Grants & Services for Organizations
Grants Guidelines
Arts and culture connect the community, and the Greater Columbus Arts Council connects arts organizations and artists to the resources they need to thrive. Established in 1973, the GCAC/City of Columbus Grants Program offers financial support to the city's artists and arts organizations. Since 1978, the city of Columbus has dedicated a portion of revenues from the hotel/motel tax for support of the Grants Program. Funding decisions are made on a non-political basis through a competitive system of application and review. The GCAC/City of Columbus Grants Program's mission, as adopted by the GCAC Board of Trustees, is to maximize funding for Columbus arts organizations and artists through the responsible administration of a grants program, to increase funds available for that program, and to provide technical assistance aimed at increasing the level of artistic and management skills among the GCAC constituency.
Click here to download a PDF of the full 2012 guidelines (500k)
Be sure to fill out your Ohio Cultural Data Project profile and generate reports for multiple funders at the same time.
The Ohio Cultural Data Project (OCDP), the first online management tool designed to strengthen arts and cultural organizations. This unique system will provide our grant applicants with the tools necessary to analyze and benchmark financial and organizational data. The OCDP also allows GCAC grant applicants to generate reports to be submitted to multiple funders, including the Ohio Arts Council, with the click of a button. The OCDP is the result of a statewide collaborative partnership of public and private funders and advocacy organizations committed to streamlining the application process for cultural organizations. More information is available about OCDP within the Grant Guidelines.
GCAC Operating Support grant applicants are required to complete an online Ohio Cultural Data Project profile as part of their grant request. All arts and cultural organizations, regardless of budget size, are encouraged to complete a data profile. To learn more about the OCDP and create your profile, click here. To sign up for an OCDP training session, click here. Use this link to go directly to the GOArts Columbus Online Applications.
Below are links to PDFs of the Guidelines Individual Sections. All applicants should read Section 1: General Information section and Appendix 1: Publicity/Donor Acknowledgement Guidelines.
Section 1: General Information
Section 2: Operating Support
Section 3: Project Support
Section 4: BOOST (Broadening Organizations' Overall Skills and Technology--formerly Technical Assistance)
Section 5: Artists in the Community (includes Artist Fellowships, Professional Development, Supply Grants and Artist Exchange)
Section 6: Franklin County Neighborhood Arts Program
Section 7: Ohio Cultural Data Project
Section 8: Arts Legal Assistance Program
Appendix 1: Publicity/Donor Acknowledgement Guidelines
Appendix 2: Fiscal Agents
Appendix 3: Organizations with Management Agreements
Appendix 4: FAQ--Ohio Cultural Data Project
Appendix 5: FAQ--Arts Legal Assistance Program
Appendix 6: FAQ--GoArts
Appendix 7: Operating Support Application Questions and Evaluation Key
Appendix 8: Project Support Application Questions and Evaluation Key
