Cuyahoga County: $3.3 million
Cuyahoga County has proposed an allocation of $3.3 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to help bolster the creative economy, County Executive Armond Budish and County Council President Pernel Jones, Jr. recently announced. The relief funding was secured through a collaborative effort of Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) and Assembly for the Arts. Following approval by County Council, funds will be evenly divided between CAC and Assembly for the Arts. CAC will develop guidelines for distribution to eligible CAC nonprofit grant recipients that have a primary mission of arts and culture. Assembly will similarly develop guidelines for distribution to arts-related small businesses and creative workers.
Milestones
- March 28, 2022: Cuyahoga County to Award $3.3 Million in American Rescue Plan Act Funds to Cuyahoga Arts & Culture and Assembly for the Arts
- July 5, 2022: Cuyahoga County Approves $3.3 Million in Funding Made Possible by American Rescue Plan Act to Cuyahoga Arts & Culture and Assembly for the Arts to Support the Creative Economy
City of Cleveland: $10 million
Commit 2% of the $500 million+ Cleveland is receiving in federal ARPA funds to Arts & Culture!
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the creative sector hard. An ARPA investment of $10 million helps protect and brings jobs to EVERY neighborhood. We are creative businesses. We are cultural nonprofits. We are individual artists and so much more. We remain anchors for neighborhoods all over the city. ARPA funds will protect one of our greatest assets that is central to Cleveland’s economy and identity.
Milestones
- October 18, 2021: Presentation by Jeremy Johnson at Cleveland City Council meeting
- December 6, 2021: Presentation by Jeremy Johnson at Cleveland City Council meeting
- March 3, 2022: Artists for ARPA Postcard Party – East
- February 24, 2022: Artists for ARPA Postcard Party – West
- February 8, 2022: Mayor Bibb announces recommendation in his transition report to allocate $10 million to arts and culture
- March 28, 2022: Artists for ARPA Rally and presentation at Cleveland City Council meeting
- June 27: Cleveland City Council president includes arts and culture as in unveiling $53 million spending plan for federal ARPA aid
Action Steps
- Awaiting vote by Cleveland City Council members in support of recommendation by Assembly for the Arts and Mayor Bibb
Why rescue arts and culture?
In 2019, the City of Cleveland had 15,849 jobs by creative industries alone and generated $2.9b in sales within our local economy. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has devastated our community – taking away the ability of many artists, arts organizations, and creative businesses to survive. The unprecedented financial damage rose to $146 million and impacted 5,000 jobs in Cleveland-area cultural nonprofits alone.
This sector’s recovery is essential to the recovery of Cleveland as a whole. Every day, our sector makes positive differences in:
- Education
- Public Safety
- Health Care
- Mental Health
- Community Revitalization
- Regional Tourism
- Retail + Hospitality
- Resident Well-being
As people around the globe start to recover from the pandemic, local creatives in your neighborhood are still struggling, but we have a plan.
