apply deadline may still submit a final application.
Full application will open January 21st, 2026
Final application deadline: We have decided to extend the deadline for submissions to
Wednesday, March 25th, 2026 at 3 pm CST to give applicants more time to apply.
(The deadline was previously Wednesday, March 18th).
The final deadline is firm, the application site will close down at exactly 3 pm on the deadline date. There are no exceptions made for late submissions so plan to apply early! There is no fee to apply for a fellowship.
CRITERIA
Fellowships provide recognition and financial support for Minnesota choreographers who are beyond the early practicing stage of their careers. The program is designed to award choreographers who have sustained experience in their discipline and demonstrate exceptional accomplishments. Applicants are asked to demonstrate a substantial body of work over a period of time.
The intent of this program is to recognize and support dance artists living and working in Minnesota (or a Native Nation that shares this geography) who demonstrate a sustained level of accomplishment and commitment. Artists should be part of and contributing to the creative, cultural and community fabric of Minnesota.
Resumé and application materials should indicate a history of sustained and committed choreographic work over a period of at least eight years, demonstrated through public performances, creative work, or other work in the field. Accomplishments must be outside of accredited degree programs. (i.e. student performances will not count towards the minimum eight-year period of committed choreographic work.)
ELIGIBILITY
Artists who are eligible for these fellowships:
Have or maintain Minnesota (or in a Native Nation that shares this geography) residency for at least one year prior to application and for the duration of the fellowship year. Proof of residency will be required for application submission.
Are clearly beyond early practice, or the emerging stage of their career, with a body of work that demonstrates a sustained level of accomplishment and commitment. Applicants must demonstrate a substantial body of work, created over a period of time. A minimum of 8 years of committed choreographic work is required. (This number increased for the 2025 application year. Learn more here.)
Can only apply to one McKnight Artist Fellowship in any artistic discipline within a year.
Have not been a recipient of a McKnight Artist Fellowship within any artistic discipline in the last five years (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.)
Demonstrate growth and ongoing artistry since any past McKnight Artist & Culture Bearer Fellowship.
Are not staff, board, or immediate family of the McKnight Foundation or Springboard for the Arts St. Paul office.
Are not enrolled full-time in an academic program.
Applicants must have a social security number or other US federal tax number to be awarded.
Individual choreographers or choreographic collaborators are eligible to apply.
A choreographer whose principal body of work has been created in collaboration is not able to apply as an individual unless they have a significant body of independent work in their recent career. Instead, they are encouraged to apply as a collaborative group. Work samples and resume should clearly support this.
SELECTION PROCESS
A panel of one Minnesota-based and three out-of-state choreographers and arts administration will review applications and select fellowship recipients. As possible throughout the season, the Minnesota-based panelist will view applicants' live performances with the submission of the fall Intent to Apply form.
FELLOWSHIP BENEFITS
Fellows receive additional support for career development and are invited to attend a four-day retreat in rural Minnesota and a Fellow dinner. There are consultation hours available with McKnight Fellowship program staff and through Springboard for the Arts.
Additionally, funds are available to visit New York City during the January APAP conference and engage collaborators and spaces for their creative process. Fellows are also offered an individual residency at a roster of national sites through the Artist Communities Alliance.
McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowships Community Values
Welcome to the McKnight Artist Fellowships and Culture Bearers community! The McKnight Foundation and the administering partners for the McKnight Artist Fellowships and Culture Bearers are committed to creating and supporting an artistic community in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. The community of the McKnight Artist Fellowships and Culture Bearers includes people who engage with the fellowships program whether as applicants, fellows, culture bearers, panelists, contractors, collaborators, fellowships administrators, and staff of the McKnight Foundation and partnering organizations. As a community, we commit to creating and maintaining relationships that are free from harm, prejudice, and harassment. Community members agree to communicate directly and transparently regarding issues of conduct that could negatively impact the well-being of participating members and organizations. In the case of an accusation, legal action, or conviction, the McKnight Foundation and its fellowship program partners may gather and assess relevant information. If deemed necessary, the McKnight Foundation and its fellowship program partners may take administrative action up to and including the recommendation of participation in reconciliation or restorative justice processes; disqualification of an application; the termination of a contract; and the recall and/or termination of a fellowship. This community will be what we make it and our aim is to collectively create an experience in which all artists and members of the McKnight Artist Fellowships and Culture Bearers community thrive.
For more information about this statement go to the McKnight Foundation webpage
HOW TO APPLY VIDEO
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McKnight Choreographer Fellowships: Application Overview Transcript
Speaker: Dana Kassel, Program Director[Music begins]
Hello, my name is Dana Kassel and I'm the program director for the McKnight Choreographer Fellowships. This video will give a brief overview of the application process for the McKnight Choreographer Fellowships.
