Cuyahoga Arts & Culture Project Support Grants

The Cuyahoga Arts & Culture Project Support grant program is a local public funding opportunity designed to support nonprofit organizations conducting arts and cultural programming in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, commonly referred to as CAC, was created by Cuyahoga County residents in 2006 through the approval of a county tax dedicated to arts and culture. CAC operates as an independent political subdivision of the State of Ohio and serves as the county’s largest dedicated source of consistent funding for nonprofit arts and culture organizations. Since 2007, CAC has invested more than $270 million in over 500 nonprofit organizations. The Project Support grant program is intended to expand public access to arts and culture experiences by funding projects that demonstrate artistic and cultural vibrancy, organizational capacity, and meaningful public benefit for residents of Cuyahoga County. The 2027 Project Support grant program supports projects occurring between January 1, 2027 and December 31, 2027. CAC defines eligible projects as arts or cultural activities with a public programming component and a clear beginning and end. Projects may include festivals, exhibits, performances, productions, classes, workshops, or other connected arts and cultural activities. Projects with multiple components must demonstrate a cohesive theme connecting all activities. Public programming may be ticketed or free, but it must be open to the public. Special consideration is noted for mural and public art projects, which must include meaningful community engagement and public programming elements to qualify. CAC uses the Ohio Revised Code Chapter 3381 definition of arts and culture, which includes disciplines such as literature, theater, music, dance, ballet, painting, sculpture, photography, motion pictures, architecture, archaeology, history, natural history, and the natural sciences. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations recognized as 501(c)(3) entities through IRS Publication 78 and verified through the GoVerify service. Organizations may apply whether or not arts and culture are part of their core mission, although projects themselves must have a core arts and culture purpose. Applicants must maintain a permanent and viable base of operations in Cuyahoga County for at least one year prior to June 25, 2026, maintain a business address within the county, and conduct the majority of local programming for county residents and visitors. Applicants must also have created or presented public arts or culture programming in Cuyahoga County within the previous two years. Organizations must be incorporated and authorized to conduct business in Ohio and must provide recent IRS Form 990 documentation. Ineligible applicants include individuals, government units, schools, private foundations, organizations serving solely as fiscal sponsors, fundraising groups without direct programming, and organizations not in good standing with CAC. Grant awards range from $1,000 to $7,500 depending on organizational size and prior CAC funding history. New applicants and organizations with budgets of $50,000 or less, or those filing IRS Form 990-N, may request up to $5,000. Returning applicants with budgets greater than $50,000 and filing Form 990 or 990-EZ may request up to $7,500. The program requires a mandatory 1:1 funding match, meaning CAC funds may support no more than 50 percent of total project expenses. Up to 50 percent of the matching requirement may consist of in-kind contributions, including volunteer labor, donated space, goods, or services. Matching funds may come from foundations, government grants, donations, ticket sales, or member dues, but may not include other CAC funding sources. CAC also imposes funding restrictions prohibiting the use of grant dollars for fundraising events, debt reduction, operating expenses unrelated to the project, scholarships, political advocacy, travel outside the United States, food and beverage costs, capital improvements, religious advocacy, or activities occurring outside Cuyahoga County. Applications must be submitted through CAC’s online application and reporting system no later than Thursday, June 25, 2026 at 4:30 PM Eastern Time. CAC strongly encourages applicants to begin preparations early, attend technical assistance workshops, and gather support materials in advance. Required application components include organizational profile information, mission and history narratives, eligibility verification questions, project narratives, project budgets, and support materials. Applicants must upload their IRS Form 990 documentation, a Certificate of Good Standing from the Ohio Secretary of State, and for new applicants, evidence of arts and culture programming conducted between June 25, 2024 and June 25, 2026. Project narrative questions focus heavily on CAC’s funding criteria, including public benefit, artistic and cultural vibrancy, and organizational capacity. Applicants are asked to define their community, explain how they foster inclusion and belonging, describe their project team qualifications, and provide detailed budget information. Support materials may include photos, videos, audio recordings, or other documentation that demonstrates the quality and impact of proposed programming. Applications are reviewed through a public panel review process by arts and culture professionals from outside the region. CAC staff review submissions for completeness but do not score applications or provide recommendations. Independent panelists evaluate eligible applications using a scoring framework based on CAC’s three funding criteria, assigning scores between 1 and 10 points. Applications demonstrating strong evidence of public benefit, artistic and cultural vibrancy, and organizational capacity receive the highest scores. CAC emphasizes public benefit as its primary priority because the funding originates from county taxpayers. Recommended grant awards are subject to approval by CAC’s Board of Trustees during a public meeting anticipated in November 2026. Grant agreements are expected to be distributed between December 2026 and January 2027. Project Support grants are generally paid upon completion of the project and approval of a final report, although recipients may request advance payments of up to 60 percent of the grant amount beginning 30 days before project activities commence. Grant recipients are required to comply with extensive reporting and communication obligations throughout the grant period. Organizations must submit final reports within 30 days after project completion and may be subject to site visits during the grant cycle. CAC also requires funded organizations to post project events to ClevelandArtsEvents.com at least 30 days prior to public presentation and encourages recipients to acknowledge county residents for supporting arts and culture funding. Organizations must remain in good standing with CAC throughout the grant period by meeting all grant agreement requirements, maintaining eligibility, and accurately representing their activities in all submitted documentation. CAC staff are available to assist applicants throughout the process, and applicants may contact the organization through info@cacgrants.org or 216-515-8303 for technical assistance, accommodations, or general questions regarding the program.

Emphasize clear public benefit for Cuyahoga County residents because CAC prioritizes community impact in scoring. Demonstrate artistic and cultural vibrancy through strong support materials and clear project relevance. Provide detailed organizational capacity information showing qualified staff planning and financial readiness. Explain how the project fosters inclusion and belonging because CAC specifically asks applicants to address accessibility and community connection.