CLEVELAND (December 9, 2025) – Neighborhood Connections has approved $273,778 in grants to support 81 projects in Cleveland and East Cleveland. Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC), the local public funder for arts and culture, will co-fund 16 of these resident-led arts and culture projects through a partnership with Neighborhood Connections.  

Highlights of the grants include: 

• Big in the Arts Outreach was awarded $3,250 to host workshops for young people in Lee Harvard to learn about film making and playwriting.  
• The Returning Artists Guild, Cleveland, located in St. Clair Superior, was awarded $3,250 to host a community conversation, panel discussion, and artist showcase based on the ramifications of incarceration. 
   
• Universal Love ENT, located in Union Miles, was awarded $4,000 to allow youth the space to explore art-based activities that promote creativity, social connections & self-expression. 

“The Neighbor Up Action Grant Committee is honored to provide financial and technical support, as well as other resources, to these 81 amazing grassroots groups and organizations. The groups and organizations that received funding are creating spaces for community members to come together to build trust, support one another, learn from each other, and act together on issues they care about,” said Tom O’Brien, Director of Neighborhood Connections. “Neighborhood Connections, through the 31 members of the Action Grant Committee, is proud to support community members to create more space for what they value.”  

Cuyahoga Arts & Culture granted $60,500 to Neighborhood Connections in 2025 to support community-based arts and culture activities organized by and for Cuyahoga County residents.  CAC defines arts and culture broadly to include nature, science, cultural heritage, and history in addition to other art forms. Through this partnership with Neighborhood Connections, CAC has co-funded more than 510 resident-led arts and culture projects in Cleveland and East Cleveland since 2013.  

"Cuyahoga Arts & Culture is proud to partner with Neighborhood Connections in providing accessible funding to grassroots organizations within our community” said Jill M. Paulsen, executive director of Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. "These groups continue to demonstrate the importance of equitable grantmaking to organizations and projects of all sizes.” 

Since 2003, Neighborhood Connections has invested more than $18 million in resident-led projects in Cleveland and East Cleveland. 

Neighbor Up Action Grants are offered two times each year to groups of residents in Cleveland and East Cleveland and to create and implement initiatives that improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods. Groups are encouraged to work with partners and to propose creative solutions to challenges in their community.  

View a list of funded projects here.

About Neighborhood Connections 

Neighborhood Connections is a nationally recognized community-building program established in 2003. Its mission is to fuel the power of neighbors to create, together, an extraordinary world right where they live. Our small grants program is one of the largest in the country. For more information, visit NeighborUpCLE.org. 

About Cuyahoga Arts & Culture 

Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) is the region’s largest funder for arts and culture, helping hundreds of organizations in Cuyahoga County connect millions of people to cultural experiences each year. Since 2006, CAC has invested more than $270 million in over 500 organizations, making our community a more vibrant place to live, work and play. For more information, visit cacgrants.org.