2022-2023
Report to the
Community
Photo: Chagrin Documentary Film Festival – Cody Linck, CAC-funded 12 years
Photo: Slavic Village Development – Lynn Rodemann, CAC-funded 10 years
Greetings from CAC
Last year, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture distributed more than $13 million to local nonprofits. We did so with a focus on equity, so the creative legacy of 2022 has the narratives of many instead of the few. We did so with a focus on transparency, being accountable for every grant dollar we distribute. We also did so with a focus on reliably supporting CAC-funded nonprofits because they are at the center of a healthy, vibrant community.
From one year to the next, arts and culture shapes Cuyahoga County’s stories, communities, and histories. Looking back on 2022, we celebrate the achievements of the 251 arts and culture nonprofits funded by the generosity of Cuyahoga County residents, knowing their work will serve as a catalyst for change and a source of inspiration for generations to come.
Jill Paulsen
Executive Director
Nancy Mendez
President, Board of Trustees
By the numbers
Impact
Did You Know? Cuyahoga Arts & Culture distributed more than $13 million in taxpayer dollars in 2022.
Our core grants:
• General Operating Support
• Project Support
• Cultural Heritage
CAC also invests in:
• Resident-Led Grantmaking
• Support for Artists
CAC Secures Federal Relief to Help Stabilize Arts Nonprofits
Arts and culture organizations plotted new ways forward in 2022 to serve the community. Cuyahoga Arts & Culture seized an unprecedented opportunity to bring financial relief to CAC-funded nonprofits with funds made possible by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
By amplifying the plight and impact of the county’s nonprofit arts and culture sector at the city, county and state government levels, CAC – and industry partner organization Assembly for the Arts – secured $3.3 million from Cuyahoga County Council. The $3.3 million was evenly split between CAC and Assembly ($1.65 million to each). Every dollar the County granted to CAC was distributed to nonprofits it funded in 2022 through the Nonprofit Arts Organization Relief Program.
Together with Assembly for the Arts, CAC has helped secure $7.8 million in recovery funding for the creative economy through American Rescue Plan Act and Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds provided by Cuyahoga County since 2020.
Statewide Recognition Applauds CAC’s DEI Efforts
Cuyahoga Arts & Culture strives to reflect the diversity of county residents through its annual grantmaking. Since 2016, CAC has led with the value of equity in its funding criteria, grantmaking practice, hiring, and resident engagement.
Last year, CAC received the Michael G. Shinn Award for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging in Philanthropy from Philanthropy Ohio for the agency’s efforts to implement equitable practices in organizational operations and its grantmaking.
Through CAC’s Cultural Heritage grant program, the agency provides flexible, multi-year support to organizations that serve culturally specific communities, many of which are historically underfunded. In 2022, 11 organizations received $215,014.
We aren’t alone in this ever evolving and continuous work. CAC-funded organizations across Cuyahoga County demonstrate their commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, too, through their programming, hiring practices, staff training and more.
CAC Recognized for 15 Years of Strong Financial Stewardship
Cuyahoga Arts & Culture is a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars. For 15 years in a row – every year since 2007 when CAC first began – Cuyahoga Arts & Culture has received clean audit opinions from the Ohio Auditor of State.
This means CAC financial records indicated no findings for “recovery, material citations, material weaknesses, significant deficiencies, Single Audit findings or questioned costs,” according to the Auditor of State. As a political subdivision of the State of Ohio, CAC is required to have an audit by Ohio Auditor of State each year to verify that public funds are spent appropriately and lawfully.
CAC’s public grantmaking process and use of data were featured as a best practice in Bloomberg Associates’ Arts Data in the Public Sector: Strategies for Local Arts Agencies report in 2022.
3x
Since 2016, the number of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color)-led and serving organizations receiving grants from CAC has tripled.
222%
From 2016 until 2022, funding to BIPOC-led and serving organizations increased by 222%.
91% of CAC’s Cultural Heritage grant recipients are BIPOC-led and serving.
In 2022, 59% of the expert panelists who reviewed and scored all grant applications identified as People of Color.
an essential partner
trusted steward of arts and culture funding
a strong voice for nonprofit organizations
Photo: ValleyArtCenter – Michaael Steinberg, CAC-funded 16 years
Find events near you
Upcoming Events
Organizations funded by CAC offer events and programs across Cuyahoga County. In partnership with Assembly for the Arts, CAC offers ClevelandArtsEvents.com to bring local arts and events information to you.
