Cuyahoga Arts & Culture Releases Report To The Community

by Amy Jung

Cuyahoga Arts & Culture Releases New Data Outlining Broad Impact of CAC Funds on Arts and Culture Sector in Cuyahoga County

Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) announced on April 9, 2012 new data outlining the broad impact of CAC funds on Cuyahoga County’s arts and culture sector. The data is part of CAC’s Report to the Community, which was released at its annual meeting, attended by board members, staff, and members of the community, this afternoon at the Idea Center at PlayhouseSquare. A PDF of the Report to the Community is available at www.cacgrants.org/report. Here you will also find links to videos that highlight three of our cultural partners.

“In 2006, Cuyahoga County residents expressed great pride and extraordinary support for our arts and cultural heritage by approving a dedicated source of public funds to support creative activity in our community,” said CAC Board President Sari Feldman. “Over the past five years, CAC has put these public dollars to work in our community to support arts and cultural organizations of all sizes and to help strengthen an arts and cultural ecosystem that is a key asset to our regional economy.”

The Report focuses on CAC’s work in strengthening community in Cuyahoga County by:

Investing in our local economy. CAC-funded organizations spend more than $286 million each year, including more than $140 million in salaries for 8,710 workers. And, for each $1 CAC invests in arts and culture, $19 is put back into Cuyahoga County’s economy.

Supporting education. CAC-funded organizations serve more than 1.2 million school-aged children, offering field trips for 23,000 students, and classes and workshops for more than 396,000 residents.

Enhancing our quality of life. CAC-funded organizations serve more than 6.4 million visitors each year, with 55 percent of those visits free of an admission charge. And, more than 17,000 volunteers help bring arts and culture to an even greater audience.

“This report demonstrates how CAC is living its mission: to inspire and strengthen the community by investing in arts and culture,” said CAC Executive Director Karen Gahl-Mills. “We are pleased that over the last five years, CAC has provided important momentum to positive changes taking place throughout our county.”

Recipients of CAC funding in the Lakewood area include: Cleveland Artists Foundation, Lakewood Historical Society, The Beck Center for the Arts, and LakewoodAlive's Front Porch Concert Series in 2012. Beck Center's President Cindy Einhouse said, "We are grateful to the citizens of Cuyahoga County for supporting public funding and recognizing that arts and culture is a tremendous asset for our communities."

In addition, CAC’s Board re-elected Sari Feldman as board president; elected Vickie Eaton Johnson as vice president; and elected Matthew Charboneau as secretary. The Board approved the guidelines for CAC’s Project Support grant program in 2013, and approved a grant for its Creative Workforce Fellowship program in 2013-14.

For information about operating support grants, visit http://cacgrants.org/file_uploads/file368.pdf For information about project support grants, visit http://cacgrants.org/file_uploads/file362.pdf. For general information about CAC, visit www.cacgrants.org or call 216-515-8303.