CLEVELAND – Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) approved grants today totaling $10,750,847 to support 300 Cuyahoga County nonprofit organizations of all sizes in 2025 through CAC’s General Operating Support, Project Support and Cultural Heritage grant programs. Since 2006, CAC has invested more than $257 million in 500 organizations.

The grants were approved by CAC’s Board of Trustees during a public meeting on Wednesday, November 20, 2024. A diverse and impartial panel of arts and cultural experts from outside the region reviewed and scored Project Support grant applications in September. General Operating Support and Cultural Heritage grants are entering the second year of a two-year grant cycle.

“We are excited to make these grants to 300 nonprofit organizations that serve residents in every zip code in Cuyahoga County,” said Jill M. Paulsen, CAC’s executive director. “Among the organizations receiving grants are steadfast community pillars like The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Music Settlement, Karamu House and others that we’ve funded since CAC began.  We’re also proud to support 15 organizations that will receive CAC funding for the first time, such as the Association of Asian Indian Women in Ohio, Euclid Symphony Orchestra and RhythmiCLE Sound Tap Company. We make these grants with heartfelt gratitude for Cuyahoga County voters who recently approved an increase in CAC funding through 2035, which is a sign that county residents appreciate the exceptional work of these 300 organizations,” Paulsen said.

Funding for the grant programs is as follows:

• CAC’s General Operating Support program provides unrestricted, multi-year support grants to arts and cultural organizations based in and serving Cuyahoga County. This is the second year of a two-year grant commitment for these organizations. 70 organizations will receive General Operating Support grants totaling $8,983,725 in 2025. Grants range in size from $11,760 to The Cleveland Opera to $872,000 to Playhouse Square.
• The Project Support grant program promotes and encourages the breadth of arts and cultural programming in our community by funding projects of all sizes in Cuyahoga County. 217 total projects will share grant amounts totaling $1,546,680 in 2025. Grants range in size from $1,505 for the Association of Asian Indian Women in Ohio to $18,040 for the Cleveland Cultural Gardens.
• The Cultural Heritage grant program provides flexible funding for organizations with a primary mission of arts and culture that are representative of a culturally specific population. In total, 13 organizations will share grants totaling $220,442 in 2025. Grants range in size from $5,000 to the Cleveland Association of Black Storytellers to $30,000 each to Foluke Cultural Arts, Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival and Julia De Burgos Cultural Arts Center.

The 2025 grant amounts are not impacted by the increased cigarette tax approved by voters in November 2024. CAC will begin collecting the new tax monthly starting in March 2025 and anticipates higher revenues to impact grantmaking starting in 2026.

Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) is one of the largest local public funders for arts and culture in the nation, helping hundreds of organizations in Cuyahoga County connect millions of people to cultural experiences each year. Since 2006, CAC has invested more than $257 million in 500 organizations both large and small, making our community a more vibrant place to live, work and play. For more information, visit cacgrants.org.

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View a list of the approved grants.