Cuyahoga County has announced that $4 million in funding will be made available through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”).
$2.7 million is set to be distributed to arts and culture nonprofits through Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, with an additional $1.3 million for for-profit performing arts venues and artists to be distributed through Arts Cleveland. The funding will provide critical funding to Cuyahoga County's arts and culture sector, which has experienced devastating loss of revenue and jobs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Learn more about requesting funding:
Funding will be distributed to nonprofits through Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. Funding for artists and for-profit performing arts venues will be distributed through Arts Cleveland. Organizations and individuals must be able to show financial losses due to COVID-19.
Funding was secured through a collaborative effort between Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC), Arts Cleveland, the Arts & Culture Action Committee (ACAC), and the Northeast Ohio Chapter of the National Independent Venues Association (NIVA).
Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) is one of the largest local public funders for arts and culture in the nation, helping hundreds of organizations in Cuyahoga County connect millions of people to cultural experiences each year. Since 2006, CAC has invested more than $195 million in more than 420 organizations both large and small, making our community a more vibrant place to live, work and play. For more information, visit cacgrants.org.
Arts Cleveland is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing arts and culture in Cuyahoga County. Through advocacy, research, connections and cross-sector investigations, Arts Cleveland has driven change in the way the community interfaces with and embraces arts and culture. Learn more at artscleveland.org and at MyCreativeCompass.org.
Arts & Culture Action Committee (ACAC) is a 501(c)4 organization operating as a ballot-issue committee to support levies, public funding and other initiatives and referenda that advance arts and culture in Northeast Ohio. Established in 2004, ACAC oversaw the campaign to pass Issue 18 in 2006 under which Cuyahoga County voters approved an excise tax of 1.5 cents per cigarette to support arts and culture in Cuyahoga County. ACAC led the campaign to renew the cigarette excise tax in 2015, which passed with a 75% approval rating.
NIVA's Northeast Ohio Chapter's mission is to preserve and nurture the ecosystem of independent venues and promoters throughout Northeast Ohio. These entertainment hubs are critical to Cuyahoga County's economy and tax base as employers, tourism destinations, and revenue generators for neighboring businesses such as restaurants, hotels, and retail. Independent venues were the first to be closed, they will be the last to open. The economic recovery process will extend past just reopening the front doors, requiring solutions unique to the industry.