Columbus, Ohio – The JPMorgan Chase Foundation has invested $200,000 to help launch the Greater Columbus Arts Council’s (GCAC) effort to get neighborhoods across seven counties involved in celebrating the 200th birthday of Columbus.
The neighborhoods can get up to $10,000 each to show off their pride and heritage through the Chase 200Columbus Neighborhood Grant Program, administered by GCAC.
“Vibrant neighborhoods define great cities, and central Ohio is teeming with great neighborhoods,” said Jim Malz, president of Chase in Ohio. “We want to inspire our neighbors to get creative and join in the once-in-a-lifetime celebration of our city and our region.”
The best ideas will help fulfill the mission of the Bicentennial: honoring the past, celebrating the present, and envisioning the future. Winning projects will receive grants of $500 to $10,000.
“The Columbus Bicentennial seeks to create a community that is more inspired and proud of the increasing vitality of Columbus,” said Milt Baughman, President of the Greater Columbus Arts Council. “Chase is helping us to accomplish one of the core goals of the Bicentennial—engaging and promoting the neighborhoods that are the building blocks of our great city.”
Participants are urged to explore the role their specific neighborhood has played in the city’s 200-year history. The program encourages cultural, educational, diverse and multigenerational activities including:
- Legacy projects
- Works of art
- Customized performances, or
- Other creative programs/activities
All central Ohio neighborhoods in Franklin County and six contiguous counties—Delaware, Fairfield, Licking, Madison, Pickaway and Union—are eligible to seek grants. Applicants must be non-profit organizations, including neighborhood associations, schools, churches, arts, cultural and civic groups.
Funding requests will be reviewed based on:
- Creativity
- Broad resident engagement
- Level of collaboration among multiple residents and organizations
- Commitment to raise matching funds and in-kind support for the project
- Legacy/sustainable aspects of the project
- Thematic consistency with the overall 200Columbus Celebration
- The Chase 200Columbus Neighborhood Grant Program review panel will fund as many quality applications as possible from the $200,000 grant pool.
- There will be two grant application deadlines: October 17, 2011, and February 15, 2012.
The arts council will host informational sessions to help the non-profits understand the application process. The first session will be held on Monday, September 26 from 12-1 p.m. at the Greater Columbus Arts Council office, 100 E. Broad Street, Suite 2250. Details regarding the information sessions, grant guidelines, and a link to the grant application form can be found at: www.200Columbus.com.
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, GCAC funds exemplary artists and arts organizations and provides programs, events and services of public value that educate and engage all audiences in our community. GCAC thanks the City of Columbus, Franklin County and the Ohio Arts Council for their continued support.
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CONTACT: Jami Goldstein
(614) 221-8492
jgoldstein@gcac.org
