November Board Meeting Recap

If you couldn’t attend our November Board meeting, here’s what you missed:

Record-Number General Operating Support and Project Support Grants Announced
Cuyahoga Arts & Culture’s Board of Trustees approved its largest slate of grants totaling more than $12 million to 257 organizations at its November 13 meeting at the Cleveland History Center. After the meeting, an informal reception was held to celebrate the newest grant recipients.

Specifically, CAC granted:
  • $10,200,000 to 61 organizations through General Operating Support, which provides core support for 501c3 nonprofit arts and cultural organizations based in Cuyahoga County.
  • $1,757,910 to 196 organizations through Project Support, which offers grants up to $30,000 for 501c3 organizations providing arts and cultural projects to residents of Cuyahoga County.

The grants made at the November 13 meeting reflect CAC’s mission to strengthen the community and commitment to supporting arts and culture organizations of all sizes. Even though CAC has less – resulting in reductions to both programs – it is encouraging to see the variety of grants, ranging from just over $1,000 to nearly $1.2 million.

Public Forums Announced
In response to feedback from the community, the Board announced it would hold a regular series of community meetings throughout 2018 at locations around Cuyahoga County. The meetings will allow for dialogue between the Board and the community, will create a more consistent feedback loop, and will offer a mechanism to share ideas and talents. The first meeting, in late January, will be focused on how CAC makes its program allocation decisions; we will announce the date prior to our December Board meeting. 

A Call for Unity
We’d also like to take this opportunity to thank Megan Van Voorhis, incoming CEO of Community Partnership for Arts and Culture, for her impassioned comments that closed our meeting on Monday evening. She reminds us all that it can’t be about “bigs versus smalls, or artists versus organizations.” Indeed, we are all stronger working together. We encourage you to stay connected to CPAC’s work and coalition building efforts.

Looking Ahead
The Board has its final meeting of the year on December 11 at 4 pm, Miller Classroom at Idea Center, 1375 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115. At the meeting, the Board will be asked to approve the 2018 operating budget. With decreasing revenues, CAC staff plans to put forward a 2018 budget with decreased overhead expenses. Finally, the Support for Artists Planning Team will share its recommendations on how CAC can provide meaningful support to artists in the future. Please view the draft recommendations, which were previewed at a community meeting on November 14.

Cuyahoga Arts & Culture is governed by a Board of Trustees consisting of five members who serve rotating three-year terms without compensation. Board members are appointed by the Cuyahoga County Executive and confirmed by Cuyahoga County Council. All meetings are open to the public, and members of the community are welcome to attend. 

Learn more about Cuyahoga Arts & Culture’s Board of Trustees and view a schedule of upcoming meetings at cacgrants.org/about-us/board



Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) is one of the largest 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 2007, CAC has invested more than $170 million in 375 organizations both large and small, making our community a more vibrant place to live, work and play. For more information, visit cacgrants.org.