Cuyahoga Arts & Culture’s Board of Trustees met on Tuesday, November 13, 2018 at Judson Manor in Cleveland. Here’s what you missed if you weren’t able to attend.
2019 Grants Announced
The meeting was celebratory as CAC’s Board of Trustees voted to approve $12,077,556 in grants to 282 Cuyahoga County nonprofit organizations in 2019. Next year, CAC welcomes 282 arts and culture organizations to be part of its grant programs – the largest number of organizations ever supported by CAC.
Specifically, the board approved:
- $10.2 million in unrestricted General Operating Support for 61 organizations, providing consistent funding for the 2018 and 2019 grant cycles, as planned. Grants were not recalculated, and each General Operating Support organization received the same amount as it did for 2018. Grants range from $11,000 to $1.1 million and support nonprofits that have a primary mission to provide arts or cultural services for the public.
- $1.89 million in Project Support grants to 221 organizations. 28 organizations will receive CAC funding for the first time in 2019. The Project Support grant program promotes and encourages the breadth of arts and cultural programming in our community by funding projects of all sizes in Cuyahoga County. Grants range from $1,500 to $27,600 and support a variety of programs and events.
Staff also recognized CAC’s investment of $75,000 in 2019 to support dozens of arts and culture projects led by residents in Cleveland and East Cleveland through a partnership with
Neighborhood Connections, the small-grants and community-building program affiliated with the Cleveland Foundation. These co-funded projects connect residents and empower neighbors to make changes in their communities. CAC has supported hundreds of resident-led projects since 2013 through this partnership.
Support for Artists
The board approved grants to nonprofit partners that will provide artists with professional development, project support, monetary support, and access to physical spaces in early 2019. The nonprofit partners were chosen with the help of CAC’s
Artist Network Leaders.
Specifically, the board approved:
- Cleveland Public Theatre – a grant of $90,000 to support the Premiere Fellowship. Through this program, five Cuyahoga County-based theater artists (a playwright, a director, an actor and two designers) will each receive a cash award, fees for their work, mentorship, professional development and access to space, equipment and other CPT assets related to the development and implementation of their Fellowship.
- Hispanic Business Center – a grant of $50,000 for La Villa Hispana Artist Colectivo. With this grant, the Hispanic Business Center will host four bilingual Art Entrepreneur sessions. Artists attending these sessions and meeting with a business advisor, provided through this program, will be invited to participate in a pop-up market. Up to six project grants will also be available to artists who participate in the directory and attend all of the training sessions.
- LAND studio – a grant of $55,000 for a series of four, full-day workshops on public art hosted at various locations throughout the City of Cleveland. Artists attending and leading the sessions will be compensated and lunch will be provided. LAND studio will tailor later sessions to incorporate feedback from artist participants.
- SPACES – a grant of $42,000 for an Urgent Art Fund. Five Cuyahoga County artists will be able to apply for awards and resources, including space, tools and professional development opportunities; to create new art that is socially, politically or culturally responsive. If necessary, SPACES will also help artist participants secure a location to display their work.
Executive Director Search: CAC Trustee Gary Hanson updated the board on the executive director search process. In October, more than 50 CAC stakeholders, including current and former trustees and CAC-funded organizations, offered input into qualities desired in CAC’s next leader. Trustee Hanson reported that a job description will be available in the coming weeks and the search process is on pace to have a new executive director named in the spring.
Looking Ahead
At the December board meeting, CAC’s Board of Trustees will discuss and set the agency’s 2019 budget. The Board is also expected to approve grants to Karamu House and Cleveland Neighborhood Progress to offer support to artists.
How can you stay informed?
The news section on our website and our e-newsletters are the best ways to keep on top of what’s happening at CAC.
Our next Board of Trustees Meeting will be on Tuesday, December 11, 2018 at Idea Center’s Miller Classroom in Cleveland. Learn more about Cuyahoga Arts & Culture’s Board of Trustees and view a schedule of upcoming meetings at
cacgrants.org/about-us/board.