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Cuyahoga Arts & Culture Announces $14.5 Million in Grants to 241 Cuyahoga County Nonprofits to Support Thousands of Arts & Cultural Experiences in 2017

Photo Credit: Bob Perkowski

CLEVELAND (November 14, 2016) – Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) will invest $14,573,833 in grants to 241 nonprofit organizations in Cuyahoga County through its 2017 grant programs. The grants, which will support arts and cultural organizations and projects of all sizes throughout Cuyahoga County in 2017, were approved by CAC’s Board of Trustees during its public meeting and celebration on Monday.

“Cuyahoga Arts & Culture congratulates our newest grant recipients,” said Joseph P. Gibbons, president of CAC’s Board of Trustees. “We are proud to help these organizations connect to residents and deliver vibrant, fun and thought-provoking arts and culture experiences in all corners of our county for the coming year.”

CAC’s General Operating Support program provides meaningful, multiyear core support grants to arts and cultural organizations based in and serving Cuyahoga County. Grants range from $10,500 to $1.5 million and support nonprofits with a primary mission to provide arts or cultural services for the public.

The Project Support grant program promotes and encourages the breadth of arts and cultural programming in our community by supporting projects both large and small throughout Cuyahoga County. Grants range from $1,500 to $35,000 and support a wide variety of programs and events.

“We’re thrilled that our Project Support program continues to grow,” said Karen Gahl-Mills, CAC’s CEO + executive director. “By making these investments, CAC is helping this diverse group of organizations make meaningful connections with residents in all parts of our county. Congratulations to all of the successful applicants!”

Specifically, CAC granted:

  • $12,666,221 for 57 organizations through General Operating Support, which provides core support for 501c3 nonprofit arts and cultural organizations based in Cuyahoga County.
  • $1,907,612 for 184 organizations through Project Support, which offers grants up to $35,000 for 501c3 organizations providing arts and cultural projects to residents of Cuyahoga County.

In 2017, CAC will fund 32 more projects than in 2016 and invest an additional $255,988 in public dollars to support programs and events that reach thousands of residents across Cuyahoga County.

Additionally, through a partnership with Neighborhood Connections, the small-grants and grassroots community-building program affiliated with the Cleveland Foundation, CAC will support 26 grassroots arts and culture projects in 2017 that are led by residents in Cleveland and East Cleveland. These co-funded projects connect residents and empower neighbors to make positive changes in their communities.

The grants were approved in a public meeting of the Board of Trustees of Cuyahoga Arts & Culture at the Mandel Jewish Community Center in Beachwood. CAC’s five Board members voted unanimously to approve the grants, which were reviewed and scored by a national panel of experts in September.

Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) is one of the largest public funders of arts and culture in the nation, helping hundreds of organizations in Cuyahoga County connect millions of people to cultural experiences each year. Since 2007, CAC has invested more than $154 million in more than 300 organizations both large and small, making our community a more vibrant place to live, work and play. For more information, visit cacgrants.org.

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CAC Staff