Cuyahoga Arts & Culture’s Board of Trustees met on Wednesday, September 9, 2020. Here’s what you missed if you weren’t able to listen to the virtual meeting stream.
COVID-19’s Impact on Arts Nonprofits
The staff delivered a mid-year report from 65 Cuyahoga County-based arts nonprofits on the impact of COVID-19 through end of June 2020. The nonprofits reported laying off, furloughing or cancelling the contracts of 2,533 people, resulting in a loss of compensation totaling $8.2M. These same groups reported a revenue loss of $41.7M. More information can be found
here.
CAC is doing as much as we can to provide steady support to the organizations we fund now and in the future. In April, we accelerated our grant payments of $5.1M by 9 months to these 65 organizations, helping some of them retain staff and temporarily improve cash flow as most groups waited on PPP loans. We have committed to steady operating support funding in 2021 so local arts organizations can plan ahead.
Other Matters
The Board voted to:
- Elect Dr. Michele Scott Taylor as Secretary of the Board of Trustees;
- Approve a flexible, one-year lease with Playhouse Square Partners for CAC’s current offices;
- Approve internal financial controls policies, as is done annually;
- Support the strategic alliance process and its next phase of planning. This work allows CAC, Arts Cleveland and the Arts and Culture Action Committee to work better together to support and advocate for organizations, artists and the broader creative economy.
How can you stay informed?
Our
blog and
e-newsletters are the best ways to keep on top of what's happening at CAC. Our board meeting minutes and agenda packets are published on our
website. You can review those to see any previous actions our board has taken and for updates on other key projects.
Learn more about Cuyahoga Arts & Culture's Board of Trustees and view a schedule of upcoming meetings at
cacgrants.org/about-us/board. CAC's Board of Trustees meetings are always open to the public.
CAC’s Board of Trustees will next meet Tuesday, November 10, 2020 at 4 p.m. to approve 2021 Project Support and General Operating Support grants.