ARTIST FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NOW AVAILABLE THROUGH ASSEMBLY FOR THE ARTS 

Creative Impact Fund applications due May 7 

PRESS RELEASE March 16, 2023
Media Contact: Malissa Bodmann, 216-536-7517 

CLEVELAND, OHIO — Assembly for the Arts has launched an artist funding opportunity for 16 artists to create transformational arts projects in redlined communities that lack arts investment developing areas of significant arts activity in Cleveland and East Cleveland. 

Called the Creative Impact Fund, it is open to artists or collectives of all expressions, including but not limited to painting, sculpture, photography, film/motion pictures, dance, ballet, theatre, music, comedy/improv, writing/literature, architecture, graphic design, craft, and fashion. Priority will be given to artists of color and art collectives with diverse representation. Creative Impact Fund is made possible by a $140,000 Support for Artists grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. Individual artists, artist collectives, and informal groups are encouraged to apply. Applicants must be residents of Cuyahoga County and age 18 and older. 

Jeremy V. Johnson, president and CEO of Assembly for the Arts, said the organization is excited to launch another artist funding opportunity. “As Assembly works to ‘expand the pie’ and increase equity in Cleveland’s arts and culture scene, we look forward to investing these public funds in underrepresented areas of Cleveland and East Cleveland,” he said. “Artists are an important part of the creative economy, and getting dollars into their hands helps them and the communities in which they create.” 

The Creative Impact Fund includes: 

  • •$6,250 includes up to $2,500 in unrestricted support and $3,750 in projectsupport
  • •Support from Assembly’s staff who will advise project leads in attaining theirproject goals via marketing and professional development support and connections to institutional partners, potential collaborators or thought partners
  • •Assembly for the Arts Membership

Applications are due May 7, 2023. Information sessions will be held in person and virtually. Learn more at www.assemblycle.org/creativeimpactfund. 

Assembly for the Arts’ Creative Impact Fund is supported in part by the residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. 

ABOUT 

Assembly for the Arts is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a focus on advocacy, cultural policy, racial equity initiatives, research, marketing that elevates the region, and services for nonprofits, artists, and creative businesses. It is governed by a volunteer board with a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion. Assembly by design operates in close partnership with Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, a government agency, and Assembly for Action, a 501(c)4 political action nonprofit to serve the entire creative sector. Assembly is supported through major funding from: The Cleveland Foundation, The George Gund Foundation, The Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, Ohio Arts Council, Huntington, KeyBank, The George W. Codrington Charitable Foundation, Fred & Laura Beth Bidwell, and Barbara S. Robinson. www.assemblycle.org