Crain's editorial: The wages of sin (taxes)
Date: December 05, 2024
Source: Crain’s Cleveland Business editorial board
Abstract:
Sin isn’t what it used to be — at least when it comes to paying for stadiums and arenas.
It’s creating some financial challenges for Cleveland and Cuyahoga County that cry out for a fresh approach to making sure the sports facilities are maintained properly, without compromising the ability to support vital services and public spaces for taxpayers.
Both Cuyahoga County Council and Cleveland City Council this week approved measures to pay off the nonprofit Gateway Economic Development Corp.‘s debt to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Cleveland Guardians for more than $40 million in repairs at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and Progressive Field, respectively…
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The timeframe is different, but the principle is the same when it comes to the tax used to fund nonprofits arts and culture organizations in Cuyahoga County.
About 70% of county voters last month approved a big increase in the tax, which was set to expire in 2027. (This tax is separate from the sin tax on alcohol and cigarettes that funded the construction of the Gateway sports complexes.) Voters initially passed the 30-cent-per-pack tax in 2006, and it has done its job, generating a total of about $250 million since then, about 95% of which is distributed as grants by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC).
The tax, though, was generating about half of what it used to produce as fewer people smoke. The increase voters approved on Nov. 5 raises the tax to 70 cents per pack and, as CAC executive director Jill Paulsen said in the wake of the vote, “extends the feasibility to make grants until 2035.”
That’s a good thing. An economic and social impact study conducted in 2023 by the nonprofit Americans for the Arts found that Cuyahoga County’s nonprofit arts and culture industry generated a little more than $533 million in economic activity in 2022. These kinds of studies can be self-serving and are better seen as estimates than precision measurements, but there’s little doubt that the arts and culture sector is vital to the economy and the quality of life of this region.
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Cleveland Artists Represent the Region at the 2024 Miami Art Week
The City of Cleveland’s Arts, Culture, and Creative Economy Department is proud to collaborate with the Prizm Art Fair, held December 3 through December 8
Cleveland – November 26, 2024 – Continuing its commitment to bolstering Cleveland’s artistic community, the City of Cleveland is proud to support eight local artists—spanning mid-career, seasoned, and emerging talents—participating in the prestigious Prizm Art Fair during Miami Art Week, one of the premier events in the global contemporary art scene.
This exceptional opportunity provides Cleveland’s artists with invaluable exposure to national and international collectors, curators, and institutions, further cementing the city’s reputation as a hub for artistic innovation.
Cuyahoga County Passes Issue 55, the Cigarette Tax to Continue Funding the Arts
Date: November 5, 2024
Source: Cleveland SCENE
Abstract:
Residents on Tuesday passed Issue 55 by a wide margin, with about 72% supporting a tax hike on cigarettes and tobacco products to continue to fund the arts through Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.
The independent government entity will now receive more money from the revised tax—three-and-a-half cents more per smoke, up from its current tax rate of one-and-a-half cents — to turn over to artists and arts groups through grants. With smoking rates decreasing, annual funding had dipped from $20 million to $10 million over the past two decades.
Arts and culture funding extended as voters back Issue 55
Date: November 5, 2024
Source: Signal Cleveland
Abstract:
Cuyahoga County voters approved a cigarette tax that will continue to provide arts and culture funding in the county.
Here are the unofficial results as of midnight with 342,091 (71.52%) votes for the measure and 136,222 (28.48%) votes against.
Cuyahoga County cigarette tax proponents claim victory as strong vote tally continues
Date: November 5, 2024
Source: Cleveland.com
Abstract:
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Proponents of raising Cuyahoga County’s cigarette tax to pay for the arts are claiming victory as the ballot measure continues to garner strong support into Tuesday night.
With 478,313 votes counted, 342,091 votes (71.5%) have been cast for Issue 55 and 136,222 votes (28.5%) have been cast against it. So far, 902 of 967 precincts have reported. Absentee ballots have also been counted.
Cuyahoga County Issue 55 passes, increasing the cigarette tax for the arts
Date: November 6, 2024
Source: ideastream
Abstract:
About 70% of voters approved increasing the cigarette tax funding the arts in Cuyahoga County Tuesday.
A 30-cent-per-pack tax was first passed by voters in 2006, but revenues have dropped by about half as fewer people light up. Issue 55 more than doubles the tax per pack to 70 cents. The funds are distributed by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. Ideastream Public Media receives a portion of its funding from CAC and also contributed to the Issue 55 campaign.
Assembly for the Arts Awards $170,000 to 17 Artists through the 2024 Creative Impact Fund
Date: October 23, 2024
Source: FreshWater Cleveland
Abstract:
Assembly for the Arts, the nonprofit focused on increasing equity in the region’s arts and culture community, announced in September that it has awarded $170,000 to 17 artists through the 2024 Creative Impact Fund. Each recipient will receive $10,000 in unrestricted funding to support their creative practices.
Now in its second year, the Creative Impact Fund is one of the largest unrestricted grant funds available to Cuyahoga County artists. It provides critical support to artists in maintaining their creative missions and connecting more deeply with the Cleveland community.
Individual Artists: Yes, Yes, and Yes
Source: CAN Journal, Michael Gill
Date: August 6, 2025
Abstract:
The phrase “preaching to the choir” is made for moments like this: CAN Journal’s endorsement in favor of Cuyahoga County’s cigarette tax for the arts might seem completely unnecessary. Our readers are interested in art and artists, and the organizations that support them, and Collective Arts Network (CAN) has benefitted directly from the tax through general operating support for the last half-dozen years. Our endorsement is no surprise. Nonetheless, the last year’s discussion about Cuyahoga Arts and Culture (CAC) gives us a good reason to weigh in.
'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.