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Deborah Jiang-Stein is an award-winning writer, public speaker, collaborator, and author of the memoir Prison Baby. She is founder of the unPrison Project, working with and mentoring people in prisons to build life skills.
"Lucky Tomorrow: Stories" Publisher: University of Minnesota Press. Pre-order link on Amazon From the author of Prison Baby. Lives of longing and resilience, searching and belonging in a debut story collection from a memoirist and renowned advocate for change. The stories in Lucky Tomorrow move through settings drawn from the path of the author’s own life: Seattle, where she grew up after being born in an Appalachian prison; Tokyo, where she once lived; the Twin Cities, where she currently resides; and the American South, where she travels for much of her advocacy work with women in prison.
For questions email Amy.Stephan@nuway.org
Second Chance Month Spotlight: Housing and Health
Supports for Jail Reentry
Upcoming Event
April 15, 2025, 1:30pm - 3:00pm, Eastern
Free Transportation - Click Here
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Culturally Specific Grants: Community meeting on April 30, 2025
The Department of Human Services (DHS) will hold a community meeting on Culturally Specific Grants on April 30, 2025, from 4-6 p.m. This community meeting will be held both in-person and online. The in-person meeting will take place at the Elmer L. Andersen Human Services Building located at 540 Cedar Street, Saint Paul, MN 55101, Conference Room 2370 (directions and parking information). Information about online access will be made available later to those who RSVP at the link below.
This community meeting will help DHS better understand challenges and barriers culturally specific providers and responsive substance use and recovery programs experience when navigating our request for proposals (RFPs) and grant award process. Attendees will also learn more about forthcoming opportunities for culturally specific RFPs.
Interested providers and related stakeholders must RSVP to attend. Attendees who need accessibility, language interpreters or other access-related accommodations to participate must indicate the specific accommodation needed in the RSVP form by April 15, 2025. Light snacks will be provided for in-person attendees.
During this community meeting, attendees will discuss:
- Challenges and/or barriers providers and related stakeholders experience when navigating the DHS RFP process
- Questions or concerns about the RFP process and/or about contracting with the State
- Forthcoming RFPs and trainings (opportunities and resources, when to be on the lookout for online webinars explaining the RFPs) and explaining the statute that allocated funds for culturally specific technical assistance
- Gathering info on useful trainings from culturally specific providers
For more information on this event, please contact the Culturally Specific Grants Manager Sagirah Shahid at sagirah.shahid@state.mn.us.
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Cultural Expression
This pilot program supports activities that share, explore, pass on, express, or celebrate culture through the arts. Culture may be defined by a common ethnicity, tribal affiliation, geographic or regional identity, or language. Traditional and contemporary forms of cultural expression may be funded in this program. Funds could be used to support practicing a cultural art form; presenting cultural festivals, community celebrations, performances, media or exhibitions; offering demonstrations, etc. Funds could also be used to deepen or pass on cultural traditions through apprenticeships or documentation.
Program overview and application instructions
FY 2026 Cultural Expression Program Overview and Application Instructions—All applicants should read this document thoroughly before beginning online application.
Application deadline
June 6, 2025, before 4:30 p.m.
When will funds be awarded?
Grant awards will be approved at the January 2026 board meeting. The grant period for these awards will be March 2026 - February 2027; all funded activities must take place within the grant period.
Who can apply?
Both individuals and organizations are eligible to apply. The applicant must be:
An individual
- An artist working in dance, media arts, music, photography, poetry, prose, theater, two-dimensional or three-dimensional visual art, folk, or traditional arts; or
- A culture bearer who has been trained by traditional elders or master artists and whose artistic practice is reflective of the cultural life of a community; or
An organization
- A 501(c)(3) tax-exempt arts organization; or
- A 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonarts organization that regularly offers arts programming as an integral part of its mission; or
- A unit of state, local, or tribal government; or
- An arts affiliate of a nonprofit organization or public entity; or
- An arts group without 501(c)(3) status applying with a Minnesota tax-exempt or public fiscal sponsor
An individual may submit an application in only one of the following programs in FY 2026: Creative Individuals, Arts Experiences, Arts Education, or Cultural Expression.
An organization may submit an application in only one of the following programs in FY 2026: Arts Experiences, Arts Education, Cultural Expression.
Additional eligibility requirements are included in the FY 2026 Cultural Expression Program Overview and Application Instructions. Please review all eligibility requirements carefully before beginning an application.
Grant range
Applicants may request between $5,000 - $35,000. No cash match is required.
Resources for applicants
FY 2026 Cultural Expression Information Session and Q&A with Program Officer Wednesday, May 7
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