Historic $21.8M in arts grants approved by Ohio Arts Council board; area organizations to receive funding
The Ohio Arts Council (OAC) board approved $21,814,824 in grants to support Ohio artists, arts and cultural organizations, students, educators and public arts programming at its July 19 meeting.
This marks the largest amount of grant dollars distributed to constituents applying to OAC funding programs in the agency’s history.
The 907 grants approved at the meeting constitute the initial and major state fiscal year 2024 funding round for the OAC.
This step in the funding cycle marks significant progress in the OAC’s ongoing commitment to directly fund arts programming in all 88 Ohio counties — something it has been able to do for the last eight fiscal years.
These grants follow the recent passage of the state’s 2024-2025 operating budget, which included a record-setting, nearly $51.1 million state appropriation for the OAC over the next two years.
Thanks to Governor DeWine and the Ohio General Assembly’s approval of the agency’s historic $51.1 million biennial appropriation in state funds, the OAC will achieve a number of firsts through this FY 2024 funding round:
• This marks the largest amount of funding the OAC has ever invested 1) into operating support for organizations, through Sustainability; 2) into arts and cultural projects for newer organizations, through ArtSTART; and 3) into innovative arts projects, through ArtsNEXT.
• Through TeachArtsOhio, the amount invested into in-school residencies for teaching artists in PK-12 schools throughout Ohio will increase nearly sevenfold compared to the program’s launch six years ago, funding $2,353,750 compared to $340,000 in FY 2018.
• Of those applying for OAC grants, about 36 percent were new applicants to the agency or program and received funding.
Area organizations receiving funding include:
• Adams County Arts Council in West Union, $4,188 ArtSTART grant.
• Art on the Square/Community Action Commission of Fayette County in Washington Court House, $1,000 ArtSTART grant.
• Chillicothe STEM Preschool/Chillicothe City Schools, $37,800 TeachArtsOhio grant.
• Murphy Theatre Community Center, Inc. in Wilmington, $13,699 ArtsNEXT and $3,933 ArtSTART grant.
• Pump House Center for the Arts (previously Pump House Art Gallery) in Chillicothe, $500 ArtSTART grant.
Download/view a complete filterable spreadsheet or PDF of grants at https://www.dropbox.com/sh/pxush3nne9n32jo/AADw7gpT9FZmyyqPSSOt8o32a?dl….
"Ohio's arts and culture sector is poised for a strong future as we continue to work together for a full recovery of in-person arts programming, an expansion of arts education to combat pandemic-related learning loss, and restoration and growth of career opportunities for arts professionals,” said Donna S. Collins, Executive Director, Ohio Arts Council.
OAC grant funding was awarded in the following areas:
• Operating Support, 452 grants totaling $16,294,566. Sustainability supports ongoing arts and cultural activities in all genres. Awards support the state's arts and cultural ecosystem, providing stable and consistent funding to organizations regardless of budget size. This flexible and reliable funding supports a wide range of the state's arts providers as they make high-quality artistic experiences available to residents and visitors, positioning Ohio as a national leader in creativity, artistry and cultural wealth.
• Statewide Arts Service Organizations (SASO) (5 grants totaling $288,510) are qualifying organizations that provide statewide professional services to arts and cultural organizations. These organizations often serve as critical partners to the OAC’s work as they, along with their members or constituents, support our mission to strengthen Ohio communities through the arts. Statewide Arts Service Organizations are eligible to receive OAC support in a way that honors their unique and valuable contributions to Ohio’s arts sector.
• Project Support. ArtSTART (146 grants totaling $533,526) provides flexible, accessible funding to help organizations complete short-term projects addressing a wide variety of goals and objectives. Most awards support the programming of new or emerging organizations, including first-time OAC applicants, as well as new or established organizations in areas not served by other arts providers.
• ArtsNEXT (78 grants totaling $1,086,261) provides competitive funding for innovative and experimental projects. Awards support big ideas that push boundaries, engage participants in unexpected ways, pilot new solutions to challenging problems, improve program design with calculated risk-taking, or result in the creation of new work. These forward-looking projects help define Ohio as an exciting, cutting-edge place to make, consume and experience the arts.
• Ohio Artists on Tour (26 grants totaling $165,273) enables Ohio organizations to tap into the creative potential of artists to enrich their programming and the vitality of their communities. This program provides awards in the form of fee support to institutions that present Ohio-based performing artists.
• Arts Learning. Arts Partnership (91 grants totaling $1,035,374) supports arts education projects that address the needs of individual learners and their communities. Grant recipients engage in collaborative planning with partners, emphasize in-depth study of the arts and use arts learning outcomes and standards-based arts education practices. The program supports organizations seeking to both maximize community strengths and shed light on community challenges, especially those in historically under-resourced areas. By supporting these projects and programs, the OAC strengthens arts education locally, regionally and statewide.
• TeachArtsOhio (93 grants totaling $2,353,750) brings schools and community organizations together with teaching artists to share engaging, personal, high-quality arts learning experiences. Engagements can vary from short introductory exposures lasting as few as 10 days to in-depth immersive experiences spanning a full school year.
• Individual Artists. Traditional Arts Apprenticeships (16 grants totaling $57,564) provide support for master artists to work with apprentices to build understanding and proficiency in folk and traditional art forms. These awards support the teaching and sharing of important cultural traditions and enrich the lives of Ohioans.
The Ohio Arts Council is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically. Connect with the OAC on Facebook, follow them on Twitter or visit the OAC website at oac.ohio.gov.