Panel Review for CAC Grants

Cuyahoga Arts & Culture invites grant applicants and the community to watch its panel review meetings in September.

Valley Art Center

2026 Project Support Panel

Arts and culture experts from around the country will evaluate the applications of nonprofit organizations in Cuyahoga County that completed the application for funding through CAC's 2026 Project Support grants. All Project Support requests will be reviewed in an online written panel, and results and panelist comments will be made available on the CAC website later this fall. Learn more about our panel review process below.

Panel Guide

Panel Review Process

How are organizations and projects selected to receive grants?

As the public funder for arts and culture in Cuyahoga County, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture strives to uphold its values of stewardship and trust in all of its work, especially in its panel review process. Each fall, CAC convenes a panel of diverse arts and cultural professionals from outside our region. They are recruited and carefully vetted by staff. Panelists are charged with evaluating eligible applications through a written review online.

Before

Preparation is essential to the success of the entire application review process. CAC takes seriously our role in preparing panelists to serve as an extension of our team. Before the panel review meeting, CAC trains and sets expectations for panelists. All panelists review and score application and support materials in advance.

During

Panelists will conduct a written review only (no convening); the results of these panels will be made available on the CAC website.

CAC’s staff administer the panel process. Staff and board members do not take part in the scoring of applications.

After

The minimum score threshold for funding will be determined based on the amount of funds available and total request amounts. Applicants who demonstrate weak evidence that the funding criteria are met will not be recommended for funding.

Shortly after the conclusion of panel, CAC staff notifies applicants of their score and whether they will be recommended for funding. In November, CAC’s Board of Trustees meets to review and approve the panel scores and grant amounts. This meeting is open to the public, and applicants are invited to attend.

After the application review process and panel review are complete, CAC evaluates both applicants and panelists for feedback to help us improve our programs each year.