Ohio Arts Council Approves 155 Grants Totaling $560,791
by Jaclyn Reynolds
At a public meeting at the Canton Museum of Art on February 25, 2009 the Ohio Arts Council Board approved the third round of grants for fiscal year 2009. The Ohio Arts Council will award 155 grants totaling $560,791 to support arts organizations, arts programs and artists across Ohio.
The Council Board has approved a total of 646 grants totaling $7,766,521 for fiscal year 2009 after reviewing 1,363 requests for $17,884,063. Organizations that receive OAC funds are required to match state tax dollars with additional public and private funds. In general, for every state tax dollar invested, $52 is raised in matching funds by recipient organizations. For more information specific to this round of grant announcements, download the following PDF file – a by-city list of grants awarded in this round. Arts Access Forty-one (41) Arts Access grants were approved totaling $48,639. The Arts Access program provides funds for first-time applicants to the OAC, startup organizations, community-driven one-time projects and organizations with budgets under $30,000. Artists with Disabilities Access Seven (7) Artists with Disabilities Access grants were approved totaling $3,195. The Artists with Disabilities Access Program (ADAP) is designed to help artists with disabilities move to a higher level of artistic development. Capacity Building Thirty-four (34) Capacity Building grants were awarded for a total of $92,711. The program provides funds to strengthen Ohio’s nonprofit arts and cultural sector by helping organizations improve internal governance and leadership, cultivate strategic community linkages and develop financial and human resources for long-term stability. Individual Excellence Fifty-nine (59) Individual Excellence Awards were approved totaling $300,000. Individual Excellence Awards are peer recognition of creative artists for the exceptional merit of a body of work that advances or exemplifies the discipline and the larger artistic community. These awards support artists’ growth and development and recognize their work in Ohio and beyond in 13 different disciplines. International Partnership Program Four (4) International Partnership Program grants were approved totaling $15,406. The International Partnership Program promotes long-term international cultural exchanges and encourages Ohio artists and arts organizations to form partnerships with arts professionals in other countries. Special Organization Ten (10) Special Organization grants were approved for a total of $100,840. 2008 Grant Award Ratifications Ratifications are the Board’s final approval of funds allocated in various program areas since its September 29, 2008 meeting. The Board ratified two grants from 2008 totaling $8,656. These awards have not been announced previously. The 2008 ratifications included: • One (1) Capacity Building grant for $4,745. • One (1) Special Organization grant for $3,911. 2009 grant information to date, as well as complete grant information dating back to FY1998, is searchable on the Ohio Arts Council Web site at www.oac.state.oh.us/search/grants/SearchGrants.asp Grant applications were reviewed last winter and spring by panels of arts experts and Ohio Arts Council staff. The Council Board, consisting of 15 gubernatorial appointees and four nonvoting members from the Ohio legislature, makes final decisions based on panel recommendations. The Ohio Arts Council is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally and economically.[top]