Bibb Administration Launches Transformative Arts Fund, Nearly $3 Million in Grants Now Available to Local Artists
Between 6 to 12 Cleveland-Centric Projects Will Receive Awards Ranging from $250,000 to $500,000
Wednesday, January 31, 2024 — Cleveland — Mayor Justin M. Bibb announced nearly $3 million is now available for local artists through the City’s Transformative Arts Fund (TAF) grant program. The program will provide funding for projects and initiatives led by Cleveland-based artists. The application portal opened today and those who are interested have until 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, March 30 to apply.
“Our local creative community provides the heartbeat that keeps our neighborhoods vibrant and alive – they inspire our children, bring difficult societal challenges to light, and empower us to take action,” said Mayor Bibb. “This transformative-level of funding we will be providing is designed to award artists who propose projects that will have a sustained, positive impact in the community long after they are completed.”
'It's gonna create an art renaissance': CLE artists awarded $3M to create public art projects in neighborhoods
Source: News5
Date: July 18, 2024
Abstract:
The City of Cleveland says the grant program will support artists who partner with institutional partners to create art that reflects the diversity and richness of the city.
CLEVELAND — Wednesday, the City of Cleveland announced funding for seven public art and place-making projects to bolster artists and strengthen neighborhoods. At that time, Rhonda K. Brown, the city’s senior strategist for arts, culture and the creative economy, said, “it’s an opportunity for artist to partner with corporations, schools and any public/private entity.”
The true value of Cuyahoga Arts and Culture tax - a thriving community: Geralyn M. Presti and Chinenye Nkemere
Source: Cleveland.com, Opinion
Date: July 8, 2024
Abstract: CLEVELAND — Millions of people from across the socioeconomic spectrum benefit annually from Cuyahoga County’s robust, publicly funded arts and culture nonprofit scene. Our arts and culture sector creates thousands of family-supporting jobs, pumps hundreds of millions into our economy, drives tourism, offers thousands of opportunities, experiences, and safe alternatives for schoolchildren, enhances neighborhoods, and is a source of pride for our region.
Nearly 500 organizations throughout the county have received funding from our voter-supported 1.5-cent tax on cigarettes since its inception. Those organizations provide many programs for our diverse population, tens of thousands of Cleveland area schoolchildren, and hundreds of thousands of residents at no cost.
Cuyahoga County cigarette tax increase heading to November ballot
Source: Kaitlin Durbin, cleveland.com
Published: June 4, 2024
CLEVELAND, Ohio — To support the arts, Cuyahoga County Council on Tuesday voted to send a proposed increase to the county’s cigarette tax to the November ballot.
It will be up to voters to decide whether to replace the 1.5-cent-per-cigarette rate first approved in 2006 with a new 3.5-cent-per-cigarette tax. The change would increase taxes on each pack of cigarettes from 30 cents to 70 cents.
Council passed the resolution unanimously. None of the members commented.
Cuyahoga County Arts and Culture board votes to ask County Council to put cigarette tax increase on November ballot
Source: Cleveland.com, Steven Litt
Date: April 29, 2024
Abstract:
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Board members of Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, the government agency that distributes cigarette tax money to the arts, voted unanimously on Monday to ask Cuyahoga County Council to approve a November ballot item that would enable county voters to increase the tax from 1.5 cents to 3.5 cents per cigarette.
The tax could raise an estimated $160 million between 2026 and 2035 and bolster revenues that have declined sharply since voters first approved the tax in 2006. In its first year of funding, the 10-year tax produced roughly $20 million for arts and cultural organizations across the county.
Cuyahoga Arts & Culture resolves to place cigarette tax increase on November ballot
Source: ideastream, Kabir Bhatia
Date: April 29, 2024
Abstract: Cuyahoga Arts & Culture has taken its first step toward increasing the county cigarette tax from 30-cents-per-pack to 70 cents.
At a special meeting Monday, the board approved a resolution asking County Council to place an expansion of the tax on the November 2024 ballot. The new amount is estimated to generate about $160 million over the next decade.
The 70-cent figure was decided after extensive research, according to Jeff Rusnak of R Strategy Group.
“The voters really respect and admire our arts and cultural sector,” he said. “They have invested in it for nearly two decades and that has paid off. Three-and-a-half cents per cigarette is a small ask that produces really big impact.”
CAC Trustees Approve a Resolution Requesting November Tax Levy to Fund Cuyahoga Arts & Culture Through 2035
CAC Trustees Approve a Resolution Requesting November Tax Levy to Fund Cuyahoga Arts & Culture Through 2035
Replacement Levy Could Generate $160M Over 10 Years, Expand Public Investment in Hundreds of Nonprofit Arts Organizations
CLEVELAND (April 29, 2024) – Today, the Cuyahoga Arts & Culture Board of Trustees approved a resolution to Cuyahoga County Council requesting a tax levy be placed on the November 2024 ballot to replace and expand CAC’s dedicated tax resource.
The resolution, approved unanimously by CAC’s Trustees in a public meeting, formally requests that Cuyahoga County Council submit the question of the replacement levy to Cuyahoga County voters at the November 5, 2024 general election. Cuyahoga Arts & Culture’s sole revenue source is a tax on cigarettes sold in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. The tax would continue to provide public funding for the operations of Cuyahoga County’s arts and cultural nonprofits.
Embracing the Power of Art: A Call for Change
Source: The Cleveland Observer, Vince Robinson
Date: April 19, 2024
Abstract: In a recent gathering hosted by the City Club of Cleveland, titled “The Changing Landscape of Arts and Culture in Northeast Ohio,” Rhonda Brown, Chief Strategist for Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy, led a thought-provoking discussion alongside Jeremy Johnson, President and CEO of the Assembly for the Arts. This nonprofit organization, dedicated to advocating for and researching the arts, plays a crucial role in supporting artists, nonprofits, and creative businesses in Cuyahoga County.
Johnson highlighted a striking statistic from an economic impact study by Americans for the Arts: in 2022, Cuyahoga County’s nonprofit arts and culture sector generated over $533 million in economic activity. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, Johnson emphasized the resilience of the industry and the urgent need to sustain its momentum.
Leadership in Action
Source: Cleveland Magazine
Date: March 21, 2024
Abstract: Discover what it means to be a leader — and what issues they face — in Cleveland in 2024. By Jill Sell
Superman can lift cars over his head, bounce bullets off his chest and crush coal into diamonds with his hands. He’s capable of freezing people with his breath and melting objects with heat beams from his eyes. If the occasion warrants it, the superhero can even alter the orbit of the planets…
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Cleveland’s arts and culture scene historically has been the envy of many other cities. In addition to the priceless contributions to education, creativity and the nourishment of our souls, the economic boost the region receives from museums, concerts, theater, etc., is impressive. According to the City of Cleveland Planning Commission, “the arts contribute more than $1.3 billion annually to the regional economy.”
“Cleveland also has one of the most publicly and privately supported arts communities in the country,” says Jeremy Johnson, who has been president and CEO of Assembly for the Arts, a regional arts council, since 2021.