Columbus, Ohio – The Greater Columbus Arts Council awarded a total of $21,800 to 23 organizations during its third round of grants for the 2009 Franklin County Neighborhood Arts program, an initiative designed to increase community participation in the arts throughout Franklin County.
The Franklin County Neighborhood Arts program assists neighborhood and community groups with specific arts projects in all disciplines, provided they are offered to the public. Programming that actively provides access to the arts for people of all cultural backgrounds, economic status, sexual orientation, age and physical ability receives priority consideration.
The Franklin County Neighborhood Arts program is funded by the Franklin County Board of Commissioners and is supported by a donation from Ashland Inc. Each year, GCAC awards three rounds of grants as part of the program. In 2009, GCAC awarded $58,454 to 59 organizations. The following is a list of organizations that will receive grants and the amount they will receive:
| Organization: | Project Description: | Amount: |
| Arts and College Preparatory Academy | End-of-year art and music festival for the school and surrounding community. | $1,000 |
| Capital Pride Band | Concert of classic musical theater songs from the 1920s through the 1960s | $1,000 |
| CK Productions | Children’s production of Charlotte’s Web | $1,000 |
| Columbus Blues Alliance | A blues festival featuring local, national and international musicians | $1,000 |
| First Unitarian Universalist Church | A concert and outreach series featuring Asian, Arab and African-American composers | $1,500 |
| Friends of Indianola Informal PTO | A performance of two short plays written by students of the Clintonville school | $500 |
| Glenwood United Methodist Church | A six-week music workshop for students who live in the Hilltop neighborhood | $800 |
| Heritage Day Health Centers | An art therapy project for patients | $1,000 |
| Hixon Dance | Event-length performance featuring live music and new works | $1,500 |
| Inner City Performing Arts Center | Original theatrical production addressing bullying and its consequences | $1,000 |
| McConnell Arts Center of Worthington | Performance and master class taught by Ohio State dance students | $1,000 |
| No Strings Attached Chamber Music Society | Series of free concerts in west Columbus | $1,000 |
| OSU American Indian Council | Contemporary powwow event | $1,000 |
| Parkview Players | The Westgate Theatre Troupe will perform three one-act plays | $400 |
| Rosebriar Shakespeare Company | A production of one of William Shakespeare’s comedies | $1,000 |
| Trevitt Elementary School | Students at the near-eastside elementary will write an original play exploring the history of their community | $1,000 |
| United Cebral Palsy of Central Ohio | UCP artists and Worthington Christian High School students will work together to create artistic park benches for the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium | $1,500 |
| Urban Reflections Art Studio and Gallery | Workshops for participants in the Gift Street Boys and Girls Club in Franklinton | $400 |
| Video Support Group | Series of free workshops in video and film production | $1,200 |
| Waggoner Road Middle School | Dance project for sixth grade students | $1,000 |
| Wild Goose Creative | Three day festival of workshops and performances by Columbus comedians | $500 |
| Worthington Chorus | Series of concerts at retirement facilities in north Columbus | $1,000 |
| Youth Sew | Quilt-making class for children in the Hilltop neighborhood | $500 |
About the Greater Columbus Arts Council: Through vision and leadership, advocacy and collaboration, the Greater Columbus Arts Council supports art and advances the culture of the region. A catalyst for excellence and innovation, we fund exemplary artists and arts organizations and provide programs, events and services of public value that educate and engage all audiences in our community. GCAC thanks Franklin County Board of Commissioners and Ashland Inc. for their support of this program, and we thank the City of Columbus and Ohio Arts Council for their ongoing support.