In 2022, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture supported thousands of arts and cultural events in hundreds of locations across Cuyahoga County.
2022 Unaudited
Financials
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($1,940,927)
Net Position
$15,664,197
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Enter your descriptionInvesting in 2023 – In November and December 2022, CAC approved $12,335,725 in grant awards for 2023, leveraging its unencumbered General Fund to support organizations and programs between 1/1/23 – 12/31/23.
Photo: Buck Out Foundation, CAC-funded 3 years
this funding was the head start the organization needed financially
we are grateful for this critical support
an effort to create a more diverse pipeline of art therapists
ioby and neighborhood connections
Resident-Led Grantmaking
Arts and culture is a powerful tool to make connections and build community within our neighborhoods. In 2022, CAC funded ioby and Neighborhood Connections to bring arts and culture to life in our communities – created by and for residents.
420 projects to date
Connecting local artists with the community
Support for Artists
With CAC support, Karamu House, SPACES, and Julia De Burgos Cultural Arts Center provided funding and resources to more than 30 local artists in 2022.
grants since 2018
Support for Artists grants provide artists:
flexible funding
project funding
access to physical space
professional development
connection to institutions
Looking ahead, we are pleased to work closely with Assembly for the Arts to build upon this work.
Photo: Cleveland Ballet – New Image Photography, CAC-funded 8 years
2023
Grant Recipients
CAC is proud to support hundreds of nonprofits that bring arts and culture to residents across Cuyahoga County in 2023.
Achievement Centers for Children
America Asian Pacific Islander Organization
American Hungarian Friends of Scouting
American Slovenian Polka Foundation
Artists Archives of the Western Reserve
Bellaire Puritas Development Corporation
Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging
BorderLight International Theatre + Fringe Festival
Broadway School of Music and the Arts
Brooklyn Heights Service Clubs
Case Western Reserve University
Catholic Charities Diocese of Cleveland
Cedar Fairmount Special Improvement District
Celebrate the Arts Performance Academy
Center for Arts-Inspired Learning
Chagrin Documentary Film Festival
Children’s Museum of Cleveland
Cleveland Association of Black Storytellers
Cleveland Chamber Music Society
Cleveland Classical Guitar Society
Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation
Cleveland Dance Project Company
Cleveland International Film Festival
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra
Cleveland Rocks: Past, Present and Future
Cleveland School of the Arts Board of Trustees
Cleveland Shakespeare Festival
Cleveland Silent Film Festival and Colloquium
Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project
Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio
Doan Brook Watershed Partnership
East Cleveland Farmers’ Market Preservation Society
Edward E. Parker Museum of Art
Friends of the East Cleveland Public Library
Friends of the McGaffin Carillon
Front Steps Housing and Services
Greater Cleveland Film Commission
Greater Cleveland Neighborhood Centers Association
Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival
Harvard Community Services Center
Hispanic Police Officers Association
Historic Gateway Neighborhood Corporation
Hospice of the Western Reserve
In Harmony Therapeutic Services
International Women’s Air & Space Museum
Jennings Center for Older Adults
Jewish Family Service Association of Cleveland
Jewish Federation of Cleveland
Jones Road Family Development Corporation
Julia De Burgos Cultural Arts Center
Lake Erie Nature & Science Center
Lakewood Young Filmmakers Academy
LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland
Little Italy Redevelopment Corporation
Morgan Art of Papermaking Conservatory and Educational Foundation
Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland
Music and Art at Trinity Cathedral
North East Ohio Musical Heritage Association
Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development
Poise Entertainment Education Inc
SOS: Strengthening Our Students
Stellar Acrobatic Dance Academy
Talespinner Children’s Theatre
The Association of African American Cultural Garden
Tremont West Development Corporation
Ukrainian Cultural Arts Association of Greater Cleveland
Union Miles Development Corporation
West Park Kamm’s Neighborhood Development
Western Reserve Historical Society
Western Reserve Land Conservancy
Westown Community Development Corporation
Windsong, Cleveland’s Feminist Chorus
a message of resilience and hope
creative art opportunities in an emotionally safe and supportive environment
we both look to inspire and strengthen our community
Photo: The LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland – Every Angle Photography and Pro Bono CLE, CAC-funded 6 years