Funding is available for independent, creative professionals that derive income from their art and are:

LOCAL: Reside in Cuyahoga County

PROFESSIONALLY CREATIVE:  Have been deriving income from creating, performing, teaching or assisting in the development of work in the disciplines of Craft, Dance, Design, Film, Media, Music, Theater & Performance, Traditional Arts, Visual Art or Writing, prior to March 1, 2020.

Applicants must provide evidence of creative work through sample images and/or electronic files or online information [e.g. websites, social media pages, etc.] indicating, work that has been created within the last five (5) years [e.g. websites, social media pages, etc.]

HAVE LOST INCOME: Lost income, or performance exhibition opportunities due to cancellations and closures after March 1, 2020

GIG WORKERS: Derive income from their creative practice through contract or gig work. Artists must not earn revenue through a registered creative business applying for the ARPA business program

ADULTS: Are at least 18 years old

LEGAL RESIDENTS: Can provide a SSN or tax ID number

• Limited to one application per artist. Duplicate applications will not be accepted
• Artists are ineligible if they:
  • Serve in an executive role at a nonprofit applying for ARPA funds through Cuyahoga Arts & Culture
  • Own or manage a creative business applying for ARPA funding through Assembly for the Arts
  • Are employees, board members, directors, or officers of Assembly for the Arts, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) or the Arts and Culture Action Committee (ACAC)

Funding determinations will be made based on the number of eligible applicants and will not exceed $2500.

All applications will be reviewed for funding determination after the September 30, 2022 deadline. Fund allocations will be determined based on a set of criteria including reported percentage income losses between 2019 through 2021 and a points value system that will be based on the following:

• Census Tract Data
• Federal Poverty Guidelines
• Social Determinants / Risk Factors

Census tract data will be collected through reverse residential address search using a verified census tool. Household size and income will be self-reported by applicants and used to determine where each applicant falls within the Federal Poverty Guidelines for 2022 in Ohio.

Social determinants and additional risk factors will be assessed using a series of questions related to financial, medical, food, housing, family and transportation security. *Questions and factors below in Appendix A

Priority will be given to those most impacted by pandemic closures including low-income families, high percentage of income losses due to business closures and individuals who are at greater risk due to having been historically marginalized. Informed by the Grantmakers in the Arts’ “Racial Equity: Statement of Purpose,” these communities include: African and African American; Latino/a; Asian and Asian American; Arab; Native American; Pacific Islander; lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer; transgender and gender variant people; people with disabilities; and women.

Demographic information will not be included in the application and will not be used in making final funding determinations. Assembly will collect this data from those who receive funds through the program and will be used for reporting and program assessment.

1. I am worried or concerned that in the next two months I may not have stable housing that I own, rent or stay in as a part of a household.
2. Within the past 12 months, I was worried that my food would run out before I got money to buy more.
3. I have not been able to travel to work or acquire household or medical essentials because of
   distance and/or because I lack access to transportation.
4. In the past 12 months I have had the electric, gas, oil, or water company threaten to shut off or actually shut off services in my home.
5. Problems getting child care make it difficult for me to work or study.
6. I do not currently have a job.
7. I often or sometimes worry that I don’t have enough money to pay my bills.
8. I have experienced discrimination due to my race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age and/or disability
9. My neighborhood has a high rate of violence, unsafe air or water, and/or other health and safety risks.
10. I have been unable to seek medical care due to a lack of health insurance.

Addressing the issues of:

• Loss of full-time, part-time or contract-based work due to COVID-19
• Lack of financial safety net
• Unmanageable debt
• High risk or chronic health conditions
• Lack of health insurance
• Living with a disability (physical, invisible, other)
• Financial responsibility for dependents
• Single parent status
• Refugee status
• Lack of access to reliable transportation
• Unstable housing / lack of housing security
• Of a group that experiences health disparities
• Offering creative practice for free due to school and business closures
• Additional costs directly resulting from COVID-19

These funds are to support individuals who are facing economic hardships due to COVID-19 pandemic. Having previously received CARES funding or other Coronavirus federal relief programs does not exclude artists from applying. However, Cuyahoga ARPA for Arts funds may not be used for costs you have incurred as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic or related directives or executive orders that have been PREVIOUSLY COVERED by the federal government via prior CARES Act funding or other federal relief programs. Reporting expenses for Cuyahoga ARPA that have been previously covered by other federal relief funding (will or may) result in returning your allocation to the federal government.

These funds may be used for:

• current and new living expenses
• childcare expenses
• rent, equipment and art materials
• other necessary items to maintain your artistic practice and future economic stability through that creative practice.

These funds may not be used for:

• Expenses already covered by previous federal relief funding programs
• Legal settlements
• Workforce bonuses
• Severance pay
• Reimbursements
• Political campaigns or candidates
• Illegal activity

Funded artists will have the option to have their name released publicly as part of the ARPA for Arts funding program and will be required to report to Assembly for the Arts on how funds were spent.

• Limited to one application per business/TIN-EIN number.
• Businesses are ineligible if they are
  • Publicly-traded
  • Multinational
  • Currently in receivership or bankruptcy
  • The business owner serves in an executive role at a nonprofit applying for ARPA funds through Cuyahoga Arts & Culture
  • The business owner is applying for ARPA funds as an Artist through Assembly for the Arts
  • Business owner is an employee, board member, director, or officer of Assembly for the Arts, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) or Assembly for Action

Eligible businesses will receive up to the maximum funding amount for their budget size:

Fund allocations will be determined based on a set of criteria including reported percentage revenue losses between 2019 through 2021. Businesses are required to indicate a 45% decline in revenue based on reported gross revenue from calendar years 2019 through 2021. Businesses are additionally required to report their incurred 2021 expenses. Expense totals will not be used in determining grant size but will be used to validate budget size.

Should the number of businesses applying for ARPA funds exceed the amount of available dollars, funding determinations will be made using a points value system, based on the following:

• Census tract data
• Marginalized group factors
• Previous receipt of CARES funding from Arts Cleveland

These funds are to support small creative for-profit businesses facing economic hardships due to COVID-19 pandemic. Having previously received CARES funding or other Coronavirus federal relief programs does not exclude businesses from applying. However, Cuyahoga ARPA for Arts funds may not be used for costs you have incurred as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic or related directives or executive orders that have been PREVIOUSLY COVERED by the federal government via prior CARES Act funding or other federal relief programs. Reporting expenses for Cuyahoga ARPA that have been previously covered by other federal relief funding may result in returning your allocation to the federal government.

This funding may be used for:

• Rent and/or mortgage assistance
• Staff Retention
• Emergency planning/staff training
• Additional security/safety personnel
• PPE Items
• COVID-19 venue upgrades, including purchase of other new equipment or software for safety protocols
• Insurance premiums
• Licenses, fees, real estate and other local taxes
• Utilities
• Existing loans
• Recouping deferred expenses due to cancelled events including artist deposits, ticket refunds, etc.
• Special projects
• Support for artists and creators

Funding may not be used for:

• Unrelated real estate
• Costs previously covered by federal pandemic relief programs
• Legal settlements
• Workforce bonuses
• Severance pay reimbursements
• Political campaigns or candidates
• Illegal activity