Purpose

To use funding to develop high-quality academic cultural and ethnic studies materials for communities that lack adequate materials or are underrepresented in those materials, in partnership with school districts that plan to use the materials.

Main Provisions

• Creates an appropriation in fiscal years 2026 and 2027 from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
• Funds will go to the commissioner of administration to award competitive grants.
• The goal is to develop high-quality cultural and ethnic studies materials for underrepresented communities.
• Eligible materials include those for communities such as Hmong, Karen, Somali, Oromo, and cultures without a formal writing system that are largely oral-based.
• Recipients must collaborate with school districts that intend to use the materials.

Target Groups and Materials

• Focuses on underrepresented communities and cultures with limited or no existing cultural and ethnic studies materials.
• Includes groups named above and other cultures that primarily rely on oral traditions.

Collaboration and Implementation

• Grants require collaboration between grant recipients and the school districts that will implement the materials in education settings.

Fiscal Details and Administration

• Two-year funding window: fiscal year 2026 and fiscal year 2027.
• Funding source: arts and cultural heritage fund.
• Administration: competitive grants managed by the commissioner of administration.

Significance and Expected Impact

• Expands access to culturally informed and ethnically diverse study materials in Minnesota classrooms.
• Supports preservation and teaching of diverse cultures through targeted educational resources.

Note on Legal Changes

• Establishes a new funding program and grant process; does not describe amending existing laws beyond creating this appropriation mechanism.

Relevant Terms arts and cultural heritage fund; commissioner of administration; competitive grants; high-quality academic cultural and ethnic studies materials; underrepresented communities; Hmong; Karen; Somali; Oromo; cultures without a formal writing system; oral-based cultures; school districts; fiscal year 2026; fiscal year 2027.