This program awards three unrestricted cash fellowships of $25,000 to Minnesota choreographers who are beyond the emerging stage of their career. To apply, go to our website. There is an intent to apply step in the fall that we encourage you to submit. This is a simple contact form, and we ask you to share information about any performances you will have during the season so the panel can attend when possible.
The full application portal will be open in mid-January. The final deadline for submitting an application is seen here. [On-screen: Application deadline date] This is a firm deadline. The application website turns off at exactly 3 p.m. on deadline day and you will not be able to access your application after that time.
We very strongly recommend starting your application early, allowing plenty of time to complete all the steps and submitting well before the deadline. Go to our website to apply and begin by reading the guidelines completely and carefully. When you're ready to begin your application, click on the red Apply Now button on the guidelines page.
This will take you to the application website. You don't have to complete your application in one sitting. You can work on your application and click Save to continue at a later time. Follow the instructions on each page and refer to the guidelines on our website as you work. When you have completed the last step, you will see this final message and you will also receive an email confirmation.
To apply, you do need a computer and online access. If you do not have a personal computer or internet access, go to your local public library, or to Springboard for the Arts, an artist resource center in St Paul.
Here’s what you'll be asked to include in your application:
Basic contact information: your name, address, phone and email address.
An artist statement of 7,000 characters or less, which includes spaces. This is approximately two pages.
Work on this artist statement in a word processing program and when it's complete, cut and paste it into the box on the application form. Your artist statement can take any of several directions depending on what is most important for you to convey to the panel. You may choose to write about your background, the development of your work, your particular interest as an artist, your future direction, or pertinent details about your dance form.
The narrative is also a space to explain your work in terms of the application criteria and to help define the artistic excellence in your work. Do keep in mind that the artist narrative is not a project proposal. You may, if you wish, talk about your plans for the fellowship funds, but it is not required.
Next, add your artistic resume. You will upload this PDF file to the application site. Two pages maximum with 12 point font. Your resume should demonstrate a history of sustained dance work and show that you are clearly beyond the emerging stage of your career. Keep in mind that this means a minimum of eight years of dance work outside of any school or college program.
A very important part of your application is the video work sample. You'll need to create a video that includes a minimum of three video samples from three different works. The maximum number of works you may include is six. This should be one continuously-running video with a maximum running time of 20 minutes.
We recommend adding on-screen titles that give the title of the work, the premiere date, and the choreographer included. The title can appear at the bottom corner for just a few moments at the beginning of each clip. Once you have created your video, you'll upload it to a video sharing service. For complete instructions, please visit our guidelines page.
Then on your application form, you will insert the video link. If your video is password protected, include the password where instructed. We request that you make your video downloadable so that we can streamline our viewing process. If this is not possible, you can contact us via email to arrange another method for us to download your work sample.
Next, you'll add your work sample information. First, tell us how many excerpts you will have in your application work sample and then the appropriate number of boxes will appear. You'll input information about each excerpt—the title, date of premiere, the length of the excerpt, and the length of the complete work, and the dancers or company involved. There's also space for any additional notes you may want to provide, such as reasons for sharing this excerpt or what the panel should be looking for.
Please note that if you change the number of excerpts you want to include after you have begun entering the information on the application, your work sample information will disappear. We suggest drafting this information in a Word document and cutting and pasting once you are ready.
Next you will be asked for a short bio of 250 words or less and one or two photos. These will not be seen by the panel. If you are selected as a fellow we will use them for publicity purposes. For our records, we will ask you to provide basic demographic information. This is also not seen by the panel.
The last step of the application is to provide your electronic signature. By doing so, you verify that you have read the guidelines completely and you will only apply to one McKnight Fellowship program this year, you fit all of the eligibility requirements, and everything you have submitted is accurate.
Keep in mind that all of the materials you submit should speak to the criteria for the Fellowship: A Minnesota-based choreographer who is clearly beyond the emerging stage and has created a substantial body of work over time.
We offer several webinars each year about the Fellowship program and application process. You can receive information about these and other updates by joining our mailing list at the bottom of our website. If you have any questions, you can visit our website for more details or reach us via email.
[Music fades out]es here
application support
If you have questions about the technical aspects of the application or online submission, contact the SlideRoom Support team at support@slideroom.com. They are open 9 am - 6 pm (EST), Monday - Friday, and will respond quickly to email questions. There is also a online help center you can access at any hour.
If you need access to a computer and the internet, go to your public library or Springboard for the Arts.
For more information and Frequently Asked Questions, visit our FAQ page or contact us directly at McknightFellowships@SpringboardfortheArts.org
To enter the SlideRoom application portal, click on the button below.