CLEVELAND (May 15, 2018) – Neighborhood Connections has approved $293,118 in grants to support 101 projects in Cleveland and East Cleveland. Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, the local public funder for arts and culture, will co-fund 15 of the resident-led arts and culture projects through a partnership with Neighborhood Connections.
The grants co-funded by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture will fund projects such as:
- Dauntless Dancing Divas in Central received $4,500 to provide youth the opportunity of self expression through the art of motion and dance techniques. Funding will be used for uniforms, awards and traveling fees to dance competitions.
- LatinUs Theater in Clark Fulton was awarded $4,844 to do theater presentations using the street as a venue. The show will be free to the public and will feature the use of Big Heads (cabezones) that are popular at festivals in the Caribbean, Central America and Latin America.
- Lylesart in East Cleveland was awarded $1,482 to create a portrait-taking project to cultivate community engagement through the enrichment of film documentation, media literacy and social commitment.
- Slavic Village Artist Collective was awarded $1,240 to create a network of art gardens containing installations by local artists.
“We believe in the power of people to make extraordinary change together,” said Tom O’Brien, program director of Neighborhood Connections. “People really can make change in their own neighborhoods with a small investment in their work.” Since 2003, Neighborhood Connections has awarded more than 2,675 grants totaling more than $8 million to support resident-led grassroots projects in neighborhoods.
Neighborhood Connections’ grant program offers grants of up to $5,000 to groups of residents in Cleveland and East Cleveland who organize projects to improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods. Cuyahoga Arts & Culture invested $75,000 in Neighborhood Connections in 2018 to support additional community-based arts and culture activities organized by and for Cuyahoga County residents.
“By investing public dollars in Neighborhood Connections, we are demonstrating that we respect and believe in the power and creativity of residents in Cleveland and East Cleveland neighborhoods," said Jill Paulsen, deputy director of Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. “We’re honored to support residents' efforts to use arts and culture to make change in their communities."
Through this partnership with Neighborhood Connections, CAC has co-funded 301 resident-led arts and culture projects in Cleveland and East Cleveland since 2013. For a complete list of Neighborhood Connections grants awarded, see the attached list or visit neighborhoodgrants.org.
About Cuyahoga Arts & Culture
Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) is one of the largest 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 $170 million in 375 organizations both large and small, making our community a more vibrant place to live, work and play. For more information, visit cacgrants.org.
About Neighborhood Connections
Neighborhood Connections is a nationally recognized community-building program established in 2003. Its mission is to fuel the power of neighbors to create, together, an extraordinary world right where they live. Its small grants program is the largest in the country and is guided by a grantmaking committee made up of 23 Cleveland and East Cleveland residents. The committee reviews and approves all grants. Since 2003, Neighborhood Connections has awarded more than 2,675 grants totaling more than $8 million For more information, visit neighborhoodgrants.org.
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CAC Staff