2018 – A Look Ahead for Cuyahoga Arts & Culture

10. January 2018 Staff In The News, News Release
It’s a new year – time to clear the slate, set new goals, and begin our work with new energy. At Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, we are excited that, in 2018, we welcome the largest number of grant recipients we have ever supported. At our November 2017 meeting, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture’s Board of Trustees granted more than $12 million in General Operating Support and Project Support grants to 257 nonprofits. We can’t wait to see how these organizations make an impact in their communities this year. View the full list of grant recipients.

Each day, every CAC staff and board member strives to operate with integrity and to be worthy of the public’s trust. Looking ahead, one of our goals for this new year is to offer more opportunities for public feedback about our work and the important decisions that we make. 

We made some difficult decisions last year regarding our budget in a time of declining revenues, and we worked diligently to communicate early, frequently and effectively to the organizations we support. Many of our partners told us they had enough notice, but, we heard from some that wasn’t the case. This year, we strive to do better, starting with a forum for our cultural partners in January and continuing with quarterly community conversations.

The first session will focus on our General Operating Support and Project Support grant programs. It will be held on January 31, 2018, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Cuyahoga Community College’s Jerry Sue Thornton Center, which is accessible by public transportation and has ample free parking. Representatives of CAC-funded organizations may register to attend now.

Other important things to know for 2018:
  1. CAC operates with a smaller budget in 2018. CAC’s Board of Trustees approved the 2018 operating budget in December 2017. Given declining revenues, the approved budget reflects a $100,000 decrease (nearly 7%) in 2018 non-grant budget items. For 2018, appropriations on arts and cultural programs account for 95.2% of the budget.
  2. Artist support remains top of mind. CAC’s Board received the Support for Artist Planning Team recommendations in December and charged staff with developing a plan to get funding to Cuyahoga County artists in 2018. Stay tuned for an update at our February meeting.
  3. CAC’s team is changing to better serve you. Starting in late January, CAC will fill two vacant staff positions and restructure to have three grant program managers working across programs to support and build relationships with our more than 250 partners. The full CAC team will continue to be a resource and available Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. by phone, email or at our offices in Playhouse Square.

How can I stay informed?

Our blog and e-newsletters are the best ways to keep on top of what’s happening at CAC. Board meetings are always open to the public, and we welcome your attendance. Learn more about CAC’s Board of Trustees and view a schedule of upcoming meetings at cacgrants.org/about-us/board. 

As always, our board meeting minutes and agendas are published on our website. You can review those to read about our business and the actions our board has taken to carefully steward the public dollars entrusted to CAC.

We look forward to seeing you and hearing from you in 2018.