The American-Scandinavian Foundation is pleased to announce the awardees of ASF’s 2025-2026 Folk Arts and Cultural Traditions grant program. Introduced in 2017, this program helps to nurture the rich Nordic folk art traditions in the Upper Midwest (North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan) by deepening the skills of master artists, fostering long-term relationships among masters and apprentices, and enhancing the traditions’ visibility through public programs and community projects.
Dedicated to carrying on traditional Nordic arts and skills, the 15 individuals and 10 organizations are an inspiration to us all. We look forward to seeing their projects unfold while we marvel over innovative ways that our grantees from previous years continue to share folk-art traditions with their local communities.