CAC announces 2012 general operating support grants

At its Dec. 12 board meeting, the Cuyahoga Arts & Culture’s (CAC) board of trustees approved 66 general operating grants, totaling $13,980,960, to arts and cultural organizations in Cuyahoga County in 2012. 

Heights-based organizations received a total of $301,563 in general operating support. Apollo’s Fire received $97,094; the Contemporary Youth Orchestra, $27,696; Dobama Theatre, $33,680; Heights Arts, $22,090, Heights Youth Theatre, $19,144; the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, $60,711;  and Roots of American Music, $41,148.

“General Operating Support grants strengthen our community by providing critical support to Cuyahoga County’s arts and cultural organizations,” said Karen Gahl-Mills, executive director of CAC.  “These investments play a key role in keeping Cuyahoga County’s great cultural institutions available and accessible to all in our community.”

"We've been receiving Cuyahoga County tax dollars since the voters passed Issue 18 in 2006," said Peggy Spaeth, director of Heights Arts. "We are very lucky to live where people recognize that public sector funding is essential to the sustainability of arts and culture. We return every tax dollar invested by the public many times over in the services that we provide to our community."

The General Operating Support (GOS) grant program is designed to provide unrestricted core support for established, fiscally sound arts or cultural organizations in Cuyahoga County that consistently offer high quality services to a broad audience. The GOS grants are offered every two years through a highly competitive application process. The grants announced Dec. 12 represent funding for the second year of the cycle.  

Since 2007, CAC has invested more than $80 million in 182 local arts and cultural organizations. In 2009, CAC grantees generated nearly $280 million in local economic activity and supported 5,000 local jobs.  For more information, visit www.cacgrants.org or call 216-515-8303.