Collinwood and other Cleveland Arts and Culture Organizations receive over $65 million in Cuyahoga Arts & Culture Grants

In 2006, Cuyahoga County approved a ten-year cigarette tax to support local arts and culture. At the halfway mark, CAC, the public entity which administers the tax dollars, has granted more than $65 million dollars to 150 local arts organizations, big and small. Arts Collinwood received $27,000 for its Portfolio Project, an after school program which allows middle and high school students to work with and learn from professional artists and create a public work of art.

Arts Collinwood Director, Cheryl Carter, said, “CAC’s work keeps our city culturally enriched and vibrant. We are excited to be part of this public funding program which allows us to continue reaching children in our area. Through the arts, we are not only providing them with important lifelong skills such as critical thinking and collaboration, but also keeping them motivated and engaged in education.”

Cuyahoga Arts & Culture grants reflect a major public investment and have had a significant impact on the economy, education, and our local quality of life.  CAC-funded organizations are responsible for more than $280 million in local economic activity.  CAC-funded organizations employ more than 5,000 staff and contractors; more than important regional employers like Sherwin-Williams, American Greetings or Parker Hannifin.

CAC funded organizations have increased arts and culture programming for children to where more than  one-million school children attend arts and culture events each year.  After school and weekend classes and workshops have increased by 103 percent, and tuition for paid classes has dropped by 8 percent.

Arts and Culture is also reaching more people than ever. CAC-funded organizations have expanded their offerings of cultural activities by 25 percent since this funding became available, to almost 24,000 events and classes each year.   Attendance at both free and paid events is also up by 7 percent, to more than 7.7 million annual visits in this county of 1.28 million residents.

“We have long been saying that the arts and culture aren’t just extras,” said CAC Executive Director, Karen Gahl-Mills. “It’s extremely gratifying to have the data now to back up that statement. We’re not just paying for things that are nice to have; we’re investing in the infrastructure of this county and helping to make it the world-class region that we all know it can be.”

CAC’s 2010 Report to the Community is available online at www.cacgrants.org.