Mower County received two grants recently from Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council, Inc. On Nov. 16, 2010, the Board of Directors of the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council, Inc. (SEMAC) awarded 29 grants for a total of $166,240 in funding to applicants throughout southeastern Minnesota. This included fourteen Presenter/Production Assistance Grants for $41,500, 10 Small Towns/Rural Areas Grants for $25,055, and five Arts & Cultural Heritage Grants for $99,685 to arts organizations. The latter funding is made possible by the Minnesota arts and cultural heritage fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.

Grants awarded to Mower County included a $3,000 administrative support grant awards salary for the Austin Area Art Center administrative assistant and a $3,000 production assistance grant for the young artist competition concert London Dash for the Austin Symphony Orchestra.

SEMAC is the State Arts Board-designated granting authority for local/regional arts producing and sponsoring organizations and disburses funds allocated for this purpose by the Minnesota State Legislature. The SEMAC region includes the counties of Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, Wabasha, and Winona.