Minnesota’s ‘Cultural Heritage’ Fund Is Giving Millions To Promote Somali Culture

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Minnesota has quietly funneled over a million dollars into Somali cultural from the state’s Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. A review of official grant records shows at least two dozen awards supporting Somali museums, music preservation, oral histories, festivals, and youth programs.

The Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund is part of Minnesota’s Legacy fund, designed to “preserve Minnesota's history and cultural heritage.”

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In total, $1,269,411 in Legacy funds have been identified as going to Somali-tied projects. A decade-long funding stream hiding in plain sight The spending stretches back more than a decade, to FY 2014. Some of the largest awards were not even given to small nonprofits, but to major state institutions acting as fiscal agents for Somali-specific projects. The Minnesota Historical Society alone received over $310,000 for Somali oral history initiatives. Meanwhile, Somali-specific museums, arts collectives, and cultural organizations repeatedly appear in Legacy funding cycles year after year.

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