ESCANABA — The Central Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Region 1B announced $24,500 is available in mini-grants for arts organization projects and artists. The grant can assist in promoting public engagement, diverse and distinctive art, lifelong learning in the arts and the strengthening or livability of communities. Through the arts, projects can support a broad range of artistic expression from all cultures through projects which preserve, produce or present traditional or contemporary arts and culture and/or arts education. These funds are made possible through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and are available on a yearly basis.

The counties included are Alger, Delta, Dickinson, Marquette, Menominee, and Schoolcraft. The mini-grants for arts organizations and projects can be up to $4,000 each. Mini-grants for Personal Organization Development (POD) can be up to $1,500 with $3,000 available. Both mini-grants require a 50 percent match.

A grant writing workshop will be held in Escanaba at the Michigan Works Boardroom at 2950 College Avenue on Tuesday, July 23, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. The workshop will cover all of the details needed to write a competitive application for an arts project mini-grant. The event is free to attend.

The deadline for these grants is Saturday, Aug. 3. For more information contact Dotty LaJoye at dlajoye@cuppad.org or by calling (906) 786-9234.