Programming and Projects Supported by Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund and State of Minnesota General Fund

Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment logo

Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) is Minnesota’s largest cultural organization and a community resource across the state. Our broadcast signal reaches more than 95 percent of Minnesotans, providing free access to some of the best broadcast news, music and cultural programming in the world. In addition, our network of stations and translators throughout the region serves as the backbone of Minnesota’s Emergency Alert System (EAS), helping keep Minnesotans safe. We are a proud recipient of investments from the State of Minnesota to help us maintain this level of service to our state.

The Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment (Legacy Amendment) Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund

Legacy funds help support MPR’s arts, cultural and music programming across our three regional services--MPR News, The Current and YourClassical MPR--as well as arts education and live events. These activities help connect Minnesota artists with Minnesota audiences.

Highlighted Projects

  • Our Class Notes program supports teachers and fosters students' passion for classical music through free in-school concerts, educational videos, and digital lesson plans designed to meet Minnesota’s K-12 music education standards.

  • Each Art Hounds weekly installment features three people from the Minnesota arts community talking briefly about a performance, opening, or event they're excited to see or want others to check out. This state-wide feature from MPR News is community-focused and audience-driven and features a diverse mix of art and voices.

  • Every week, The Current highlights the amazing music of Minnesota on The Local Show, with back-to-back local music, interviews with Minnesota artists, and information about the up-and-coming acts that keep our music scene vibrant. You’ll also hear local music on-air throughout the day because Great Music Lives Here.

Download FY25 Legacy Project Outcomes for all current MPR projects supported by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

Download a full report to the Minnesota State Legislature on our fiscal calendar year FY25 MPR Report on Legacy Activities

For more information on the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, please visit the State of Minnesota’s Legacy Amendment website: legacy.leg.mn.

The General Fund

Support from the General Fund helps MPR maintain its statewide radio network of more than 80 stations and translators throughout the region. MPR’s network serves as a community resource for the people of Minnesota and as the backbone of Minnesota’s Emergency Alert System (EAS). All of Minnesota’s radio, television and cable broadcasters rely on and monitor MPR’s radio network 24 hours a day. In an emergency, appropriate warnings and information can be broadcast by all media organizations to audiences across the state. These include state or federal emergencies, nuclear disasters, natural disasters, Emergency Alerts, and AMBER (child-abduction) Alerts.

For more information about MPR programs and services supported by the State of Minnesota, please contact MPR President Duchesne Drew, who oversees the Legacy grant, at ddrew@mpr.org or mail to:

Duchesne Drew
Attn: Minnesota Legacy Grant or State of Minnesota General Fund Grant, The Kling Public Media Center
480 Cedar Street, Saint Paul, MN 55101